The Contest

As I eagerly greet the new work morning, my first call of the day is from a woman who wants to open an online store. "Sure," I say, "what is it you want to sell?" "I really don't know," was her cautious reply, "do you have any suggestions?"

Luckily, I was on my toes that morning. "No problem Ma'am, you can call a relative or friend who has a store and ask if you could sell his stuff online." "Okay, sounds good," she replied, "I have someone."

I was already counting on that month's mortgage being paid until she informed me of a minor detail. "I don't know how to use a computer. Actually, I don't even have one. Is that a problem?" Truly a serious damper on a potential sale.

I suggested she make a visit to the local library, get some help and information on computer skills, and call me back when she's ready. There is a very important lesson which I know is in this story, I'm just not sure what it is.

What's Your Audience?

A business consultant's first question is "who is your target market?" The answer to that question helps him tailor your ad campaigns to reach the people who are interested in your products and services.

Things aren't any different when it comes to a website. True, you still have to make your site and its content appealing to everybody, however the focus should be on the target market. If your typical customer is a 60 year old male, the color scheme, font sizes, and, most importantly, the lingo will be drastically different from those you'd use if you were selling to a 17 year old teen. Avoid laid back terminology when addressing an older audience (yes, that's right, your viewers are an audience). Pepper the text with kid speak for the teeny bopper crowd.

Spend time to figure out your target market and then grab their attention.