31 January 2012
Something that keeps coming up when I work on content issues with clients is who they are trying to reach with their messages

Something that keeps coming up when I work on content issues with clients is who they are trying to reach with their messages. I think a lack of focus in our written copy is something we may all have been guilty of at some point. An important part of our product offer at Fast Fwd is our promise of measureable results from any marketing activity we do. As a result, I work hard with my clients to ensure that they have a clear idea of who the people that buy from them are and what messages appeal to them. It is not only the text content which is affected in this way, images are also vitally important.

When creating my own content, I think of the following things.

Who are my customers?
How old are they?
Where do they live?
What do they drive?
What do they watch?
What are their values?

These are important considerations for me when I consider the tone of voice I write my content in and the type of imagery I use to support it.

Another place where it is important to consider the target market is your product pages. This is especially true when running an advertising campaign. If you are running a campaign promoting Nike shoes at £30 per pair, it is so important that the destination page of the website actually have those particular shoes for that price clearly on the page. If you have paid about £5 for someone to come to your page who wants to buy a £30 pair of Nike trainers, it makes no sense to send him to a page that is called trainers form £10 and make him search for the trainers you promised him.

That may seem like a bit of a rant but I come across it often. Many respected brands that are experienced in running online campaigns still fall into this trap, often because their IT/Web department cannot keep up with the demands of their marketing department. The reality is, it costs relatively little to create a bespoke landing page to support a marketing campaign, a strategy which can dramatically reduce your bounce rate.