You know what I find interesting? Most business owners plan a website without ever thinking about the person who will be visiting it.
Here’s what they think about instead:
“What do we need to say about ourselves? How do we make our company look good?” Unfortunately, this thinking doesn’t work.
Everything you put on your website needs to be about the customer. What are their needs? What problem will you help them solve?
In Lesson 1 of our Plan Your Website course, we define who that customer is and how you want them to perceive you. This is the first lesson in a free 5-part series we created to help business owners just like you. Click here to find out more now.
Action Step 1:
Brainstorm: Who is the target customer you are trying to reach with this website?
Nope, the answer isn’t “anyone who might buy from us.” Get as specific as possible. Start by making a list.
Let’s consider an imaginary 11Web client, Julia, who owns a fitness studio. Here is what her brainstorm of targets might look like:
Our fitness studio clients might be…
- Weight-lifting enthusiasts
- Moms who want to lose weight
- Seniors who want to stay in shape
- Youth athletes who are conditioning for sports
Now here’s the harder part. Choose one target that is most important to you.
I know this part is tough. Our clients do everything they can to avoid narrowing down their customers. But you need to focus on one specific customer group to create content that really speaks to them.
Once you’ve got it, it’s time to paint a more specific picture of your target visitor and what they need.
Let’s say that Julia decides her most important target customer is moms who want to lose weight. Here’s the description she would write:
Our website is targeting moms ages 28-45 who want to lose 10-40 pounds. They’re frustrated because other gyms feel unwelcoming. They want a place that has a sense of community and fun, where they can bring friends to work out together. They also have very limited time, so they need convenience and quick access to classes and machines.
Boom. Now you know exactly who to consider as you continue to build out your content. It will all flow more easily from here, knowing who you are talking to.
Action Step 2:
This is my favorite part of website planning. It’s time to define your brand personality adjectives. (Don’t worry, this step is a quick one!)
Consider that one target customer. Then write down adjectives that describe HOW you want that person to perceive you.
These adjectives define what differentiates you from your competition. They give your company (and your website design) life.
Julia said she wanted her fitness studio to be perceived as:
- Friendly
- Welcoming
- Convenient
- Clean
- Fun
- Healthy
- Energetic
- Bright
This is a crucial step that we define before all of our website projects. Using this information, we can make the design decisions that position your company the right way for your visitors.
For Julia, we would recommend using imagery of real people working out and having fun to provide that welcoming, non-intimidating feel for the aspiring mom. Knowing they want to be seen as clean, energetic, and bright, we would design using lots of white and bright colors rather than a dark or edgy feel.
This step 100% sets the stage for a website that will get you customers. Give it some thought and know you’re laying the perfect groundwork!
Ready for more?
What if you could plan your website’s best content with ease, and in just five days? Sign up below to receive a five free lessons just like this one.
