If you’ve ever been concerned about whether or not your website is reaching your customers or community, you may want to take a look at the types of content you feature and how you tell them about it. Ask yourself these two questions?

#1 Are you speaking your customer’s language?

#2 Are you giving them what they want or what you think they need?

I often tell my clients that their website believe or not isn’t about them at all! It’s all about their customer and the imagery & language they use on their website must be crystal clear.

Any confusion about what they do or why they’re there and they run the risk of their visitors bouncing from their site and jumping onto another one.

A good rule of thumb is to see your website not as a digital version of a brochure or catalogue, showcasing your products and services, but as a “mirror” that your visitor’s should see their own reflection in. Your visitors should be able to “see themselves” right away and know that they’ve come to the right place.

There’s a saying in the digital space “speak to your customers not to your peers” and this week’s featured post, by Menachem Wecker of The Art Newspaper, Wecker takes a closer look at how museums all over the world are starting to invest in focus groups to gain insights on what the general public is truly interested in and not just their peers.

The post also brings up a debate, amongst “the old guard”, about the role museums play within any given community today. Many believe that museums should not use tactics associated with “just making money”. That they should serve communities and not “markets”.

Others feel that focus groups, give them a chance to better understand what the community’s wants and needs really are and should not cater strictly to a group of “insiders” or an academic rigor that no longer reflects the times.

You can decide for yourself and read the full post here: “More Museums Turn to Focus Groups, but Do They help or Hinder?”

My two cents? This is a good read for any business struggling with whether or not they’re getting through to their customers.

If you’re a small operation, you don’t even have a budget to really hire a team to conduct focus groups and online surveys are typically ignored. My advice would be to do it the old fashion way and just “ask” some of your most frequent visitors/customers.

Ask them what they’ve thought about previous events, programs or promotions and then just “ask” them what would they like to see.

You can even conduct a little competitive analysis on your own and check out the social media and websites of your direct competitors to see HOW they ask their visitors what they think.

Can’t find anything? Then go straight to the top! Check out what the leaders in your industry or niche are doing and scale them down to fit your business’ budget. The only wrong way to do it – is to not do it at all.

Question: When was the last time you reached out and asked your audience what they would like to see from you? Share comments and thoughts below.

Like what you see? Then join the conversation!
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