Web Pitfall #5: Looking Inward for Direction

Oct 17 2008

All too often, we develop web sites from our own point of view. We look inward at what WE selfishly want instead of thinking objectively about what our AUDIENCE wants.

Understanding what our customers and other stakeholders/constituents are looking for is a critical early step towards success on the web, there is no doubt about it.

If you don’t know where to start, try creating a “persona” or a profile of your average customer. List out their wants and needs, their pain points and reasons that they would — and would not — be inclined to do business with you. Then create a different persona for each type of target constituent that visits your web site.

For example, if I had a products company that made sporting goods, I would likely have a persona for an end consumer, one for a retail partner and potentially one for a school or private sports league if I sold through those channels. I may even want to create a media persona when outlining requirements for a news area or a job seeker for my careers section if those aspects of my business are key to my overall strategy.

Having these personas in my back pocket gives me an easy way to put myself in someone else’s shoes… If I’m a sales consultant and I’ve identified that my typical client is a busy CEO who is short on time and wants to see fast results, I probably don’t want to make her sit through a lengthy video or online presentation. But I might allow her to request a specific day and time for a free phone consultation or possibly email some high level content that she can read at her leisure.

And here’s another tip… “10-20 employee company in a service industry” can NOT be a persona because it’s not a “person.” The office manager, CFO or President at that company is though. Don’t forget that only people can visit web sites; companies can not.

If you focus on addressing the wants and needs of your audience, it’s a lot harder to take a wrong turn.