No business can be successful without a deep understanding of its customers. This knowledge can help you to adapt your business style and advertising techniques to attract more customers and expand your client base.
Though face to face interactions are most suitable for understanding customer requirements and behaviors, web entrepreneurs do not have this luxury. Therefore, you must know your customers through indirect methods. Here are some of the methods you can use.
Tracking your Website Traffic
Traffic reports can serve as an excellent first step in understanding your customers. Ask your web hosting company about the free reports they offer on website traffic. Analyze these reports to determine key trends in traffic and visitor information. Once you have familiarized yourself with report information, use it to track your traffic and modify your website in accordance with customer s requirements and trends. For instance, if you notice that you have many visitors from China, you can add features on web pages that attract attention of Chinese people and ensure that they keep coming back to your site. Tracking will also help you to assess the impact of specific advertising and promotion campaigns on customers and if they have been profitable for your business.
Some web hosting companies, however, do not provide any traffic reports. In this situation, you can look into your log files directly. Go to your web hosting service and look for a directory named “Logs.” Within the directory, download the most recent file to analyze the location of visitors, the pages viewed, the duration for which each page is viewed and the links attracting the most traffic. E commerce websites can also recover information on sold products and where, in the ordering process, do customers bail out. Most text editors can open the file containing this information.
Collect E mail Addresses and Stay in Touch
Give your visitors incentive for registering with your website by offering them free a newsletter subscription, an e book or articles. Websites selling services can get customers to register by offering short free consultation. These methods let you collect the emails while the visitors get a glimpse of the good stuff you have to offer.
After you have obtained the email addresses and the permission to send mails to your customers, you can use the addresses to contact potential customers, and keep in touch by sending them discount coupons and special offers, information about sales, newsletters, articles and catalogs.
Getting Feedback from Customers
There is no better way of getting to know your customers than asking them directly about their requirements and expectations. Use your website to develop customer databases, and build user profiles and mailing lists. Give your customers an option of joining your mailing list on the homepage of your website. However, when seeking feedback directly from your customers you should always make it a point to respond to their messages or you risk alienating them. Analyze customer responses and requests to determine common problems and then aim to develop solutions to them. If you show genuine concern about their problems and needs, they will reciprocate by being loyal to your business and brand.
A deep knowledge of your customers helps you to precisely target your products and services and attract customer attention and interest. This in turn, helps you to increase your business profitability and significantly expand your customer base. If you want your web business to be successful and your website to be effective start getting to know your customers today.
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