STEP TWO - Developing Content for Your Audience(s)

Once you have a strong understanding of who you are marketing to, you need to create the content that will be beneficial and of interest to them. The key elements that your web site should offer include:

• an informative "About Us" section (including your history and management/employee profiles) to make your visitors feel comfortable with you so they develop a sense of trust in your business
• detailed descriptions that offer all the information your visitors may be seeking for each of your products/services
• testimonials and/or case studies to show how you've helped previous clients who have had similar needs
• photographs, diagrams and/or graphics to illustrate the use and benefits of your products/services

When developing your content, it is vital that you keep the following in mind:

• address the specific needs of each visitor (target your messages to each of the potential audiences I've mentioned above)
• anticipate their questions and provide answers to them (sometimes you'll even answer questions they don't yet know they have!)
• focus on the benefits of your products/services rather than just the features
• you can provide the same information in a variety of ways and locations throughout the site so that each visitor can find it in the manner that suits them best
• present your messages in a style that "speaks" to each visitor as an individual
• write your text in a conversational manner; use the same words, phrases and sentence structure that they use and understand best
• use marketing-oriented copywriting (without hard selling) to get them to take action (to contact you)

Next, let's move on to STEP THREE - Designing Your Web Site for Maximum Effectiveness .