I came across a great little B2B case study in a post by Michael Brenner that I recommend you all read. In a nutshell, by providing respondents with “directed paths and audience-specific messaging” the subject of the case study increased website conversion rates by 556%.
It is so often the case that companies offer a tremendous amount of valuable information on their websites but they just are not getting the kind of conversions they expect. Typically the problem is the way in which the information is presented and sometimes even the keywords used to attract audiences. The entire presentation is either too generalized or not targeting audiences accurately.
Not all information is relevant to all audiences. Additionally, even if the information is relevant to everyone, it is often not relevant for the same reasons. These distinctions are important to understand when you are creating and presenting web content, particularly landing page content designed to greet respondents from a search engine or email campaign.
The first order of business is to understand who you are talking to (segment and profile) and why they should be listening to you (value you offer them). There are many ways to segment your audiences and the criteria you select to do so should make sense for your business. An example would be to target differently those familiar with your type of service or products from those who are just now learning how what you offer could work for them. The core information may be the same, but how you present it will determine how successful you are at attracting and motivating each group.
Something else to consider when segmenting and profiling your target audience groups is what their role in the decision-making process will be. If you are marketing B2B, typically you want to get your message across to decision-makers but have to go through those who are conducting the research. In this case, your initial challenge is to speak to the interests of those conducting the research using the language they use. If done well, later in the process you may begin to present information in a manner that will allow the researcher to be your representative to the decision-makers.
Bottom line, present web content in a way that allows each of your target audience groups to easily identify and interact with the content meant for them. From landing page through to conversion, keep the conversation focused on them, providing each group with interesting ways to interact with your information as it guides them seamlessly through each step to make contact with you.
