 2.2 Customer Focused Content
The first item to consider in creating customer focused content is to think benefits rather than features. This approach is often overlooked and requires thought and perhaps research. You find it easy and natural to think about the features of your tourism business because you know it intimately. The features are the product attributes that set you apart in the market place.
Benefits however are tough to think about because they flow from the needs and desires of the customer. Since you may be working with a variety of target markets, the benefits associated may need to be described differently for different types of guests.
Focus on Relevance
The second necessary element is a deep knowledge of your potential guest. You must know the needs and desires of each target market if you are to create inspiring descriptions of your guest services.
Your task is to prove to your potential guest that you share an affinity, and your web site or entry page has about thirty seconds to accomplish this task. What entry page features will make your potential guest feel at home with your services.
Learn all you can about your potential guests needs. Read magazines, visit locations, do web searches and keep up to date with the happenings in your niche markets.
For example, provide media stories and links appropriate to your target market. Northern Edge Algonquin - Yoga
For each target market:
- let them know they are a priority
- know and meet their needs
- cater to / specialize for them
- let them know you appreciate their business.
Provide links to niche specific web resources? Think like your potential customer, what other type of information might they be seeking? Where is it located? Provide links to purchase books, read articles, and share other relevant information.
Use Target Market appropriate Images: Make every effort to use photos that show your target market on your landing page. If you cater to international guests, it is more important to have regional awareness than language proficiency -ie:
for the asian market, having pictures of asian visitors, content that reflects an asian cultural awareness, are more important than translating your site into the specific Asian language..
The keyword to focus on is Relevance! What can you do to engender respect and admiration of your potential customers.
Focus on the Benefits to your customer
Compare:
Number and diversity of fitness classes: over 35 weekely programs including yoga and gentle martial arts emphasis-Yoga, YogaSpin, Pilates, Chi Ball Method, T'ai Chi
vs:
Soothe stress away through yoga, Chi Ball and any of the Spa's 35 weekly healt programs. Pamper your body and spirit at our all-inclsuive retreat surrounded by the region's natural beauty.
or
Get in shape and reenergize....
vs.
Refresh your body, mind .....
 How can you repackage and design your services to meet the needs of niche markets? What is the Wow factor for each niche market? How do you meet it?
Landing pages:
Consider creating specific landing pages for different target markets.
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Place your most valuable info above the fold on landing pages - the viewable space on page load.
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Reduce navigation options and allow your visitor to follow a linear path to get the information they require.
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Top 60 pxls not important.
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To help focus on Benefits, think "What will it feel like to ...."
Landing Page Checklist:
- Is direct path provided from entry to sale?
- Is message from your advertisement completed?
- Is critical info above the fold?
- Are there reduced navigational choices?
- Are action words used?
- Is desire enhanced?
- Is a rationale presented?
- Is trust being established?
- Is it clear what action you want the visitor to take?
Microsites
Some tourism sites host a variety of different types of guests. Sometimes, potential guests may not be able to imagine themselves at your location if they see guests who they do not share an affinity with.
- Is there a chance that birders and hunters share an affinity? If you cater to both, consider having microsites.
Headline: "Come enjoy a peaceful vacation"
- Quiet Bay Log Motel German Page
A microsite is completely distinct web content. It could be as brief as a single page or a new page with new navigation, an offer with a link back to your site. Alternately, it could be a fully functional minisite with a privacy policy, contact page, and unique brand identity.
A microsite can be used for keyword segments of a search engine optimization campaign, an entire PPC campaign, even for a market segment you can't reach with your current domain.
If you think you might benefit from a microsite and have budget allocated for development, consider the following in addition to tips on writing good web content found elsewhere:
- Will the microsite sit on your current domain or a new one? Considering a secondary domain may make more sense if the microsite showcases a product or service not normally associated with your brand or if the target market will not feel completely at home with the rest of your content. Conversely, branded URLs are often an asset in creating click-through.
- How much navigation choice will your microsite visitor have and will it link to the main site?
- Will the microsite design be consistent with existing corporate communications or a departure from that look?
- How prominent is your brand/logo on the site?
- Will your microsite be developed for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) purposes or is it exclusively for PPC (Pay per Click) traffic with no thought to search engine-friendly layout, design, HTML, or content?
Northern Edge Algonquin has an educational micro site.
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