Creating a successful Internet strategy requires understanding who your customers are and what benefits you are providing (why they should buy your product). Once you have a solid understanding of specifically who you’re selling to (and everyone is way too broad to help you target effectively), you can start to look for your customers online. Here are some ways to find them:
- Industry Publications & Associations – Almost every industry publication and association has a website. Many will also have a place for readers and industry members to interact (such as a discussion board, forum, comments, blogs, etc). Even without interaction, there may be advertisements for other places to look and industry publications are good for keeping up with what may be important to your customers.
- Industry Forums & Blogs – There may be independently run forums and blogs within your industry (remember to think from the view point of your customer) that have places for interaction (or places to look).
- Subject-specific Forums & Blogs – If your customers aren’t necessarily covered by an industry, look to see if there are subject-specific forums and blogs that your customers may be reading.
- Subject-specific Social Networks – Use a search engine to see if there are any social networks for your target audience.
- Keyword Searches – Using keywords for searches that your customers might use to find your products can help you see what other sites offer similar services (or cover the industry).
- Industry or Subject-specific Directories – Take a look to see if your customers are covered in any industry or subject-specific directories (For example, Mashable has a list of ways to search for people on Twitter).
How have you found your customers online?
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