On behalf of Best4u Internet Marketing BV, I am conducting research into the use of internet marketing. For my graduation internship, I am designing a website for Internet Marketing's clients. On this website, they can see whether what they put into the campaign actually has positive results for, for example, revenue (ROI). Additionally, they can closely monitor the progress of their campaigns at their own level. This means that clients do not have to learn difficult jargon to understand what is actually happening. If jargon is used, the explanation is close at hand. The simpler, the better. However, to align with the target audience's knowledge, it is important to know what the target audience's knowledge actually is.
Measuring is knowing
To gain insight into the customers' knowledge, I set up an online survey. Internet Marketing's clients are an important target group in this. But of course, you cannot forget potential customers. The thing they all essentially have in common is that they are entrepreneurs. To determine the wishes of these two target groups, two surveys were set up. To measure is to know. It is fascinating to see the differences reflected in the surveys.
The differences between the design of the studies
In principle, there is no difference between the surveys, except that they are aimed at two different target groups. The first target group consists of potential customers. These are entrepreneurs of all shapes and sizes. The questionnaire was distributed via Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn and is aimed at entrepreneurs, website owners, and others interested in internet marketing. The second target group consists of the current customers of Best4u Internet Marketing BV. The questions in the surveys are essentially the same. The customer questionnaire contains questions about how they experience the service.
Most customers spend less than 10 hours a week on the internet.
Our clients have outsourced internet marketing. Is this the reason why they spend much less time online? On average, 55% of clients spend less than 10 hours per week online, both for business and non-business purposes. 75% of potential clients spend more than 30 hours per week online.
Customers and potential customers want to be informed.
About 75% are (very) familiar with the term SEA. Among clients, this is about 70%. This is fairly evenly matched. However, when terms such as traffic sources are used in Google Analytics, clients are the winners. Incidentally, the difference in knowledge is not very large. From this, I dare to conclude that entrepreneurs want to be knowledgeable about internet marketing, whether they outsource it or not.
Customers monitor the return on their investment.
Our clients have outsourced internet marketing. It is important to see whether outsourcing actually pays off. This is clearly reflected in the figures. Of the potential clients, 45% view the Analytics report weekly. 15% do not even look at it. 90% of the clients view the report weekly. Clients are interested in a clear overview of the input of a campaign and the concrete results. This is a feature that fits perfectly within the new website.
Our blog is a hit
“This website uses the correct positioning and a grid. It is clear what belongs where.” “It looks the best, is well-organized, and social media is well integrated into it.” “With Best4u Media’s layout, you can see everything at a glance, and everything is immediately clear.” Those are a collection of wonderful compliments! By reading what (potential) clients consider a pleasant design or navigation, it becomes easy to design a website that ultimately works easily for users. Again, the simpler, the better.
Looking for even more comments
Thank you so much for all the responses I have received so far!
To draw a better conclusion from the results, your feedback is also welcome! The questionnaire can be found at http://alturl.com/kbuasA more extensive blog post with the results of the studies will follow in two weeks. Thank you for your contribution!
Regards, Kim