Targeting audience awareness is key to online marketing

Identifying a target audience is an essential process in achieving a complete customer view for marketing, it has been claimed.

Mike Seddon, founder of KKSmarts.com, said that organizations looking to improve their online or email marketing strategy should consider why they need a website, what they want from it and who their customers are.

"So, if you're a well-known brand name you probably want to rank highest on the name of your brand. If you're in a competitive market - plumbers, electricians, etc - you want those to appear for those phrases," he explained.

He warned that there is often a disconnect when firms go online as they think they need to appeal to the whole world, rather than a key group.

As well as obtaining a complete customer view for marketing, organizations should also decide whether they want their website to be a selling vehicle or engage customers and drive sales to the front.

Recently, Windsor Holden, the principal analyst at Juniper Research, said that marketing is moving towards mobile devices and companies need to be ready to make the change.