Winning Online

Around this time last year, a potential client was referred to us. They were launching a product that would give parents the ability to monitor their children’s online activities, including the content of their e-mail and instant messages. No matter what you think about respecting your child’s privacy, we’ve all read the stories about kids who were contacted online by a predator. Those stories often don’t end well.
But I digress. When the client approached us, we put together a launch plan for them. They opted not to retain us, but I recently checked their Web site and I wish they had because I am itching to edit their content!
Here’s why: Their product is marketed toward parents of teens so the audience skews slightly older. A lot of people in this age group are not tech-savvy.
OK, that’s a generalization but, believe me, their teenagers will back me up!
So … a product that allows non-tech-savvy parents to monitor their child’s safety online should be described in very simple terms. But the content on their site is filled with confusing jargon.
If I am desperate to know whether my daughter is IMing with perverts, do I want to spend any time thinking about what a “value add” is? Am I stumbling over words like deploy and phrases like mapping functionality?
The point is: Know Your Audience and target your communications toward that audience. And remember that no matter who your audience is, simple and straightforward is always better!