215: Flyby users don't create robust databases

At MACMA Industry Day last week, Amanda Landsaw said “flyby visitors don’t create robust databases.” There’s a lot to unpack in that statement.

Let’s start with these flyby visitors.

Some people like to judge websites by traffic volume. Lots of traffic being a good thing. But most traffic at most websites is of the one and done variety. They happen upon your site for some random reason and they never, or at least very rarely, come back.

You can monetize such visits, but chasing that traffic isn’t a good strategy. You never have anything at the end of the day except all the pennies you’ve collected from your ads, and the need to do it all over again tomorrow.

A “robust database” sounds a little more stable, doesn’t it? It’s also something you can monetize both internally and externally.

If we want to pursue this robust database, what does that imply?

Let’s think of the differences between a flyby visitor and an engaged user. The flyby visitor had some fleeting interest, but the engaged visitor’s interest is more durable and long term. The flyby visitor found nothing to keep them – you were just today’s fad. In contrast, you scratched an itch for the engaged visitor. Something about your site appealed to them and gave them a reason to stay and come back.

One of the implications from this is a focus on quality over quantity. If you want to play the traffic game, you have to churn out tons of new content all the time, but you may just be attracting the flybys. Quality is more consistent with engagement and long-term interest, but quality isn’t enough. A very high quality article on golf means nothing to me because I don’t play golf. To get an engaged audience your content has to be high quality and relevant.

Relevance brings us to the next point, which is a clear target audience. Who are you trying to reach, what are those people like, and what do they like? What are their preferences, needs, and challenges? How are you both appealing to them and helping them?

A content strategy that does all those things lays a solid foundation for this robust database Amanda was talking about, but it’s not enough.

High-quality, targeted content that meets a real need is great, but an engaged, lasting customer usually needs a little more help. Maybe you need a little more sparkle, or some fellowship.

Casey Cornelius from CredSpark spoke later that day about how a poll or a quiz can dramatically increase engagement on your site. There’s your sparkle.

If you can find a way to build community within your audience, there’s your fellowship.

Great content, engaging little widgets, and a strong community sounds like the dream of most content creators, but there’s still no database.

To create this robust database, there are three categories of things you will need.

* Analytics, where you track and collect behavior.
* Identity, where you find ways to convert unknown, anonymous web visitors to known customers.
* Segmentation, where you break your target audience down into smaller, even more engaged subgroups.

You’d typically use a customer data platform to do those things.