We’re getting so good at identifying who your customers are, what they want, and the problem they want to solve. This time, it’s all about you (well, sorta).
photo credit: istolethetv
Lots of businesses have fantastic advertising about why you should buy their product. It’s fast! It’s cheap! All your walrus-polishing problems will disappear… like magic! They’re great at convincing people to buy something.
But fewer businesses are great at convincing people to buy from them. Unless you’re the only plumber in a small town, you’ll be fighting for a share of the available business; you need to be crystal clear about why you should win.
Heard it through the grapevine
Word-of-mouth is the single most effective form of marketing, because everyone knows advertising is made from the tears of innocent puppies. You’ll believe your co-workers, your neighbour or your buddy far more readily than you’ll believe advertising. If someone you know promotes something, you’ll be more likely to try it. So how can you use word-of-mouth marketing online?
Use your website to get people talking about you
No-one runs up to their friend and says, “You’ll never guess what happened! I went to the chiropractor and it was totally ordinary”. People talk when their expectations are violated. There are three ways to violate expectations:
- being better than anticipated
- being worse
- being different
I don’t recommend screwing over your customers in order to get them talking, so that leaves two options: better or different. Each is a big topic, so let’s focus in on better. (We’ll talk about different next next time.)
Harder, better, faster, stronger
Are there facets of your business in which you’re better than your competitors? List them! They should be:
Catchy
Don’t sound like those radio ads you make fun of: “As you know Janice, Smith Builders are the leading providers of multi-level residences.” Make it simple and it will stick.
- THE nursery for drought-resistant plants
- Best gelato in the city
- Overnight prototyping
Measurable
Numbers mean veracity.
- 81% of your new clients are referrals
- City to the airport 27 minutes faster
- 93% of repairs completed in the first visit
- 126 words per minute with 99.5% accuracy
Important
People only care about things that affect or interest them. Most times they won’t care about your filing system, the tools you use, the route you drive or where you studied.
Credible
If your claims are too large they’ll be dismissed as hype. Use any ad that makes you roll your eyes as a guide of what not to do.
Emotional
Cold facts don’t sell. Your differentiating statement should make people feel positively toward you.
- Impressed (They won the award four years running. Nice!)
- Approving (About time someone realised we need a one-hour service.)
- Satisfied (I’ve been looking for a dealer in town that knew what they were talking about!)
- Intrigued (How do they get the job finished so fast?)
All together now
Remember the solutions and benefits we identified last time? If you can tie all these things together, you’ll hit it out of the park.
Continuing to use ourselves as an example, here’s one of the ways we’re better, tied in to a solution and a benefit:
We’re both qualified trainers, and we’re really good at explaining complex technical issues so that you understand them. You can make informed decisions, save money and impress everyone with your grasp of the technology.
Again, don’t be subtle, or use metaphors. Be clear and literal. Help your customers by removing the fear that they’re in the wrong place.
Next time, the second half of the uniqueness position: being different from the competition.