If you read nothing else in this article, remember this – be compelling.
This week I’ve been in many conversations about website and marketing content, and to me, it all boiled down to communicating in a compelling and memorable way. So, I thought I’d share some of the dialog with you from two sources: 1) from a collaborative partner on my team, Gerry Black; and also, from an article I posted entitled:
Creative vs Technical – the battle of website development! (on The Virtual Wire’s blog, Saturday, December 13, 2009).
Excerpts from Gerry’s article “Is Your Marketing Penny-Wise and Pound-Foolish?”
Even though many of us become knowledgeable about effective marketing strategies, somehow, some of what we learn never makes it to the front line – the point where our sales proposition is laid bare in front of our prospect for consideration.
Here are three things that could be hurting your marketing results along with some suggestions on what you can do to correct them.
1. Thinking a web site is ready for prime-time because it was created by a “web site designer”.
This can be a costly misconception. Many web designers rely on their clients to supply content. Most web designers have no idea (or any interest) how to write compelling copy. Nor should they. That’s why they’re designers.
But here’s the problem: Many have no basic understanding of how to create a home page that presents a client’s selling message effectively. Unless a web site designer is getting content from someone who knows how to write and present a sales argument, chances are the site will do very little other than occupy a spot in cyber-space for which the client pays a monthly hosting fee.
Much of the content on web sites today has been cobbled together from brochures, competitors web sites and presentations that are equally as weak.
Don’t believe me? The next time you’re in surf mode, check out how many home pages – where the all important first impression occurs – are missing most critical selling element of all – an attention getting headline that offers a clear benefit to the reader. Happy hunting. Many home pages don’t even mention the word “you” in the copy. It’s all about me. Them. You know what I mean.
So, why would companies lay out all kinds of dough to have a web site designed and then cram the home page with copy the reader won’t respond to?
Many simply don’t understand that the best design in the world can’t make a web site with dull “me too” copy perform. If you think your home page copy falls into this category, it may be time to have it reviewed. You may be spending valuable marketing dollars driving customers to your web site only to have them click away in search of a competitor who has a better answer to the question they arrived with, ‘What’s in this for me?’
2. Not marketing to existing customers.
It’s amazing how many businesses will spend money trying to get new customers while leaving one of the greatest incremental revenue streams sitting untapped right in their own backyard in the form of their current customer list.
To win a new customer, you have to cut through the clutter like everyone else is trying to do. Not only is this becoming more difficult to do for even the most sophisticated marketers, it’s very expensive. Every year, the potential customers we chase after are bombarded with even more sales messages.
Meanwhile, our existing customers, the people who have already done business with us, represent a prime audience predisposed to hearing about other ways we can help them solve problems. We may have added a number of new services or products since they first became customers. If we don’t let them know about how we can continue to add value to their lives, they’ll probably find what they need from a competitor. Worse yet, the customer will probably end up buying from someone else simply because he or she didn’t know we could help them with their needs.
Keep your customers informed. Treat your customer list like the goose that laid the golden egg. By staying in touch, you’ll learn about new needs and wants and you’ll be able to minimize your cost of sales.
3. Not creating “pull” marketing material.
None of us likes to be sold. But we love to buy. Your marketing material should be carefully crafted so it grabs the reader by the lapels and creates the feeling that doing business with anybody else would be a huge mistake.
Every day, our eyes glaze over as we are hammered by ads, home pages, sales letters and brochures that just blah, blah blah us to death. And guess what? Millions of dollars go into creating these messages that don’t attract attention or create desire.
You see this all the time in the local community newspaper. The advertiser pays a king’s ransom to have the ad run in the paper. The ad ignores every fundamental of effective advertising. Instead, it announces what is being sold. And that’s exactly how it comes across to the reader. He’s being sold something.
If you’re not sure how to create marketing material that “pulls”, think about looking outside for a competent professional who will get you started down the right track from the beginning and help you create marketing materials that reflect an understanding of what’s working in today’s competitive selling environment.
You can’t push people into buying today any more than you could 20 years ago. But you can make sure you create the type of environment that gives you a chance to allow them to buy what you’re offering. Start getting into the habit of analyzing the sales and marketing messages that come at you during the day. Try to distinguish between those that just bounce off your sales resistance armor and those that make it past and create a desire within to learn more.
To be successful in today’s marketing and selling arena, we need every edge we can find. Especially those over which we have full control.
About The Author: Gerry Black is an independent copywriter and marketing consultant specializing in helping solo professionals and small businesses develop and implement simple, proven website marketing strategies that attract clients. Visit www.gerryblackcopywriter.com for his free report, “The #1 Website Mistake That Is Costing You Clients.”
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Don’t forget to check out The Virtual Wire’s blog post: Creative vs Technical – the battle of the website development! (on The Virtual Wire’s blog)
© 2008, Tiffany Odutoye (@virtualpartner). All rights reserved.