Standing out from the crowd
These days, the default “branding” of almost every B2B company is some version of “big, impersonal corporation.” This usually includes some very impressive sounding jargon that doesn’t really say anything and a vague description of some products or services that can cure whatever ails you.
But the primary reason for marketing fail is trying to be all things to all people – which is the surest way to turn yourself into background noise. The thing is, if you want to actually break through to your target customer base, you have to put a stake in the ground – and then decorate it.
Expressing your value proposition is the most basic of all marketing tactics, and sadly the one that gets overlooked the most often. If you can’t articulate 1) who you are, 2) what you sell and 3) why someone should buy it from you, you are in real trouble. Sadly, most businesses ignore number 1, are dead wrong about number 2, and take a stab at number 3 and miss. Let’s look at these in more detail.
Who are you? Most companies boil this down to a few facts and relegate the answer to the “About” page of the website. But who you are as a company should infuse every aspect of your communications. Take the time to uncover your corporate personality and then translate that into a benefit for your customers. Are you a team of renegade software developers who have been known to stay up for four days straight to solve a problem or finish a project? What prospect wouldn’t appreciate that?
What do you sell? This is a big one. Every company out there thinks they know exactly what they sell and almost every company gets it wrong. Hint: if the tabs on your website are product names you got it wrong. I had a client once that thought they sold custom-fitted shoe insoles for athletes. Wrong! They sold enhanced sports performance, less joint pain, and a longer lifetime of enjoying your sport. A very effective way to get to the heart of what you’re selling is to ask “Why do people buy our products?” and then keep asking “Why?” until you get to something that sounds like: “Product A makes my life easier because _____.” Bingo.
Why should I buy it from you? Why should a customer buy from you instead of your competition? Are you faster, smarter, better, cheaper, more comprehensive, more supportive, more fun to work with? Figure out what makes you better and then make sure to express it clearly and frequently. Keep in mind that you don’t have to be better on all fronts. Figure out what you are better at, figure out what types of customers will appreciate that, and then get the message out to them.
To be successful, you don’t have to get ALL the customers – so stop trying to appeal to all of them. Figuring out who you are and what value you bring to the table is the most effective way to stand out to the types of customers who will make your businesses wildly successful. Via Savvy.
But the primary reason for marketing fail is trying to be all things to all people – which is the surest way to turn yourself into background noise. The thing is, if you want to actually break through to your target customer base, you have to put a stake in the ground – and then decorate it.
Expressing your value proposition is the most basic of all marketing tactics, and sadly the one that gets overlooked the most often. If you can’t articulate 1) who you are, 2) what you sell and 3) why someone should buy it from you, you are in real trouble. Sadly, most businesses ignore number 1, are dead wrong about number 2, and take a stab at number 3 and miss. Let’s look at these in more detail.
Who are you? Most companies boil this down to a few facts and relegate the answer to the “About” page of the website. But who you are as a company should infuse every aspect of your communications. Take the time to uncover your corporate personality and then translate that into a benefit for your customers. Are you a team of renegade software developers who have been known to stay up for four days straight to solve a problem or finish a project? What prospect wouldn’t appreciate that?
What do you sell? This is a big one. Every company out there thinks they know exactly what they sell and almost every company gets it wrong. Hint: if the tabs on your website are product names you got it wrong. I had a client once that thought they sold custom-fitted shoe insoles for athletes. Wrong! They sold enhanced sports performance, less joint pain, and a longer lifetime of enjoying your sport. A very effective way to get to the heart of what you’re selling is to ask “Why do people buy our products?” and then keep asking “Why?” until you get to something that sounds like: “Product A makes my life easier because _____.” Bingo.
Why should I buy it from you? Why should a customer buy from you instead of your competition? Are you faster, smarter, better, cheaper, more comprehensive, more supportive, more fun to work with? Figure out what makes you better and then make sure to express it clearly and frequently. Keep in mind that you don’t have to be better on all fronts. Figure out what you are better at, figure out what types of customers will appreciate that, and then get the message out to them.
To be successful, you don’t have to get ALL the customers – so stop trying to appeal to all of them. Figuring out who you are and what value you bring to the table is the most effective way to stand out to the types of customers who will make your businesses wildly successful. Via Savvy.
