“Whether you
market to consumers or businesses you gotta have one,” said Jean, our copy guru
over lunch.
“How’s that
different from a position or a tagline?” said Bill.
“Usually it’s
longer than either but may include elements of both. It is a promise. It tells
the potential customer what expectations will be fulfilled when they buy from
you. It is a clear statement, usually a paragraph in length.
It has to clearly
answer these questions:
- What product or service is
your company selling? - What benefit do I (or my
company) get out of using it? - Am I the target
customer/user it is intended for? - Is it for specific need, use
or occasion? - How is yours unique from the
alternatives?
Right about
there I jumped in saying, “But what is the answer to Bill’s question?”
Jean looked
over her glasses at me and said, “Let me give you the way I test a value
proposition. I print it out and show it to someone that might have use for it
and have them read it and wait for their reaction. If they want to know more I
ask why. If they don’t understand it I go back to the keyboard. If they ask the
price I know I’m on the right track.
Before I go
that far though I make sure that:
It is easily understood
It tells me in concrete terms
what I’m going to get when I buy and use it.
I know how it is different from
competitor offerings
There’s no hype, no superlatives and
no insider jargon
It takes only a few seconds to read.
Ron who had
been watching and stuffing his face with a burger asked, “So where do I use
this wonderful thing?”
All of us looked at Jean. She sniffed and
said, “It should be on the home page or landing page of your web site and,
incidentally should be tested before put it up there. It should, in some form,
be on most pages of your website not to mention in just about every form of
communications you use. The trick is to vary it just enough to make it fresh
and interesting in all those places.
Marketing for the “Little Guy” www.JerryFletcher.com
Professional Speaking Site: www.NetworkingNinja.com