Throughout my 15 years of marketing, business owners have consistently provided one clear message: Times are tough. Sometimes this statement becomes an excuse. An excuse not to spend money on marketing. An excuse to cover for poor business decisions. An excuse to cover for laziness. An excuse that will be met with a sympathetic, “Awwww”. If times were always so tough, how come so many businesses survive and grow?
A key factor for business success is sending the correct messages to existing and potential customers.
Many business owners are experts in their field. They have years of experience and could talk the leg off a chair about their product or service. However, their messages are usually hard to understand or bogged down with industry specific terminology. Some business owners fail to remember that their potential customers are not experts. Potential customers may not know a lot about their product and service and honestly, in many cases, don’t share business owner’s passion. This is why all business owners must step back, and put themselves in the shoes of potential customers and ask, “Are my messages easy to understand? Do they motivate customers to purchase?” When interviewing business owners to write text for their website, I notice they are quick to tell me all about the features of their product or service, which is good, but it’s generally a carbon copy of what all their competitors are saying. I stop them in their tracks and ask them, “Why do you do that? Or, “What does that mean?” It’s then that they start to drill down and explain the benefits of their offering. It’s this information that makes it onto their website. It’s this information that grabs people’s attention. It’s this information that can differentiate the product or service from the others. It’s this information that enables potential customers to understand “what’s in it for me”. It’s this information that motivates potential customers to call.
Businesses should talk to customers in terms they relate, trust and respond to. Avoid generic words such as “quality” and “superior service.” These overused words are used by just about every company. These generic terms need statements of fact to back them up.
If you’re not sure what to say, simply ask existing customers why they use you. You should unearth a number of statements that will help you attract other like-minded customers. It might be something simple as, “your gift wrapping service is so elegant”. Bang! There’s your point of difference. So, rather than saying. “We provide superior service”, try and think of something your competitors don’t do… “We professionally gift wrap for you.” Now you’re providing a point of difference and speaking directly to your target market. You’ve re-assured them that they’re going to get a better level of service than your competitors.
A simple statement can be the single deciding factor for customers choosing you over your competitors.
I was recently consulting a hair dresser. They wanted to attract more customers. The salon looked great. It was modern, open, bright, funky and inviting. From the street, you could see lots of salon product and stunning images of female models. Window signage simply featured their logo. I asked if they cut men’s hair. Oh yes, they replied. How many men do you get here? “Not many” was their response. I mustered up all my marketing experience and drew on my Masters of Marketing degree and suggested that perhaps they tell potential customers that they cut men’s hair by HAVING IT WRITTEN ON THEIR WINDOW. Oh yeah they replied, good idea. This simple action may potentially double their customer base. Don’t make your messages complicated. Think as if you were a new customer. Explain why your product/service is better, make valid points of difference to your competition. A clear message is probably the easiest marketing strategy you can adapt to attract more customers!
