Do you think that your website has the ‘sticking power’ necessary to keep visitors engaged?
According to Jacob Nielsen1, whom the New York Times called “the guru of Website usability” provides this summary: ‘Users often leave web pages in 10–20 seconds, however, pages with a clear value proposition can hold people’s attention for much longer’.
There are many factors that drive visitors away, and plenty of reasons why they linger on and return to a given page. Let’s agree that the first 10 seconds of the page visit are critical for users’ decision to stay or leave. The question remains: what can and should you be doing with such limited time?
#1 Tip: Communicate your Value Proposition
What does Value Proposition mean?
“Why should I buy this product, service or idea?” asks your customer. Your value proposition must answer this, in a compelling way. It’s a short statement that clearly communicates the benefits that your potential client gets by using your product, service or idea. It “boils down” all the complexity of your sales pitch into something that your prospect can easily grasp and remember.
Here’s an example of what a real estate firm may sound like: “We at Home Corp Real Estate help homeowners sell and buy property. We guarantee that your home will be sold in 30 days or less, or we’ll buy it ourselves.”
What do I do with it?
Think of your value proposition as the foundation of your online marketing plan. It will forever help you stay on course, as it serves as a reminder of what separates your brand from your competitors. Everything that you do online, from messaging, content, offers, ebooks, case studies, white papers, video should be delivered in a way that it supports your value proposition.
It’s not about you; it’s about your customer.
David Meerman Scott2, author of The New Rules of Marketing and PR defines it this way: “the most important thing to remember, is to put your products and services to the side for just a little while and focus your complete attention on the buyers of your products. You must put your entire focus on helping your customers succeed.”
Creating customer value, that’s the proposition.
Every page on your website is an opportunity to market your brand and the value you bring to the visitor. Think about what makes your business or service distinctive. Why is your offering preferable to other options for solving the need? Do you have something special that’s worthwhile to share? Is there some way to highlight how you’re distinct from others?
Keep these thoughts in mind as you develop your own unique value proposition:
1. Put yourself in your customers’ shoes to find the answers.
Who is your potential customer? What do they do and what do they need? What problems do they need solved? What does the customer value most?
2. Know your competitors.
Think again from your customer’s perspective and ask how your product or ideas create more value than your competition. What can you do with your idea, knowledge of your market to really improve their lives, health, financial situation, status, prestige, etc… over and above your competition.
3. Know how your product solves a need.
Identify what the rational and emotional benefits of solving the need are? How does the product, service or idea solve the problem or offer improvement? What value and results does it offer the customer?
4. Proof of concept.
How can you demonstrate that your approach has worked to solve similar problems for others? How do you substantiate your claims? How do they know that what you say will happen, will actually happen?
5. Uniqueness.
Why is your offering preferable to other options for solving the need? Do you have something special about you that are worthwhile to share? Is there some way to highlight how you’re distinct from others?
Producing winning results is greatly dependent on the inclusion of a solid, well-defined value proposition that’s incorporated into your business Inbound marketing plan.
Does your company have a UVP (unique value proposition)? If not, will you be developing one for your business. Let us know if you found this article helpful.
1. How Long Do Users Stay on Web Pages? Jacob Nielsen, Alertbox, September 12, 2011
2. The New Rules of Marketing and PR. David Meerman Scott, John Wiley & Sons, 2007
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About Murray Sye – Murray is a marketing professional with over twenty-five years worth of experience, the last ten of which he has spent working as an online marketing specialist, helping independent businesses grow and thrive by leveraging the power of the Internet.
To learn more about his firm WhiteSpace, and the latest trends affecting Inbound Marketing and Social Media, visit WhiteSpace.on.ca or call Murray directly in Toronto at 416 449-9559.
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