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THE Question Website Visitors Want Answered
When was the last time you clicked on a website just to watch the slider in the header section of the home page? My guess is never.
Or the first words you see on the home page are Your Satisfaction is Our Priority. (If you’re in business to serve the public, when is customer satisfaction NOT a priority?)
The point is businesses often tell the story they think the public wants to hear. For example:- How long they’ve been in business
- They are family-owned
- Have quality service, quality parts
We’re telling the wrong story.
Why Do You Click on A Website Link?
Get this. The big reason anybody clicks a link to a website is because they have a problem they want solved. From buying pet food to cars, people are always looking for a solution to a problem they have.
That’s why your website—and your entire marketing message—must answer this question: How do you make my life better?
That’s the reason your prospect has landed on your site. She has a problem she wants solved.
How you answer it largely determines whether your prospect will give your business the time of day. Because it all comes down to the classic acronym WIIFM. What’s in it for me?
Tell the Story Your Prospect Wants to Hear
Tell the story of how your business can solve their problem. Do you help your prospect:- Save time?
- Save money?
- Find true love?
- Book a dream vacation?
- Provide care for an elderly loved one?
A Man You Never Heard of Turned Advertising on Its Head
Do you know why you brush your teeth every day? You can thank Claude C. Hopkins, (1866-1932). He’s often considered the father of modern advertising, and with good reason. He was brilliant, the genius behind many famous ad campaigns. Here are three of them.
Pepsodent—To encourage the use of toothpaste, the ad promoted the importance of brushing your teeth daily.
Van Camp Pork & Beans—Hopkins took the Van Camp Pork & Beans company to great financial success by emphasizing how convenient canned baked beans were over making them from scratch.
Schiltz Beer—(My favorite Hopkins story) He turned the Schlitz beer company around by stressing the process for making beer. But here’s the catch. The Schlitz company used the same beer processing method as their competitors.
The difference? The public didn’t know that. As Hopkins famously said, “The first one to tell the public about this process will gain a big advantage.”
And Schlitz did. You can read more about Hopkins’ work here.
The Odd Truth About Small Business Marketing
Dale Carnegie once said, “Personally, I’m very fond of strawberries and cream, but I have found that, for some strange reason, fish prefer worms.”
Just like Hopkins, Carnegie understood the importance of getting inside the head of your prospect. And that’s the odd truth about business advertising: Good marketing is not about you; it’s about them!
This astute observation is the foundational principle for connecting with your target market.- Understand pain points
- Solve problems
- Offer a transformation
- Show them how you can make their lives better
That difference is the selling point to getting your customers to turn to you again and again.
Susan Vincent is a small business marketing copywriter and consultant who helps businesses learn to tell the right story, reach the right audience, and make more money.
Want some guidance on telling your business’s story? Set up a free 30-minute consult with Susan and receive three practical tips you can implement right away. Find her at https://www.susanhvincent.com/.
Blog post reprinted with permission by Susan Vincent.