"WEBMARKETING
TIPS"
Standing out from the Crowd
How is the casual web surfer going to perceive
your website as
distinct from a thousand others in the same
business?
Developing a clear Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
has a lot to
do with differentiating your website (and
company!) from all the
others. What is unique about your business? Why
do customers
come to you for their business, rather than your
competition?
What do you do better (or different) from all
the rest?
Finding your USP is one of the first steps
toward a truly
successful marketing plan, especially online.
Distinctive Packaging
Many small business people cut corners on
website design costs.
The result is a same-old, look-alike website
that you couldn't
remember an hour after you visited it. Like book
covers that
compete for consumers' attention, websites need
strong visual
images.
A quality logo is essential. A small
businessperson can get a
logo designed for $200 to $500, though many
companies spend
several thousand dollars on the process, since
it is so vital to
the identity of their company and their
products. Most graphic
design companies offer this service.
Competitive Analysis
Just as important as a logo is a distinctive
design for the
website. The site ought to leave you with an
attractive visual
memory. Look at your competitors' websites. What
do you like
about them? What would you change? If you like a
certain style
or "look", chances are your customers will too.
Does your site's
style reflect your unique business, or does it
simply list the
bare facts about you with a big yawn?
A Distinct Voice
Another way to differentiate your website is
with a distinctive
"voice." The Internet can be a very flat, cold
world. So make
sure the style of writing adds personality and
individuality to
the website text. In a corporate culture this
can be darn near
impossible. We've all seen the webpage with the
DRY message from
the CEO. Companies that are smart find
spokespersons who put
personality into the website text, i.e. a
distinctive "voice."
A Clear Focus
Part of making your business or product
distinctive is narrowing.
Many online businesses try to be everything to
everybody and fail
because they are seen as just being part of the
crowd.
Smaller companies have an easier job of
differentiating
themselves. Often the Unique Selling Proposition
can be a
geographic focus combined with a specialty. For
example, a dry
cleaner in Portland, Maine, that specializes in
cleaning suede
better than anyone else in the city. Or a
recording company that
markets New Orleans jazz.
Find your company's Unique Selling Proposition,
and incorporate
that into your website to make it stand out from
the crowd.
SK Kor
Internet Marketing Consultant
Return to
Internet
Marketing Tips Main Menu
|
