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It seems that oftentimes companies overlook some of the simplest things you can do to have a successful business.
One of these is being able to tell the customer what value you add to their lives. If you can’t do this, then why would a consumer even consider using your product? Because it looks pretty? Meh. I wouldn’t bet my piggy bank on that.
So, you need to communicate to the consumer why they should decide to part with their money in exchange for your dinky product. How do you do that? Commercials? Seems like a popular choice. PR appearances on talk shows? That could work too.
What baffles me is how underutilized companies websites are in explaining the benefits of their products. I’ve visited websites of what are tremendous products, but nowhere does it explain the added value of using it. Ning is a great example. I’d been to the site before, but not until I read an article by David Spinks on it did I really realize how valuable Ning networks could be. Why? There was no tutorial or walkthrough on the main site. There was only one page of a few features.
Skype, on the other hand, has done a tremendous job of explaining the benefits of its product to its business users. As soon as you visit the business section of their site, the first thing you see is text telling you why you should use it. Just above the fold of the page it says in large text “Save time, cut costs and work smarter.” Even the page title at the top of your browser, where it says “save time, money, and stay ahead.” They answer your question before you can even ask it.
The site goes on to provide numerous case studies of real businesses (as opposed to fake ones?) that utilized Skype effectively, each addressing a different benefit of their product.
This seems like a minor and obvious detail, but boy is it an important one. After looking at their site for 10 minutes I wanted to sign up to use Skype for my business, and I don’t even HAVE my own business. That’s how well they explained its benefits.
So next time you’re trying to figure out how to sell your product, don’t do anything until you’ve thought carefully about what value you’re adding to the lives of your customers. Because if you can’t answer that question, then you’re in a heap of trouble.
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Comments
12.02.09
This is something we're always reevaluating at Brazen Careerist. With every new release we're asking ourselves how this new product helps our community, and how are we going to communicate that message?
I agree about Ning. It's a great piece of software, but not that many people know it's full potential. We used Ning to help a company we consulted build a social network. They were amazed that this was even possible!
12.02.09
Exactly, if you don't make it a point to get across the benefits, how can anyone be expected to use it? You guys have done an excellent job explaining the benefits of new features, especially in the emails you send out with each major update, so props to Brazen!
Thanks for the comment, Ryan, and keep it up here at Brazen!
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