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Marketing 101- Build A Case For Your Product Or Service
By Joe Cavell | June 6, 2008
In order for your advertising to be effective, your ads need to be properly structured. From a selling standpoint they need to achieve the highest impact. Gazing at an obscure “blank” canvas, attempting to create an ad, can be daunting.
- What should you talk about?
- What will be your dominate selling points?
- Have you identified your competition?
- Have you built your case for your product or service?
Meditate on your marketing and advertising strategy this way:
Your product or service is on trial. Your prospect is the jury. YOU are the attorney and you must PROVE that they should buy YOUR product. Now remember, this is a life and death sentence. Your job is to sharply demonstrate, to the jury, that your product or service is by far the most practical alternative against the competition.
Most businesses neglect building a case. They mindlessly shout the same old mundane stuff that their competitors are saying. Here’s a profound ad piece from a franchised auto repair facility:
- WE DO IT ALL
- OUR HOURS ARE DESIGNED AROUND YOUR HOURS
- WE USE HIGH QUALITY PARTS
- WE HAVE FRIENDLY PROFESSIONAL TECHNICIANS
- AND WE GIVE FREE ESTIMATES.
If you were in the market for auto repair and this trite piece of dull babble cluttered your inbox, would you be convinced that this was the best alternative? There’s no claim, no proof, no argument, no evidence, no nothing revealed in this ad that effectively demonstrates that they’re any different or better than any other place.
Build Your Case For Your Product
Just Like An Attorney Would Build A Case For His Client.
Hypothesize this example: What if OJ’s attorneys did a poor job arguing his court case? What if his attorneys profoundly argued, “Come on… he couldn’t have done that! He’s OJ! The Juice! He runs through airports! He’s the 2,000-yard Buffalo Bill! He’s an actor! Everyone loves him! There’s no way he did it!”
As ridiculous as that sounds, that’s about as good a case as most advertisers ever prepare to defend and sell their clients’ product or service.
It’s better
We’re cheaper
We’re professional
We’ve got better service
But take a look at what OJ’s attorneys accomplished. They researched and prepared all kinds of forensic reports, alibis and expert witnesses. All of these elements were needed to prove that he couldn’t possibly have committed that crime.
Advertising Strategy 101… building a case = building confidence
There’s a three-step method for building confidence in prospects and customers:
Step 1: Find out what they want
Step 2: Give it to them
Step 3: Say it in a believable way
Step 1: Determine what points your case will be built upon. When an attorney begins the trial, he or she addresses the jury and says, “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, in this trial, I will prove to you that so-and-so committed such-and-such crime. I am going to prove to you beyond a reasonable doubt that this occurred, and I’m going to do it based on the following evidence, 1, 2, 3, and 4. I am going to bring out three witnesses that all agree that it happened in this fashion. I will present 2 expert witnesses that will testify that these things happened this way. When you have seen this evidence, you will have no option but to conclude that he is indeed, guilty.”
Your customers are the jury, your product or service is on trial, you are the attorney and it’s a life or death sentence. Here’s an easy way to find out what your customers need to know when doing business with you… the points that your case will be built upon.
Let’s say you bump into an old college chum and he or she is considering utilizing your company’s services. What vital selling points would your friend need to distinguish to make the best possible purchasing decision? What qualities would you tell your friend to look for? What specific pieces of information would your friend need to possess to determine that you were the obvious choice? Whatever these qualities are, they are the points for your case.
Example: I recently had my fence rebuilt in my back yard. I don’t know a thing about fences, so the only thing I knew to do was open the Yellow Pages and call around using the usual process of soliciting bids. I acquired bids from about 4 different companies and the prices varied from about $3,700 to $4,900. Choosing a company solely based on lowest price isn’t always the best decision. But, I called back the “lowest price” contractor and asked about their time schedule. I told him that I had received bids from four companies, but that I was strongly considering using him. He proceeded to give me a short, yet thorough, education about what someone needs to know about building a fence. He told me to make sure that when I was comparing bids that the price included pressure treated rails and posts, that the rails were 2 by 4′s instead of the standard 2 by 3′s and that the gates should have 4 hinges each instead of just 2 or 3. So I called back the other 3 companies and discovered that their quotes did NOT include pressure treated rails or posts, 2 by 4 rails or 4 hinges per gate. Instead, they wanted an extra 3 to 4 hundred dollars for those “upgrades.”
The company that possessed the ability to articulate the most important features when building a fence was the one that got the business. Or in other words, the company that built a case. Unfortunately, they had no prior ability to communicate this in any of their advertisements. It took a second phone call before I was educated.
Uncover what is most important for your customers.
Evaluate their options.
SAY IT WELL.
Topics: Advertising, Internet Marketing, Marketing | No Comments »