Value Proposition: Why They Should Buy from You
As in any other marketing, online businesses face a strict competition. Most online companies sell products or services that are not unique and that are available somewhere else. So, if you are one of those businesses who struggle for potential buyers, your main objective is to convince the prospects to buy from you and not from your competitors.
As you know when people decide to buy something, the first thing they wonder is “what’s in it for me?”. In other words, they want to know how the thing can help them, how it can make their life easier and how they can benefit from it. It’s a common sense. Why do I buy it if I don’t know what it can do for me, right? So, it’s all about the benefits the thing can provide them with. This is a normal practice and marketers use it to promote their products and services.
But it’s sometimes not enough to only list the benefits. If you face a strict competition in your marketing niche, you need to stand out from thousands of similar promotions and advertisements. You need to have your unique selling proposition. Simply put, you need to add more value to your proposition, take the risks away to make people trust you and convince them your product or service is the best of its kind.
If you have an online business and make sales, so you already have a value proposition that attracts buyers. But you may not understand what it is and may not tell about it clearly. Just think why people buy from you. Do they buy only because your product or service is great? Or, do they buy because you have something to offer that others don’t?
Once you find how your marketing proposition differs from others, you need to clearly convey it to the prospects. You can even express it differently on different pages of your web site. For example, if you sell a software program, on your download page or on the home page you can write: “30-Day Free Trial. Download a fully functional version now”. And on your ordering page you can state your “risk free” policy: ”100% money back guarantee. If you don’t like the product, contact us for immediate refund”. The key words in both phrases that convey your value proposition are “free”, “fully functional” and “immediate”. They make the prospect think “Oh, I can use a full version for free during a month and even if I buy it and don’t like it, I can get refund on the same day I request it. I don’t lose anything. Great! I’m gonna buy it”. You know even a single word can make a big difference. Other businesses may also guarantee refund but how quickly? Your “immediate refund” absolutely wins. So, you just need to sit and think about what advantages you can provide the prospects with and then clearly tell about them in your value proposition.
A great idea is to use testimonials. Place the testimonials on your web site whenever they are appropriate. They will reinforce your value proposition and build trust with potential buyers. People like to read what others are saying about your product and someone else’s experience can urge them on making a purchase.
And now one more important thing – when composing your unique selling proposition, you’ll want to avoid the following mistakes:
- Making false declarations. Before you state something, ask yourself if you are able to accomplish it. Think and answer frankly. If you can’t do something, better do not state it. A falsehood is the fastest way to ruin the credibility into your business. If people don’t trust you, they don’t buy from you. So, if you say something in your value proposition, be sure you can do it and keep your promise.
- Offering an excellent tech support as your value proposition. It’s implied that companies must offer a great customer service in case if buyers experience any troubles with products they purchased from a company. So, if prospects think this is all you can offer, it’s not enough to convince them to buy from you.
- Lowering the price. This is absolutely not a way to go. A lower price will not add a value to your selling proposition. Instead of lowering the price, think about what else you can offer to your prospects in addition to your product or service. It may be a bonus like a free download, or a free subscription, or a discount for another product or service, or something else that can add more value to your selling proposition. Don’t forget to mention that they will be able to keep the bonus even if they ask refund for their purchase. So, there is no risk for them. Not only won’t they lose anything but can get something for free.
Above are the most common mistakes that marketers should be aware of when thinking about their unique selling proposition. However, there are more pitfalls to avoid. You can read about them in this article Top 10 Deadliest Internet Marketing Mistakes
A strong unique selling proposition is a must-have for your online business if you want to succeed. It will help you leave your competitors behind and make your business the best one in your market niche. Think about your prospects’ needs and tell them how you can help by listing your product or service benefits and reinforcing your proposition by a valuable offer. You’ll find faithful customers who will spread a good word about your company and bring you more sales.
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Tags: marketers, prospects, software program, unique selling proposition