Fly on the E-Commerce Cyberwall

Turning Back the Clock
Here's a favorite quote from Bonnie Prudden:

"You can't turn back the clock. But you can wind it up again."

Jeff

Labels: inspirational quotes

What's in It for Your Customers?
You've heard the old saying, "What's in it for me?"

It's the key question you need to answer for your customers in all of your website copy.

You need to clearly define what's in it for them if you want to them to buy from you.

I found a great example of how to focus your benefits on your audience with a company that sells the exact same product to customers who have a wide variety of needs. Check the following landing pages of their site and you'll see what I mean about focusing the same benefits and features on audiences that have completely different needs.

Here are some landing pages for the product targeted toward specific audiences

• For sellers of infoproducts
• For owners of brick-and-mortar stores who want an online presence
• For auction sellers

Notice how different the copy is on each page? Same product, but everything on each page is focused on what will appeal most to that audience. Each appeal is unique.

Look at your own website copy. Where can you focus it more clearly on what's in it for your customers?

Jeff

Labels: copywriting

Adapting to a Tough Economy
Reading the paper lately, I've been struck by all the articles that focus on bad economic news.

Company X lays off 500 workers. Company Y announces that it's going out of business.

Yesterday, though, several positive business stories struck me. They show that all is not lost when the economy turns sour.

And they give a valuable lesson about what to do in a difficult economy.

A small, medical device manufacturer struggling to stay alive in Minnesota has turned all their attention into a single medical device designed to help users curb their appetites and lose weight. In the face of R&D money drying up for other, life-saving devices, they're finding a continuing market for something for which people continue to seek a solution even in difficult economic times: weight loss.

Pillsbury, after years of struggling to boost its sales, suddenly finds surprising growth. As people cut back on the money they spend going out for meals, those people turn more and more to frozen foods and ready-to-bake items provided by Pillsbury.

Another article highlighted how sales of modestly priced wines are soaring, again in response to the economic downturn. As people cut back on the money they spend for fine dining, they reward themselves with elements of a fine dining experience or a night out at home.

What lesson does this give to us about navigating your business through difficult times?

For one thing, look for ways to refocus your business on needs that people have no matter the economic outlook. By refocusing on weight loss, the medical device company tapped into a market that people never cut back on.

For another thing, look for ways to reposition your business to supply items that are a less expensive alternative for the things people previously had done to reward themselves. The desire to feel good about oneself does not go away when the money is tight. Both Pillsbury and many wine makers find themselves benefiting from the economic downturn as consumers turn to them as cheaper alternatives.

Ultimately, be creative. Instead of hunkering down and trying merely to survive economic tightening, look for ways to reposition yourself in markets in which people continue to spend money.

Creatively yours,
Jeff

Labels: marketing