Your Media And Content Equals More Than Just Sales…
What actually happens when a prospective customer lands on your web site? Which page do they hit first? Do they belong there or on another page? How do you get them where they need to be with the least amount of friction?
Do you let them find their own way and hope they make before getting frustrated and leave?
Is there anything differentiating you to them in that process or on that page other than something similar to what your competition already says and offers, too?
How does the content on your website and its’ presentation position you more effectively than all the other businesses out there offering basically the same thing?
You’re all making the same or similar claims. What are you saying and doing on your site that says and shows you are better or even the best (other than your own chest thumping)?
Most businesses NEVER go to their competitor’s website and spend more than a minute or two to see how similar their websites really are. They NEVER look at those similarities with anything other than their own personal opinion and see the reality of the situation:
Your web site may look a little different, have different colors and font and photos, but when you really see the comparison as it truly is, you could take your own business name, logo and maybe a few photos and switch them between your competition’s websites and visiting prospects would never know the difference.
That’s because your business is not being effectively differentiated from your competition.
It’s the #1 struggle most all businesses face every day. After all, if your company was clearly the best choice among all those others out there that also do what your does, if your marketing and sales messages were as compelling as you’ve convinced yourself they are, you’d probably have a lot more business than you do now.
So what you keep telling yourself in your head isn’t necessarily what’s happening in the real world the majority of the time with your prospects.
And that’s why 95+% of the people who hit your website leave, don’t make contact and never come back.
The reason this happens is because you continue to fool yourself, but don’t worry – it’s human nature. Yes, we have nothing to lose by getting straight to the point and telling you like it is.
Stating variations on the same things like your “number of years in business”, that you are “family owned”, “highly trained”, or have the “best customer service”, etc. – all those concepts are already the minimum requirements for businesses now.
Your prospective customers ALREADY know and expect that from you or anyone else they might consider.
Why do you think they are going to react as if those points are anything special and choose your version?
Again, don’t fool yourself. The results of how effective those statements are show in the number of visitors leaving you site before taking any action.
To grow your business you need to focus on the average majority – not the minor exceptions.
So when you make those claims as if they are differentiating factors, what you are really doing is say, “We’re just like all the other businesses offering these products or services. We’re just shouting our version a bit louder or using different words to describe the same thing”.
It’s called “blend-in” marketing.
Deep down you know your website needs help, right? That’s because it was created by a ‘designer’, not a ‘marketer’, so it was mainly eye candy that you and your designer decide “was enough”.
Very few businesses do anything more than what they think is the bare minimum need to get their web site up. They want to be done with and not have to touch it for a while. If you don’t agree, go check out the blogs of your competition or see how many pages of static content they have on their site.
Not much happening for most of those.
Bigger businesses usually have more resources and take their online presence more seriously, but many small and medium-sized businesses just don’t want to spend the time and effort showing how and why they are more than just blending in to all the other businesses out there offering the same thing.
This is where we come in. You need content created on a regular basis. It doesn’t have to be a lot, but you need more than just a website that never gets needed updates from time to time. Updates can include…
- A blog post every week (or at least every couple weeks)
- Maybe a press release or news release now and then – you are active in your community, right?
- Social media posts that actually link back to your blog or some other page on your site.
- Graphs, charts and infographics that aren’t so technical that the average person can’t immediately grasp the concepts and be impressed – and learn something at the same time.
- Videos and podcasts that connect with your prospects on a personal level so they can see you’re not only real people, but also care about what they really need and want as customers and clients.
These pages on your site are not like those you already have that were poorly conceived and have minimal content. These pages are those that share insightful, useful info that helps position your business as the true experts and the only real solution most people want to consider.
No time for creating the media that’s needed?
Media includes text, photos, illustrations and graphics – not just video and audio. But that’s often too much for what a lot of businesses feel they can generate on their own. Plus, they know it’s going to cost money to create all that, which make it even less appealing and less necessary in their minds.
But this information is what consumers use to make their own determinations as to whether you are worth their time or not – much less worth being added to their short list of businesses to consider.
You can’t promote your business like you did 10 or even 5 years ago and expect the same results. Consumers are smarter than ever. They realize they now have more choices than they need and they can find them on their own – they don’t need you bragging about yourself to convince them. And in fact, they are very suspicious of any company interrupting their day and claiming they have the solutions to their problems.
So how much longer are you going to keep marketing and selling your business as if none of this makes a difference?
We’re no longer in the industrial age where businesses could push their messages out and the business that pushed the most won.
The control is no longer in your hands. People don’t want you pushing into their lives. They want you to be there when they are ready to buy. They want to learn just enough to have confidence in you to trust you.
They expect you to brag and make the claims you make because it’s so common in your industry.
You think your business is special, that it’s different.That’s what going on in your head because your business is your baby.
Consumers see through all that. They do the competitive research that you never have. They don’t care about your business any more than your competition. They just want to make the right choice.
So they see the comparisons more clearly than you and they make decisions based on what they need and want – not what you need and want.
We’ll say it again:
If your business is growing and all this doesn’t describe your situation, don’t worry – this will be you soon. There’s just too much more competition coming up behind you, willing to do all these things to get an advantage over your business.
They are younger. They are more tech savvy. They are hungrier. They have nothing to lose.
They aren’t tired or old or burnt out – they are fresh and rearing to go.
They are also open to “whatever works”. their business isn’t their ‘baby’. It’s a business. It’s a business that needs to be profitable and grow and survive. It’s a business that needs to kick your ass.
And they’ll put in the hours and invest profits back into the business to do just that. They want to eat you alive and are biting at your heels as you read this.
Procrastinate about all this and by the time you eventually react, their momentum will have propelled them past you – maybe even to the degree that you can only try and play “catch-up”, kicking yourself why you didn’t act sooner.
(Most businesses never actually catch up to competition that gains a resounding lead over them.)
Are you ready to do the media creation and marketing your businesses needs to establish the lead in your profession or industry?
At Praxis Media we provide the solutions to these situations. We analyze your competition in ways you can’t, then formulate and create a strategy specifically for what your business needs to dominate. We create the content/media your business needs to connect and differentiate from your competition.
As a result you gain more marketshare by generating more leads, converting more prospects and making more sales and profits. You not only get more new customers, but you also sell more to existing customers and get even more referrals.
Sound too good to be true?
Before you pass judgment let us invest our time and resources in your business first and do the initial footwork and research to show you what we can do for you.
With the strategies and tactics, systems and technologies we have in our arsenal, you literally can’t lose by following our lead and guidance.
We’ll prove it to you.
Contact us now to set up a call to discuss your options in more detail. We’ll literally show you where money and assets are hiding in your business right now.