In the good old days, McDonald's restaurant signs would proclaim, "Over 1 Billion Sold." Of course it is not true: there are many restaurants that make hamburgers better than McDonald's.
If the New York Times tells us a certain book is a bestseller does it automatically generate more sales?
If Oprah Winfrey promotes a product, book, or says not to eat beef, does that automatically make consumers do it?
According to Bob Bly, well known copywriter and marketing guru, “Gathering lots of statistics for a topic allows you to support almost any sales point you want to promote.”
In fact, the same statistic can often be interpreted either to make a sales point or create an opposite effect. The logic here is if a product is popular, therefore it must be good.
Ironically, a statistic that says the exact opposite of “this product not does sell well” can turn negative advertising into something positive. For example, have you ever received a catalog for Harry and David, the mail order fruit company, and you notice that some products are very expensive. The copy for the Royal Riviera Pears says, “Not one person in a thousand has ever tasted them.” Does that make you want to buy them or pass them by. The copy for the product definitely sounds exclusive, special, and desirable.”
To promote your products or services it is not so much what you say, but how you say it. If you have a small to mid-size business and there are hundreds of business’ doing what you do, take the initiative to turn a negative into a positive and gain bragging rights for what your business does.
Think about the marketing message your company is sending and use the following guidelines for using statistics to make your product or service stand out:
• Write numbers using the largest units of measure…”a quarter of a century sounds longer than 25 years.”
• Round off numbers to make them sound larger – Instead of saying on your website you have 2092 subscribers’, say, “Thousands of satisfied subscribers.”
• Turn negative statistics into positive- Instead of focusing on what you don’t do or where the product falls short turn it around. “Orville Redenbacher’s Gourmet Popping Corn- Smart Pop is 94% fat free and Only 100 calories.”
• Prove Statistical points with pictures, comparisons, and charts
• Persuade your audience by repeating a point multiple times with images, copy, and charts. Prove your point both visually and with compelling copy.
• Make unexpected comparisons to dramatize numbers…65 percent of Internet users won't patronize a poorly designed site, even that of a favorite brand
• Without a compelling presence on the web many consumers do not regard companies as a viable source to do business with.
Seeking more answers to promote your business, but don’t know where to start or where? Give Xapsis Integrated Marketing a call and let our team of professionals help your business become the company that causes others to follow your lead!
Taking you from where you are....to where you want to be!
Until next time,
Susan
