9xb - Creating Online Success

SO YOU'VE GOT A WEBSITE - WHY SHOULD I CARE?

Unless you sell jelly toasters you've probably got quite a few competitors. When it comes to capturing a share of the market you need to stand out from the crowd and be the brand on everyone's tongue, and you certainly can't do that without an interesting hook.

Let's face it – a lot of websites sell, quite frankly, boring products. Clothes, industrial equipment and sheds might make you a lot of money but they're hard to get excited about. Your customers however are human beings just like us and appreciate a human touch when they shop online. Finding the right information and the right price is brilliant and will get you sales, but if your website goes a step further you'll get noticed, get shared and get even more customers.

Lots of companies try something viral. "Wouldn't it be great to associate our brand with a 'Britain's Best DIY' contest? People could send in pictures of their handiwork and the best DIY would win some new power tools."

Yawn!

No-one cares about good DIY. Bad DIY on the other hand makes us laugh, point and email it to our friends. A 'Britain's Worst DIY' contest would have people all over the country sending in pictures and checking your website to see other entries. You're not associating your brand with bad DIY, you're associating it with fun, celebrating humanity's misguided belief in its own DIY abilities and giving one lucky winner a free home makeover.

Today's Moral

Don't be afraid to have fun! When it comes to 'viral marketing' you can't sit on the fence and be afraid to say anything vaguely outlandish. Think of something quirky and run with it – it'll get you far more interest than a safe (and ultimately dull) campaign.

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• Have Your Say!
• Using a Blog for Marketing - What, How, Why and When
• When Website Marketing Goes Wrong...
• Using Your Website to Support Your Direct Marketing
• Viral Email Marketing - Some Thoughts
• If No-One Can Find Your Website, Does It Exist?