Unlocking Business Growth: The Power of a Unique Value Proposition (UVP) in Your Marketing Strategy

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In today’s crowded marketplace, businesses face the constant challenge of standing out. With numerous options available to consumers, how can your brand cut through the noise and capture attention?
The answer lies in a Unique Value Proposition (UVP).

A well-crafted UVP is not just a statement—it’s the core message that communicates the distinct value your business offers. It tells customers why they should choose you over your competitors and helps establish a lasting connection with your audience. Whether you’re refining your UVP or creating one from scratch, it’s essential for building trust, attracting the right customers, and creating marketing collateral that speaks to your audience’s needs.

What is a Unique Value Proposition?

A UVP is a succinct statement that communicates the unique benefits your brand offers, distinguishing it from the competition. It addresses the core needs and desires of your target audience, highlighting how your product or service provides a solution that competitors can’t match.

According to Neil Patel, a leading marketing expert, a UVP should be “clear, compelling, and customer-focused. It’s about showing how you can solve a specific problem or make life easier for your customers.” (Source: Neil Patel).

When crafted effectively, a UVP can serve as the foundation for everything in your business—from marketing campaigns to your website and brochures. It not only attracts customers but helps you establish a consistent, clear message across all touchpoints.

Why is a UVP So Important?

A strong UVP offers several key benefits:

  • Customer Loyalty: A UVP builds trust by clearly communicating the value your business provides. Customers are more likely to stay loyal to brands that make their needs a priority.
  • Effective Marketing: A clear UVP enhances the effectiveness of your marketing efforts by attracting the right customers—those who are genuinely interested in what you have to offer.
  • Competitive Advantage: A UVP gives you an edge in a competitive marketplace. It’s what makes your business stand out and provides customers with a reason to choose you.

In fact, a study by HubSpot found that “brands that clearly articulate their UVP are 6 times more likely to be considered by consumers than those who don’t.” (Source: HubSpot).

UVP’s Role in Marketing Collateral

Your UVP is the cornerstone of your marketing materials—whether it’s your website, brochures, or other sales content. These collateral pieces are often where customers first interact with your brand, so it’s crucial that your UVP shines through and captures their attention.

Website: Your Brand’s Digital Home

Your website often gives potential customers the first impression of your business, making it essential that your UVP is prominently displayed.

❝75% of people judge a company’s credibility based on their website design.❞

(Source: Blue Corona).

Having your UVP on your homepage, clearly articulated in a concise and impactful way, ensures visitors immediately understand what makes your brand special. It serves as the anchor for your website’s content, guiding customers to explore your offerings further.

Brochures: Concise, Tangible Communication

Even in the digital age, brochures remain a key part of marketing strategy—especially for in-person events, trade shows, or direct mail campaigns. When crafting a brochure, your UVP should be front and centre, encapsulating the key benefits of your product or service in a way that resonates with your audience.

❝Marketing materials are 2.4 times more likely to generate a positive impression if they include a clear UVP.❞

(Source: MarketingProfs).

Incorporating your UVP in print materials makes it tangible. Brochures and flyers that feature your unique value are more likely to be remembered and passed along, increasing the likelihood of conversions.

How to Create a Powerful UVP

A well-crafted UVP isn’t created overnight—it takes time and careful consideration. Here are some steps to help you develop one that resonates with your target audience:

1. Understand Customer Pain Points

The foundation of any strong UVP is a deep understanding of your customers’ needs. What problems do they face? How can your product or service provide a solution? A great UVP speaks directly to the challenges your target audience is experiencing and positions your brand as the answer.

2. Focus on Benefits, Not Features

While features describe what your product does, benefits explain how it improves the customer’s life. Always focus on the benefits that are most relevant to your target market. Shopify’s UVP, “Start your business with Shopify,” highlights how the platform helps entrepreneurs easily create an online store, making it clear why customers should use Shopify to launch their businesses.

3. Be Clear & Concise

Your UVP should be straightforward and to the point. Avoid jargon and complex language. Customers should immediately understand what you offer and why it matters to them. Airbnb’s UVP, “Belong anywhere,” is a prime example of this—short, memorable, and directly addressing the desire for personalized travel experiences.

4. Test & Refine

Once you’ve crafted your UVP, test it with your audience. Use feedback and data to refine it. Continuous optimization ensures that your UVP remains relevant as customer needs and market trends evolve.

10 Common Mistakes to Avoid in UVP Creation

While creating a UVP is a strategic process, it’s easy to make mistakes. Here are some common pitfalls to avoid:

  1. Being Too Vague: Avoid generic statements like “We offer great customer service” or “The best products.” A strong UVP should be specific and demonstrate how you stand out.
  2. A UVP that’s Easily Copied: Focus on differentiators that are harder to replicate, such as personalized service, exclusive offerings, or proprietary technology. These create a lasting competitive advantage.
  3. Overpromising: Be realistic about what your product or service can deliver. Overpromising creates expectations you may not be able to meet, which can damage trust and credibility.
  4. Failing to Focus on the Customer: A UVP should be customer-centric, clearly addressing their pain points and showing how your product or service improves their situation.
  5. Ignoring the Competitive Landscape: Don’t assume that your product is automatically unique just because you believe it is. Do a competitor analysis and make sure your UVP highlights your distinct advantages.
  6. Using Jargon or Overly Complex Language: Using industry jargon, overly technical language, or complex terminology can confuse potential customers and detract from the clarity of your message.
  7. Not Aligning with Brand Values or Mission: If your UVP doesn’t reflect the ethos and long-term goals of your business, it can feel inauthentic and undermine your credibility.
  8. Overloading with Multiple Messages: Trying to communicate multiple messages or benefits at once can dilute the impact of your UVP, making it harder for customers to identify with and remember.
  9. Underestimating the Importance of Visuals: If the design of your website, brochure, or other marketing collateral doesn’t align with your UVP, you risk losing potential customers due to an unprofessional or inconsistent appearance.
  10. Failing to Evolve the UVP Over Time: The needs and expectations of your customers can change, as can market conditions. Failing to regularly revisit and refine your UVP to reflect these changes can lead to it becoming outdated or irrelevant.

UVP & Your Sales Process

The influence of your UVP extends beyond just attracting attention—it plays a pivotal role in your sales process as well. A clear UVP helps sales teams focus on communicating the key value of your products, leading to more meaningful and persuasive conversations with potential customers. A Salesforce report found that “82% of B2B buyers want content that speaks to their specific business needs, so your UVP should speak directly to these concerns.” (Source: Salesforce).

❝82% of B2B buyers want content that speaks to their specific business needs, so your UVP should speak directly to these concerns.❞

When your marketing and sales teams align around the same UVP, you create a cohesive and persuasive sales journey that feels seamless for customers—from the first interaction to closing the deal.

Conclusion: The UVP as a Growth Tool

In an age where customers are overwhelmed with choices, a Unique Value Proposition is more important than ever. It not only helps your business stand out but also forms the foundation for your marketing strategy, from websites to brochures. When crafted thoughtfully, a UVP serves as the clear signal that your brand is the right choice—leading to greater customer loyalty, enhanced brand recognition, and sustained growth.

As Jeff Bezos once said, “Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.” A strong UVP ensures that when your customers talk about your brand, they’ll do so with enthusiasm, trust, and loyalty.

Start today: take the time to refine or create a UVP that resonates with your audience, and watch your marketing efforts drive results that set you apart in the marketplace.

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Printing Spot Varnish

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Discover the key differences between Raised Spot UV and Clear Ink Spot Varnish in our latest marketing blog. Learn when to use each technique and make an informed choice to enhance your printed materials.

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4 Steps to Transform Your Website into a Powerful Marketing Tool

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What makes an effective website design?

Having a website is an absolute must for any business aiming to thrive online. It has been for some time now, but let’s be clear; a visually appealing website alone won’t cut it (and don’t get me started on Facebook business pages).
Just being online isn’t enough it needs to be an effective marketing tool.

Recommended reading: Marketing basics, what’s your business game plan?

Every Business Needs A Website

It’s no revelation that every business can benefit from having its own website. It’s been that way since the early 2000s. Initially, just having a company website set you above the competition, and it didn’t take long before everyone had one. Instead of the ‘have vs have not’, it was all about whose site was better.

As websites became even more accessible, the number of new websites created per day increased to a point where in 2023 there are approximately 252,000 new websites created every day.

With around 1.12 billion websites worldwide the challenge for customers to find the most relevant website is the seemingly impossible task that search engines like Google and Bing try to organize. Customers have also evolved, experts at navigating reviews, product comparisons, and evaluating your business at a detailed level like never before. A customer’s buying journey starts with research and it’s very likely a business wins or loses a sale long before a customer is even on your radar.

Even seemingly small issues like not displaying a company address, or not having a proper business email, a mybusiness@hotmail, or companyname@gmail account can be red flags if customers think a business is not permanent or professional.

Just having a website isn’t enough. It needs to be competitive, customer focused with a clear business objective. And it must be in keeping with current Search Engine Guidelines.

With customers’ expectations, buying habits, and the overwhelming options they have to choose from, search engines are also constantly improving in a bid to display the best page result for any given search. How search engines assess and rate websites is currently a 176-page document of General Guidelines on how web pages are assessed, evaluated, and ranked. (And it continues to evolve).

It stands to reason that businesses must also evolve and adapt along with their customers and the main search engines they use to research their purchases.

When you invest in a website, you need to be sure that you’re not just getting a website that looks nice but also ticks all the essential criteria for an effective business website.

If you don’t know what to look for, a bad website can look a lot like a good website. How do you tell the difference?

So whether you’re evaluating your own website or considering investing in a brand new one, the following post holds the key to unlocking your online presence and has the potential to propel your business forward and maximize your return on investment in advertising efforts. Yes, it really is that important!!!

What is a Website?

Definition: “A website is a set of related web pages located under a single domain name, typically produced by a single person or organization”.

While an aesthetically pleasing layout with positive branding, responsive design, mobile-first mindset, and fast-loading page speeds are all, without question, 100% crucial aspects of any website. Add some testimonials, a video, some FAQs, a contact form, and you’ve got yourself a website. Sounds pretty good right?

If the only objective is to “have a website”. Job Done!
But there’s a problem.

Having a website should never be the objective. If you only have a website because you think you need one or because everyone else has one, you’re missing the whole point. A website is just the mechanism, a marketing tool (maybe the ultimate marketing tool) to help you achieve your true objective, your BUSINESS OBJECTIVE!

Combine Website & Business Objective

The three most popular styles of business websites have very different objectives and business integrations and require different marketing strategies to be effective.

  1. Beacon-style website: The objective of this website style is to provide essential information about your business, including your identity, services or products offered, contact details, business hours, and location. Its primary goal is to impress visitors and guide potential customers to easily find and reach out to you.

  2. Content-driven website: The objective of this website style is to passively attract customers 24/7 by providing valuable content that educates and advises visitors on potential solutions to their problems. The focus is on building trust, establishing expertise, and nurturing leads through informative and engaging content.

  3. E-commerce website: The objective of this website style is to serve as the primary platform for conducting sales transactions. Whether you sell products, services, affiliate products, dropshipping items, or online courses, the main goal is to facilitate seamless transactions, showcase your offerings, and provide a smooth purchasing experience.

Obviously, there are other ways to use a website for business and even combinations. Defining your website objective is an essential first step that transforms a regular website into an effective marketing tool.

The Key Components of an Effective Website:
4 Must-Haves

The transition from a good-looking website to a powerful marketing tool, designed to purposefully impact your business in a specific way has a few telltale signs to look out for.

In this post, we will embark on a journey to uncover the essential ingredients of an effective business website, and their profound impact on your business and customers, and provide you with practical insights to identify them, even if you’re not a tech wizard.

We’ll review what they are, why they are so important, how each works, and what happens if they are overlooked or executed poorly.

1. Technical On-Page SEO

Navigating the Search Engine Maze Imagine your website as a captivating destination in a vast digital landscape. To ensure it gets the attention it deserves, we must master the art of technical on-page SEO, our trusty compass in this digital wilderness. Key elements to keep in mind are:

  1. Well-structured URLs, titles, and meta descriptions:
    Think of these as signposts that guide both search engines and visitors to the heart of your content.
    Example: Just like a well-marked hiking trail, a website with clear and concise URLs, titles, and meta descriptions ensures smooth navigation and higher visibility in search results.

  2. Strategic keyword placement throughout the content:
    These keywords are the secret ingredients that attract the right kind of visitors to your website.
    Example: Crafting an engaging blog post with strategically placed keywords is like composing a symphony, each note resonating with your target audience and harmonizing with their search queries.

  3. Proper header tags (H1, H2, etc.) to organize information effectively:
    Think of these tags as the chapter headings of your website, making it easier for visitors to navigate and search engines to understand your content.
    Example: Just as chapter titles give structure and clarity to a book, proper header tags provide a logical flow and effortless comprehension for your website visitors.

How it works:

Consider a local boutique specializing in handmade jewelry. By meticulously optimizing their website’s structure, meta tags, and page load speed, they ensure that their stunning creations catch the eyes of potential customers searching for “unique artisan jewelry” or “handcrafted necklaces.” This strategic navigation through the digital waves ensures a steady stream of visitors, eager to adorn themselves with the boutique’s exquisite pieces.

Why you need it:

Neglecting valid technical On-Page SEO for your website can have significant consequences. Without it, search engines may struggle to understand and index your content effectively, resulting in poor visibility and low organic traffic. Your website may fail to rank well in search engine results pages, making it difficult for potential customers to discover your business. Additionally, inadequate On-Page SEO can lead to a poor user experience, as slow loading times, broken links, and inconsistent navigation hinder visitors from engaging with your site. 

2. Keyword Analysis: The Language of Your Audience 

Imagine you can delve into the minds of your target audience, to understand their desires, their thoughts, and the words they use to express them. That’s exactly what keyword analysis enables us to do. Let’s dive deeper into this invaluable skill:

  1. High-quality content optimized with targeted keywords:
    This is the cornerstone of attracting qualified traffic to your website.
    Example: Crafting a comprehensive guide to vegan cooking and optimizing it with keywords like “plant-based recipes” and “sustainable ingredients” ensures that health-conscious food enthusiasts find their way to your mouthwatering content.

  2. Meta tags and image alt attributes aligned with your keywords:
    These hidden gems act as guideposts for search engines, steering them in the right direction.
    Example: Imagine you’re searching for the perfect hiking boots, and you come across a website where the images are labeled with descriptive alt attributes like “durable waterproof hiking boots.” Suddenly, you know you’re on the right path.

  3. Usage of long-tail keywords to capture specific search intent:
    By embracing these longer, more precise keyword phrases, you can align your content with the unique needs and desires of your audience.
    Example: If you own a vintage record store, optimizing your website with long-tail keywords like “rare vinyl albums from the 1970s” will attract true music aficionados, ensuring that those who appreciate the classics find their way to your virtual shelves.

How it works:

Imagine you’re running a travel agency, specializing in adventurous hiking tours. Through meticulous keyword analysis, you discover that thrill-seekers are searching for “challenging treks” or “off-the-beaten-path adventures.” Armed with this knowledge, you craft compelling content that captures the essence of these breathtaking journeys, enticing explorers to embark on an unforgettable quest with your agency.

Why you need it:

Without understanding your target audience through keyword analysis, your content misses the mark, failing to engage potential customers. It’s like speaking a different language, disconnecting from your audience and offerings.

3. Compelling Call-to-Action (CTA)

A business website needs to be more than just a digital brochure. It should guide visitors through your business to help them make the right decisions and ultimately make a purchase; it should be a persuasive storyteller, compelling visitors to take action at just the right time. The call to action doesn’t have to be a sale, it could be to use a form, start a free trial, or even local driving directions. A good CTA guides visitors to take the next step in your sales process.

  1. Clear and concise CTAs that stand out on the page:
    Think of these as friendly signposts, guiding your visitors toward the desired action.
    For example, a button that says “Get Started Today” or “Unlock Exclusive Content” can be the gateway to a rewarding customer journey.

  2. Placement of CTAs in strategic locations for optimal visibility:
    Just as a skilled tour guide knows where to lead the way, strategic placement of CTAs ensures they are easily noticeable and accessible. Consider placing them at the end of engaging blog posts or prominently on your homepage.

  3. A consistent and persuasive language that compels action:
    Your CTAs should speak directly to your audience, addressing their needs and desires. Use persuasive language that creates a sense of urgency or offers a solution to a problem.
    For instance, “Don’t miss out on this limited-time offer” or “Transform your business with our expert guidance.”

Remember, an effective CTA is like a charismatic guide, leading your visitors toward the desired destination, whether it’s making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or contacting your business. By infusing your website with compelling CTAs, you can motivate visitors to take action and embark on a fruitful relationship with your brand.

How it works:

Picture a fitness studio that offers online workout programs. Their website exudes energy and motivation, with vivid images showcasing the transformation stories of individuals who have embraced a healthier lifestyle. By strategically placing enticing CTAs such as “Start Your Journey Today” or “Transform Your Body,” the fitness studio motivates visitors to sign up for their life-changing programs, embarking on a transformative fitness journey of their own.

Why you need it:

Neglecting compelling CTAs means missing opportunities to guide visitors toward action. Your website becomes passive instead of active in the customer journey. Without persuasive CTAs, visitors leave without taking desired steps, resulting in lost conversions and limited growth.

4. Lead Generation:
Turning Visitors into Valuable Connections

An effective website is a gateway to building meaningful connections with your audience. By incorporating lead generation capabilities, you create opportunities to collect valuable information and nurture relationships.

A truly effective website understands the importance of lead generation as part of the overall sales picture and provides compelling opportunities for visitors to engage along the way.

As visitors find your website, not all will be ready to buy, and depending on the type of product or service you offer the decision process may take days, weeks, or even months. Being able to capture soft but qualified leads gives you additional opportunities to help and convert when your customer is ready. Let’s explore the key elements that make a difference:

  1. Engaging Opt-In Forms: Picture a website that greets its visitors with sleek, well-designed opt-in forms strategically placed throughout the user journey. These forms are not just functional but also visually appealing, capturing attention and encouraging visitors to willingly share their information. By making the opt-in process seamless and enticing, you can effortlessly convert visitors into potential customers.
    Example: Imagine a fitness website offering a visually captivating opt-in form that promises a free e-book on “10 Easy Ways to Achieve Your Fitness Goals.” By simply entering their email address, visitors gain access to valuable resources while taking the first step towards a healthier lifestyle.

  2. Irresistible Incentives: In today’s digital landscape, people are more inclined to provide their information if they receive something valuable in return. Effective websites leverage this understanding and offer enticing incentives to boost lead generation. These incentives can come in various forms, such as downloadable resources or exclusive offers tailored to the target audience’s needs and desires.
    Example: Consider a fashion boutique’s website that offers a limited-time exclusive discount code to visitors who sign up for their newsletter. This not only encourages visitors to share their contact information but also creates a sense of exclusivity and drives immediate engagement.

    This would be a good time to mention our Free Basics Marketing Guide ;)

  3. Seamless CRM Integration: Successful lead management is the backbone of any thriving business. An effective website goes beyond merely collecting leads; it integrates seamlessly with customer relationship management (CRM) systems, allowing for efficient organization, nurturing, and tracking of valuable connections.
    Example: Imagine an e-commerce platform that automatically syncs every lead captured through its website with its CRM system. This integration enables personalized follow-ups, targeted marketing campaigns, and a deeper understanding of each customer’s journey, ultimately leading to enhanced customer relationships and increased sales.

How it works:

By incorporating these lead generation capabilities into your website, you transform it into a powerful tool that not only attracts visitors but also cultivates valuable connections. Remember, it’s not just about collecting leads but about building relationships that drive long-term success.

Why you need it:

Ignoring lead generation means leaving potential relationships untapped. Your website is a missed chance to connect with interested visitors. Without mechanisms to collect information and nurture leads, you risk losing touch with potential loyal patrons.

A typical customer will visit a website multiple times before making a purchase. If you only focus on the final sale you’re missing out on the opportunity to build trust and be part of the decision process. Depending on your product, service, and customer, a hard-sell attitude can be off-putting and even considered distasteful.

Conclusion

Remember, an effective website needs to do more than be a digital placeholder for your content; it’s a captivating storyteller, a persuasive guide, and a catalyst for growth. Embrace its power, and watch your business soar to new heights.

If you’re starting fresh with a brand new website, get in touch and we’ll help you from start to finish. How to choose the right domain name, website design, hosting, and professional email addresses.

If you’ve already started or have an existing website that isn’t helping your business, it’s never too late to rectify any shortcomings. Whether your website is new or established, there are always solutions to update, fix and enhance it. Seek professional assistance to unlock your website’s potential and breathe new life into your online presence, attract more customers, and maximize growth.

Don’t let an underperforming website hold you back. Evaluate your website’s effectiveness and make the required improvements. Your website is the gateway to success in the digital age. Optimize it, connect with your audience, and watch your business thrive. 

Contact us today to unleash your online presence’s true power.

Marketing Basics Checklist

Don’t Overlook Business Cards in Your 2025 Marketing Strategy

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According to a survey conducted by the Printing Industries of America, 74% of people said they would rather have a tangible business card than an electronic version. This demonstrates the value that people place on physical business cards and the lasting impression they can make.

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Billboard Design Rules

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Billboards are very effective for building brand awareness or promoting products or service. But they aren’t cheap, so even simple mistakes can be very costly,

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Review Your Brand Identity

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Brand perception is a powerhouse of marketing that can increase brand awareness, surge brand loyalty, and ultimately sustain your company’s growth for years to follow.

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What is Marketing Strategy?

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What is Marketing Strategy?

A Marketing Strategy is your overall game plan for finding customers and making sales, comprised of high-level elements like branding, value proposition, and customer demographics.

Recommended reading: Marketing basics, what’s your business game plan?

What Is It?

A Marketing Strategy is your overall game plan for finding customers and making sales, comprised of high-level elements like branding, value proposition, and customer demographics. It sits above your Marketing Plan in importance and keeps all your marketing activity focused in the same direction for maximum impact and cost efficiency.

It helps to think of your marketing strategy as having three sections.

  1. Who, Why & What
  2. Your Objective
  3. How & Where

Part 1 – Who, Why & What

The first part of your Marketing Strategy solidifies the; who, why, and what elements of your business. Outlining what you are offering, who your target market is, what your company stands for, your brand guidelines, what niche you serve or problem you solve, and who your main competitors are. These details will continue to evolve as you learn more about your customers and develop your brand. But they are the more consistent aspects of your business. 

Part 2 – The Objective

Next is your business objective. As an overall marketing strategy, this should target the area with the most potential for business growth. Some top-level objectives you might consider include sales, purchase value, customer acquisition, customer retention, repeat business, profitability, subscribers, followers, new markets etc.  

Part 3 – How & Where

The final part of your marketing strategy focuses on how & where outlining the best mediums to communicate with potential customers and the mechanisms you will use to motivate consumers at different stages of their buying process to take action. These elements add flexibility to your marketing strategy, and you will want to change them to align with your current objective.

  • mediums – website, social media, email, sponsorships, trade shows, advertising etc.
  • mechanisms – value, education, engagement, advice, loyalty, social proof, promotions, pricing, free trial, newsletter, competition, discounts etc.

That’s all there is to your top-level marketing strategy. Although, if you want to increase your chances of success, mapping multiple strategies for core areas of your business make it easier to manage what you’re doing where and why. 

 Increase your chances of success with multiple strategies

Multiple Strategies

Marketing is a massive and complex part of every business. So naturally, when something is so big, it helps to break it down into smaller manageable chunks. Therefore, to get even better results, we recommend having multiple marketing strategies targeting your marketing fundamentals.  

  • Brand Strategy
  • Growth Strategy
  • Customer Acquisition Strategy
  • Customer Retention Strategy
  • Website Strategy
  • Pricing Strategy
  • Social Media Strategy
  • Advertising Strategy

Multiple strategies help keep your daily marketing efforts focused. They make it easier to plan and budget for too. Even if you don’t proactively try to improve each area, just having your strategies in place can be enough to keep you on track and prevent accidental self-sabotage. 

Constantly Evolving

As you learn more about your customers and your business evolves, you’ll want to refine and update your Marketing Strategy to better fit your business and your goals as you grow. 

Once you’ve established a Marketing Strategy and it works in theory, it’s time to implement it. That’s where your Marketing Plan comes in.

Your Marketing Plan is more boots on the ground. When & Where you will implement your marketing activities? Which communication channels you will use when and how frequently. What you say and how you say it will vary as much as the matter. But as long as you stay true to your Marketing Strategy objective, you will be on the right path to meeting your business goals.

It’s All Connected

Your marketing budget should reflect the financial benefits of achieving your marketing goal vs the cost of implementation. 

Setting an appropriate budget is just good business. You wouldn’t expect to make a 1 million profit from a 100-dollar investment. And you’d be equally crazy to invest 1 million to generate 100 dollar profit. 

If you’ve ever struggled to set a marketing budget for a campaign or project, you probably skimmed over your Marketing Strategy a little too quickly. If you can’t estimate the value on what you stand to gain, you can’t make an educated and calculated investment.

It’s never too late to review your marketing strategies. They aren’t supposed to be set in stone, so if you don’t have one or haven’t thought about it in some time and would like a helping hand to get back on track, why not book a strategy consultation with Hue Marketing?

Marketing Basics Checklist

5 Reasons Facebook Can’t Replace A Business Website

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Business Facebook pages provide some amazing features for your company, no matter what your size. But it’s not an alternative to having your own business website.

When Facebook launched its Business Pages in 2007, it presented an amazing opportunity for businesses, especially small businesses. At the time websites were still expensive to make and you’d needed help to make even the smallest of changes. So Facebook’s Business Pages presented a viable FREE alternative to get online. Not surprisingly, everyone was hooked immediately.

But quietly and steadily since its launch, the original benefits of Facebook’s Business Pages have been changing. And it’s a serious issue if Facebook is your primary online business page.

If you send prospects to your Facebook Page, this article is for you. It’s time to make a change. To explain why here are 5 common-sense reasons why it’s not a good idea to use a Facebook Page for your company’s main online presence.

Recommended reading: Why Your Best Customers Are Walking Away

1. Distractions

Facebook pages & ads are still fantastic tools for finding leads, but if you’re going to pay for advertising, you need to consider the surrounding environment – and how it can adversely affect your sales funnel. 

With a staggering 30 billion (30,000,000,000) pieces of content being published every month on Facebook, it often feels like there are more people talking than listening. Which is probably the case.

The average attention span for an adult in 2020 is around 8 seconds! (That’s 1 second less than the average goldfish) 

Now consider the effect this has on interested customers. Imagine your ideal sales pitch; to an ideal customer, at just the right time, when their interest is high… 

  • Would you select a nice quiet setting you control, surrounded by your best products and service information?

  • Or would you choose to have your meeting inside a stadium full of screaming fans while your customer’s favorite team plays in the finals?

According to Facebook’s data, visitors spend an average of 1.7 seconds on a piece of content on their mobile app.  And it’s Facebook’s job is to keep visitors on Facebook for as long as possible. It achieves this by feeding users a never-ending stream of content that their algorithms have calculated will be of most interest = distractions. 

If you want better conversion success, it’s simple. You need to lead potential customers away from any distractions. As quickly as possible. 

2. Organic Reach

Originally, any customers that liked & followed your Facebook Page would also get to see your posts and updates, as and when you posted updates. After all, that’s why they followed your business in the first place.

Fast forward to today, and the number of fans that see your latest post is around 5.2%. This means that only 1 in 19 fans will have your content added to their content feed. Mind you, this doesn’t mean they will see it, read it or interact with it.

Only 1 in 19 fans will have your content added to their content feed. (Around 5.2% of your Facebook Page followers)

This is likely a result of Facebook’s growth and the sheer volume of content shared every minute of every day. But it’s also because Facebook promotes content that its algorithms predict will encourage visitor discussion and debate. This is probably why it’s at the heart of so many controversial and divisive topics (but that’s a different story).

So while it is possible to get great organic reach on Facebook, it’s far from easy and involves creating more content that benefits Facebook above your customers and your business (this is basically producing user content for Facebook). But most small businesses use their Facebook Page in place of a website because it’s free AND EASY. They inevitably fail to reach even a fraction of their potential audience.

Even when you do create posts that Facebook approves as share-worthy, a successful post generates engagement for quite a limited period of time. If you stop or reduce your activity – you’ll also see a drop in organic reach. By contrast, producing evergreen content for your own website can benefit you for years.

The biggest bug-bear is that Facebook decides what content is share-worthy, based on what works for them (not you). Even now there are teams of people working on fine-tuning their algorithms. But those teams don’t work for your small business, they work for Facebook which has its own business objectives. This leads me to the next point.

3. Conflicting Interests

Facebook makes billions from advertising revenue. Using members’ social and demographic profiles, and interests (past clicks and how long a user looked at that cat photo or how many times you’ve watched or shared content) to keep you online longer and show you more ads.

We’ve already touched on how Facebook is all about engagement, they aren’t focused on user intent which drives the likes of Google.

Don’t have your own website? Then you’re producing user content for Facebook.

So where Google’s service aims to speed up the process of users finding what they want through their search engine or adverts. With Facebook, it’s the opposite. The longer Facebook can keep a visitor on its site, the greater opportunity they have to generate more revenue (by showing even more sponsored content – adverts).

Facebook’s advertising guidelines advise sending visitors to your own website for increased conversions. Because they know if you don’t, the next distraction is just 1.7 seconds away.

  • Facebook wants everyone to stay on their site.

  • You need potential customers to leave.

  • That’s a conflict of interest.

4. Conversion Rates

Everyone knows that a 1% increase in conversion rates is similar to a 10% increase in leads. Plus the benefits of better conversion rates are in effect all the time, on all visitors when you’re running ads and when you’re not.

As I just mentioned above, Facebook advises advertisers to send visitors to their own websites to increase ad conversion rates.

Facebook advises advertisers to send visitors to their own website to increase ad conversion rates.

The practice of changing a customer’s environment to alter how they process information is something marketers have been doing for decades.

Have you ever walked through a department store and noticed that the walkways are smooth hard surfaces, but product areas are carpeted or strewn with racks arranged to create a maze-like effect?

This isn’t by accident. Customers walk slower on the carpet than on hard smooth floors. In addition to slowing down, customers feel more relaxed and that means they are more likely to buy. It’s the same with the shelving and clothes racks – they help slow visitors down because it’s a very profitable tactic.

Supermarkets do it. They regularly move items around to encourage shoppers to walk up and down the aisles slowly scanning the shelves for the item they want. If you’ve ever picked up an item you didn’t plan on buying – they “helped” you do that.

Websites do it too, from landing pages to check-out pages. You get higher conversion results when there are fewer distractions on a page.

If you’ve attracted a customer on Facebook, you’ve either paid with an advert or paid with time and effort to create an engaging post. Either way, the last place you want to send that interested customer is another Facebook page.

5. Long-Term Growth

When you stop looking for the quick easy fix (that never pan out) it’s time to start building your OWN marketing foundations. The most cost-effective marketing tool your business can have is your company website. It’s one of the few elements you have complete control over, and one you can continue to improve and grow over time.

There’s no need to stop using Facebook for business, but you do need to consider where you’re investing time, money, and resources. Are you just generating user content for Facebook or are you focused on building your own business? For long-term growth, you should put your energy into your own company website and use Facebook to attract and engage your customers.

Business websites need to make a great first impression. But that doesn’t have to mean big or complicated, it doesn’t matter if it’s a single-page site or multiple pages. What matters most is that when a potential customer lands on your site they see the following:

Web Essentials

  1. Branding (are they in the right place?)

  2. What you do (the type of product or services you offer)

  3. How to contact you (inquiry form, email, phone number)

  4. Where you are (your business address, map, directions)

  5. Professionalism (give customers the confidence that you’ll do what you say)

First impressions count. Size might not matter but quality does, so it needs to look great and be easy to read on multiple devices (phone, tablet, laptop). You’ll also need to consider your local competition (because your customers will be looking at them to see how you stack up). It’s not a time for cutting corners.

For every rule, there’s an exception. So here it is.
If you’re not going to do it well, don’t do it. It’s better for people to think you are not up to the task than to have a terrible website that confirms it.

Final Thoughts

I’m certainly not against using or setting up a new Facebook Page for business use, especially if your core demographics are active users. Facebook is a fast-moving platform with a high visitor traffic flow which is perfect for finding new customers.

But remember, finding customers and making sales aren’t the same. If you want to increase your conversion rates, you’ll have more success if you direct customers to your company website.  Fact!

If you already produce interesting content for Facebook, fantastic! You’re a step ahead of the game, but make sure it’s your business getting the benefits from your efforts and post to your website first. Then a day or two later share it to Facebook or your favorite social platforms. 

Feed content to your own site before building content for Facebook.com. 

Investing in a website for your company can pay dividends for your business. Increasing brand recall and delivering your marketing messages 24 hours, 365 days a year! It’s not as hard or expensive as you might think and it offers a better return on investment than any other form of advertising. So if you want to help your business become more successful, it’s time to make a website your top priority.

Google Maps: Your Guide To Improving Your Maps Ranking

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Map And Magnifier

Your website’s ranking is crucial to the success of your business – the difference between a good ranking and a bad one could be what separates you from record profits or record losses. There are some really simple steps to improving your Google Maps ranking and I’ve explained them in this guide.

Recommended reading: Why Your Best Customers Are Walking Away

Update: May 2022

Managing your Business Profile on the Google Maps app

How you access your Google business listing has changed.

In July 2022, the Google My Business mobile app will no longer be available and the Google Maps app will be the best place for managing your business on mobile. You can also manage your profile via your Google Search page.

Image Source Google

Make sure your Google My Business page is correct

Your Maps ranking begins with the details you add to your Google My Business (GMB) page. If it doesn’t have all of the relevant information for your business, Google won’t be able to link your business to all the searches relevant to you. Making sure your GMB page is correct is the first step in improving your ranking.

The information you must add is:

  • Location of your business

  • Business hours for your company

  • Details of your website – including a link to it

  • Contact information

Once all this is done, you need to verify your listing. This is simple to do but crucial to complete. This is because Google won’t include your business in its results until it’s confirmed to be a real organisation. Another important thing to get right on your GMB page is the subcategories you use for your business. These are particularly useful if your business is based in multiple locations.

Review your NAP for consistency

NAP is the Name, Address, and Phone (number) of your business. Getting it right on your GMB is essential but this doesn’t go far enough. Your NAP can be found in many online directories on the internet and it needs to be consistent. If it’s not Google has less trust in your business and lowers your ranking.

The various places your business could be listed include:

  • Better Business Bureau

  • Bing

  • Google+

  • Merchant Circle

  • Mantra.com

  • Yahoo

  • Yellowbook

  • Yelp

  • YP.com

There are a range of tools available to help you find where your business is listed. After you’ve found every listing, you must ensure all of the information is the same – including spelling and grammar. Doing this will increase Google’s trust in your business and improve your ranking.

Optimise your website to match your GMB page

Once you’ve added your website to your GMB page Google associates the two. This means Google will use your website to help determine your Maps ranking. A quickfire way to improve your Maps ranking is to optimize your website so that it’s consistent with your GMB page.

To optimize your website, you must include your company name, business type, location, and the primary keywords used in your GMB page. This must be added wherever it is relevant to do so on your website, with your focus points being:

  • Title Tags

  • URLs

  • Subheadings

  • Images

This is a great way to improve the ranking for well-established and newly-made websites alike because it’s such a quick win. For example, optimizing images is one of the best ways to increase traffic, while your title tag is the most important on-page ranking factor. For more information about website optimization, watch the detailed video below:

Boost your Google Maps reviews

Reviews are extremely important today. Your customers value the opinions of their peers as much as those of their friends and family. Because of this Google puts a lot of stock in customer reviews and uses it as part of your Maps ranking. What does this mean to you? Boost your Google Maps reviews and your Maps ranking will improve. Simple.

Google’s policy is that you can’t ask your customers to leave reviews. However, there are ways around this:

  • You can offer them a discount on their next purchase after leaving a review

  • Reply to as many of your existing reviews as you can

  • Include the link to your Google Maps review section in your email marketing

Your reviews need to look natural for them to improve your ranking. This means if you get a bulk batch at the same time Google may get suspicious, particularly if you have a new website.

Spending time improving your Google Maps ranking can pay dividends for your business. It’s an important ranking factor in local SEO and could be the difference between your business losing a customer or winning one. Now you know how to improve your Google Maps ranking, all that’s left is for you to put my advice into practice. So go away and put your business on the (Google) Map(s)!