By Katherine Andes
(Author’s Note: This is part of a series of tips to help you discover your company’s “American Idol Star Quality” as mentioned in an earlier tip.)
One of the interesting things about watching American Idol year after year is seeing how often the less-showy singers bypass the flashy ones, like Kris Allen beating Adam Lambert in Season 8.
Allen and Lambert are both good-looking young men with terrific voices. In Season 8, Kris was shy, quiet, and had an engaging sincerity and warmth about him. That made him very different from the wild and crazy Lambert. In 2009, the audience didn’t want “wild and crazy.”
Instead of chasing the audience, each performer concentrated on developing his own personality and style. Both will do well in the after-Idol marketplace.
The takeaway here is that as a store, you should “be yourself.” Emphasize your differentiators, but don’t artificially try to create them.
Maybe you have the biggest warehouse in your territory. That means you have more product in stock. That means you can deliver today … or at least faster than your competitor.
If that applies to you, then it should be front and center.
Maybe you’re locally owned, but part of a large buying group. That means you can guarantee prices equal or lower than the big box stores.
If that applies to you, then it should be front and center.
Maybe you’ve simply been in business longer than anyone else. That means you know what you’re doing. You can prove it with your testimonials. And customers can rest assured they will get exactly what they want and need.
If that applies to you, then it should be front and center.
By front and center, I mean that your main differentiator should be reflected on your home page — preferably the headline. It should definitely be in the home page title tag and the description tag, which will show up in a snippet on a search results page. This will help attract your target customers and get them to click through to your website.
Easy Furniture Web Tip #115: American Idol contestants do best when they develop their own unique personalities and styles. You, too, should set your store apart by developing its unique personality and style.
Katherine Andes specializes in
copywriting for SEO (search engine optimization) — especially in the home improvement market. You can phone her at 559.589.0379 or email at Kathy@AndesAndAssociates.com.