I visited the web sites of two vendors in unrelated industries today, and both web sites suffered from the same problem. The marketers devoted the primary real estate of their site to covering the mandatories – the characteristics that are true of every vendor in their industry. I understand this. The CEO says, “Competitor A says that they do X, make sure that we say that we do X as well.” Sales says, “Competitor B says that they do Y, make sure that we say that we do Y.”
The problem with this approach is that it obscures your differentiation, or as Seth Godin describes it, your Purple Cow.
I love the analogy of the Purple Cow. Think about it: if you’re driving down the road, and all the cows are brown, or black and white, you probably don’t even notice the cows, and you certainly don’t stop to look at them. But pass by a Purple Cow . . . It’s memorable, and much more likely to cause you to stop and find out more about the Purple Cow.
Take a look at your own web site. Is your Purple Cow front and center? Can a visitor see at a glance what differentiates your business? If not, demote the things that you or your CEO or Sales feel you have to say, that your competitors are also saying, and figure out what is going to make you stand out.
Quit hiding your Purple Cow.
