Other than F-book ads, Google’s AdSense is a good example of performance-based advertising. What happens is advertisers don’t pay for exposure as they would in magazines and on TV, but rather for the PEOPLE Google sends to the advertisers’ sites.
It’s a great way to advertise your products and services, as a growing number of Bermuda companies are finding out…

In Facebook’s case, advertisers can choose multiple places– countries  or cities to target a specific ad campaign at, getting rid of the need to have multiple campaigns for different places in the world.

You can also target ads on F-book to age groups, cultures/languages spoken, married/unmarrieds, interests/hobbies etc.

Bermuda Internet Marketing’s advertising programs bring visitors to your website, and compelling differentiation converts them into clients and customers. Differentiators are what you combine to create the unique selling propositions or value proposition that distinguish your offerings from those of the competition.

I will discuss differentiators in order of their effectiveness. The most compelling differentiator is to be the only or exclusive source for a valuable commodity or solution. We have all seen this happen many times in Bermuda. Next come the superlative differentiators like Best, Biggest, Highest, Most Popular or Number One. Finally there are comparative differentiators like Better, Faster, Higher or Lower. Price-based differentiation is the least compelling, the least profitable and the most difficult to maintain.

Exclusive Differentiators

No differentiator is more compelling than being the sole source for a unique product or proposition. If it is truly one-of-a-kind and yours is the only place to get it, you should be well on your way to success! This is called a monopoly and everyone knows that is good for business.

Exclusive differentiators often include one or more of the following terms: different, exceptional, exclusive, extraordinary, standout, unequalled, unique, unmatched, unparalleled, unprecedented, unrivaledincomparable, lone, matchless, novel, one and only, peerless, single, singly, singular, solely, solitary and solo.

Examples:

• BELCO is the only company in Bermuda from which you can buy electricity.
• Invisible Fence (Bermuda) Ltd is the only provider of invisible fences for your dog.
• Air Canada is the only direct flight between Bermuda and Toronto.

It is obvious why these companies have a good thing going, people need their product and they are the only ones who offer it here.

Superlative Differentiators

If you can’t corner the market, being first in order, best in quality, or highest in degree means you can still dominate it. Everybody likes a winner, so don’t be afraid to trumpet your Number One awards and Most Popular ratings!

Superlative differentiators often include one or more of the following terms: ace, best, biggest, champion, chief, choicest, consummate, extreme, finest, first-rate, foremost, greatest, highest, largest, leading, most, number one, optimum, paramount, pre-eminent, prime, primo, standout, super, superb, superlative, supreme, top, unsurpassed, winner.

Examples:

• Dorothy’s has the best hamburgers in Bermuda.
• Bermuda Internet Marketing is unsurpassed in its ability to market your company online.
• Jamiaca Grill has the best Jamaican food in Bermuda.

You can see that this is not quite as good as a monopoly but these company have differentiated themselves as superior and are now the go to place for these products or services.

Comparative Differentiators

If you aren’t the best, you can still be better than the rest. Your proposition may not be unrivaled and the competition may be considerable, but you can still succeed if your offering is perceived as relatively desirable and preferable to others.

Comparative differentiators often include one or more of the following terms: better, bigger, choice, desirable, finer, fitter, fitting, greater, higher, improved, larger, more, preferable, preferred, quality, select, suitable, surpassing, useful, valuable, worthier.

Examples:

• Supermart has a better selection of meats and cheeses than other grocery stores.
• HWP offers better customer service than the many other garages in Bermuda.
• Marketplace has better produce than other stores in Bermuda..

The more focused your website is, the more effective it will be. Highly successful websites project a clear and unmistakable message that is:

• Tailored … to a specific audience,
• Concentrated … on a specific proposition, and
• Targeted … for a specific action.

If you try to be everything to everybody, you end up being nothing to nobody.

Although the mission of most advertisers is to convince clients and customers otherwise, the reality is that there are very few products needed by everyone, and few if any propositions that appeal to everybody. Sure, everybody in Bermuda who drives needs gas (e.g. Shell), a car (e.g. Bermuda Motors), licensing (e.g. eTCD), and maybe a mechanic (e.g. HWP). And maybe, just maybe, everybody who drives needs your ingenious new car cleaning product. But you won’t sell many by trying to be all things to all people.

Why? Because everybody doesn’t buy things. Somebody buys things, and that individual has distinct tastes and preferences. If you want to sell your car cleaning product to somebody, and perhaps many others like them, you need to

• identify the demographics of the market segment most likely to be interested in what you have to offer, and
• tailor your message to that audience.

Concentrated … on a Specific Proposition

If everything is flagged as important, nothing will be seen as important.

For most business websites, the typical first-time visitor is somebody who referenced a search engine seeking information on a specific topic to fill a specific need, clicked a ranked listing for the site, and landed on their web pages. It follows that the first thing they expect to see is a specific answer to their query, solution to their problem, or product that fits their requirements. And Bermudians being busy hard-working people, if what they seek is not presented in a clear and quickly comprehensible format, they are probably going to click their Back button and go to the next listing.

You, your organization or your enterprise may offer many things to many people, but don’t try to offer them all on one web page! Instead, assign a specific objective to each page on your site, and then design every major element of the presentation to contribute to the achievement of that objective. Links to related pages are expected, and links to complementary sites are fine. But stay on point, emphasize what’s important, and only what’s important.

Targeted … for a Specific Action

If they have to guess, you don’t pass the test.

On highly successful websites, every web page must have a purpose. That purpose may be as broad as conveying information, or as narrow as convincing a customer to purchase a specific raincoat with a special type of wind proof hood. And if that purpose includes a call-to-action, it should be clear, concise, easy to execute, and visually reinforced.

Order now… Add to cart… Complete this survey… Take this test… Use this form… Call for a free consultation… Come see us… Go here next… Never waste their time. Never leave them hanging. Never get them frustrated. And never leave them guessing about what you want them to do.

Many software startups have gotten religion when it comes to creating “usable” software. This is for good reason. If your software is usable, people will use it, tell their friends, family and hair stylist about it and you end up making more money. Life is good. If it’s not usable, it makes people want to hit their computer or hurt small animals. No referral sales. Life is bad.

So, create usable software. That’s an obviously right thing to do.

But, in addition to worrying about the usability of your product, you should spend some amount of time thinking about its buyability. Buyability is exactly what you think it means (I’m a simple-minded guy). It measures the degree to which you’ve made it easy for customers to give you money in exchange for your product.

Most of the things that make software buyable are blindingly obvious. But, regular readers of this blog know that obviousness is not a deterrent for my writing – I have an uncanny knack for the obvious.

So, here goes:

Things That Increase The Buyability Of Your Software

1. Transparent Pricing: I’ve talked about this one before, but it is critical that you provide clear pricing about your product right on your website – somewhere prominent. Maybe even a page called “Pricing” that has a link from the home page. The reason for this is really, really simple. If a customer has to call you just to find out what your product costs, then they can’t buy it right now, can they? So, without clear pricing, you can’t sell easily. There are probably some good reasons why certain companies don’t want to put pricing on their website (for example, the solution is custom, the price tag is embarrassingly high, etc.). In this case, your software is likely not very buyable, and this article is probably not for you.

2. Immediacy: Face it, we live in a “now” world. Even if you’re selling astronomical software for star-gazers in Australia and its high noon in Australia and there’s no possible way the user can use the software immediately – your customer still wants it NOW. If a potential customer signs on, they expect to be able to purchase the software and use it. Now. If you provide a trial version, then the trial should work immediately. If they pay for the software, they want to use it immediately. Nobody wants to see a: “Thank you for your order. We will process it as soon as possible and send you your unlock code.” If you take an order, then fulfill the order. Period. If the software can somehow “call the mothership” and activate itself, even better. Otherwise, the unlock code (or registration code, or activation code, or whatever the cool kids are calling it these days) should be BOTH shown on the order confirmation page and emailed to the customer. The issue with just emailing it is that about 14.2% of the time the customer doesn’t get the code. The problem could be your mail server. Could be a spam filter. There are few things more frustrating than having just paid you for your software and then waiting for the “magical” email that will unlock the immeasurable happiness and joy that your software will bring to my life. I don’t want to wait.

3. Minimal Steps: You need to figure out what the chances are that the customer that’s about to place an order has a high likelihood of purchasing something from you again. If the chances are low (possibly because you have a single product), then don’t make them “register” for your site. Don’t make them add an item to a shopping cart and then “check out”. There should be two steps to purchase: User clicks on the “Buy Now” button (even better, call it “Use Now” or “Enjoy Now”). Form shows up with credit card info, user enters stuff clicks a button and magic happens (money trades hands). Congratulations, your visitor is now a customer. Once that is done, feel free to provide a link asking the customer if they want to register so they can receive information about updates, participate in your support forums, etc.

4. Payment Methods: In most cases, you’re probably going to use credit card processing for your orders. If it makes sense for your customers, and you also want to provide the PayPal option, that’s great too. Also, it may suck that Amex charges higher fees than other cards. Get over it. Some customers want to use Amex for no other reason that they like their rewards program. You should be making enough margin on your software that you’d still rather have an Amex sale than no sale at all. So, get over the higher fees. Besides, many companies exclusively use Amex for their corporate cards, and it’s not likely you want to miss these sales.