Internet Marketing Digital_marketing_for_dummies | Page 28

Getting Clear on the Value You Provide
An important part of planning for digital marketing success is understanding the value
your organization brings to the marketplace. The value your company provides is far
greater than the products or services it sells. In fact, people don’t buy products or services
at all; instead, they buy outcomes.
Imagine a group of people who are discontent for one reason or another. This group of
people are in what we call the “Before” state (see Figure 1-5). No matter what you’re
selling, you’re trying to reach a group of prospective customers who are in this Before
state. To gain some insight, write the adjectives that describe your prospective customer
before she has experienced your product or service. Is she sad? Out of shape? Bored?
Source: https://www.digitalmarketer.com/customer-value-optimization/
FIGURE 1-5: Businesses provide value by moving prospects from a “Before” state to an “After” state.
Now, leap forward into the future, to the point after your prospective customer has
experienced your product or service. What is her “After” state? How has this person
changed? In the same place where you took notes about her Before state, describe her After
state. Is she happier? Healthier? More excited?
The shift from the Before state to the After state is what your customer is buying. This shift
(or outcome) is the value that your business brings to the marketplace. Furthermore, the
role of your marketing is to articulate this move from the Before state to the After state.
The understanding of this transition from Before to After is what allows you to craft what
is called a Statement of Value. This statement is important because it sums up the value of
your product or service. To craft your Statement of Value, simply fill in the blanks on the
sentence shown in Figure 1-6.