No one likes a braggart.
When someone states that they’re the best at something, my immediate reaction is to question such a bold claim — and to get a little irritated. It’s cute when a kid does it. It’s not so cute when an adult does the bragging.
Customers feel the same way when they visit your webpage. They are bombarded daily by marketing ads that love to use that word “best.”
“We’re the best” … “We have the best” … “We make the best …”
“The goal of marketing is not to make a claim; the goal of marketing is to foster a conclusion.”
— Flint McGlaughlin, CEO and Managing Director, MECLABS Institute
But if you want to stand out in the marketplace, instead of making a claim that you are the best, show your prospective customers that you are the best — with specific, quantifiable facts. Then, let them draw their own conclusions whether you are, indeed, the best at what you do, or not.
When you allow the customer the freedom to do their own thinking — to infer from a solid list of quantifiable, credible reasons — you are valuing the customer, and, in return, the customer values you and your product or services.
In this Quick Win Clinic, Flint McGlaughlin looks at a claim made by book creator website Bookemon that states it is the “Best Book Creator,” and evaluates how well it presents the facts about said claim.
Great video. Just to respond to the first part where you said, the goal of marketing is not to make a claim but, to foster a conclusion…That’s the reason why “Imagine if”, “What if” headlines work so brilliantly since you let your reader paint their own picture. or draw their own conclusion. Here is an example headline…
“What if there was a way you could make an extra $1,000 by working just 10 more
hours a month, how much more money you could save?
Note that the headline invites reader to discover rather making a strong claim. Value proposition is believable…making $1000 a month by working an extra 10 hour is achievable…And lastly, you are leaving your reader to paint their own picture rather including a specific benefit
Uh, well I’m not sure because, watching too many “What if [benefit]”, make me conclude: Oh, now comes the part they’re going to sell me something.
While saying a quantitative statement, like “4343 customers registered yesterday” makes me more likely to draw a conclusion: Oh, those ppl have users.