1. Using the phrase “Good Quality” on the front page:
I’m also indicting the phrase “High Quality” and every other derivation of quality that can be made. High quality is a must for any technology business, not a differentiator. If you provide poor quality equipment or goods, no matter how cheap, people will not purchase your product.
2. 128 Bit Signal Processor:
Your customers do not care about your technology. They only care about what it can do for them. Camera companies are notorious for committing this mistake. They insist on centering their marketing material on the amount of Mega-Pixels the camera has. The average person has no idea why 8 Mega-Pixels is better than 4 Mega-Pixels other than the fact that 8 is a bigger number than 4.
3. Provide a solution for all your needs:
Most small technology companies do not have a solution that will accomplish all their customer’s needs. The best focus on one need, and become great at filling it. If you insist on filling all a customer’s needs, you run the risk of over-promising and under-delivering.
4. Be Everything to Everyone:
Your customer’s are either large businesses or small; but not both. You either cater to the private sector, or the public. Most small tech companies have the resources to pick one, and only one niche. Marketing to a large business is vastly different than marketing to a small one. The lead time is greatly increased; the amount of service the large business demands is more expensive.
5. Not clearly articulating what you do in the first sentence:
Company 1: “… is uniquely positioned and qualified to help your organization with your goals because of its extensive experience and knowledge of the local technical requirements.”
Company 2: “…has become known and respected throughout the tri-state region for providing civil engineering services on the cutting edge.”
Is it clear what either of these companies does? Yet this is the first sentence on each of these websites.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
The second point reminds me of an ad Seth Godin once pointed out. It said, “it’s not the first blu-ray disk player on the market, it’s the first Sony. (Isn’t that the same thing?)”
Nope. The ad went on and on about 1080p and technical data that only the technicians at Sony care about.
As for #5, it’s bad for three reasons. One, as you pointed out, it’s not terribly clear what these companies do. Two, they’re not differentiating themselves in any way. The sentences could be moved from one company to another and nobody could tell the difference. Three, it’s all about the company (rather than the customer). What do I get? Why should I pick one company over another?
Thanks for the comment, Jodi.
I heard someone say “If you say your softwares unique selling position is fast, reliable, and scalable and your competitor doesn’t claim his to be the opposite – then it’s not really a unique selling position.”