Value Proposition Design – Communicating Your Value Through

Digital MediaEnterprise University Course 205

Fall 2016 – Ed Mayuga

How many of you have been in my class before?

You will recall that I have spoken about social media and content marketing in the past.

There is need to discuss how to generate content to market to and

persuade an audience.

Are you currently creating online content but feel that there is room for

improvement?

At the end of today’s course, you will understand how to use content marketing

to persuade.

Use Value Proposition Design to author content for the audience to

know, like, and trust you!

The Art of Persuasion

Who do we tend to listen to? The Influencer / Maven / Insider

We seek the inside scoop on where to save money, solve a problem,

get a deal etc.

What is the first thing you do when you need a product or

service? You Google it.

We look for the information on the first page of Google results, social

media, or

We want referrals from a trusted source, someone with credibility, an

Influencer / Maven / Insider

We look for “social proof”

We ask our friends or family for referrals

Then, we may go to online sources for validation – i.e. Forums, groups, clubs etc.

We look for online reviews – Amazon, Yelp, etc.

How does someone become an Influencer?

Asks the same questions as you, but goes further

and shares that knowledge online.

Lets people know that what mistakes they have made as well

Being authentic online translates into trust, which gives you influence!

Persuasion is a Process. It is Marketing.

Persuasion is when You persuade someone to do something. (Marketing)

The Art of Convincing, on the other hand,

is when you convince

someone of something.

(Sales)

You need to understand their needs – PAINS vs. GAINS

Speak in the affirmative – let your audience know you have their best interests in mind

Be frequent and consistent with authoring and posting information online

Public relations are Earned Media, which persuades through building trust and

credibility

PR has more impact than paid advertising because it’s harder to obtain

PR takes 2, 3, or 4 calendar quarters to take effect, but is effective at

generating sales

If you want to find out more, check our Ann Marie’s EU Course 205: Public

Relations 101

Building an Audience

You can evoke an emotional response by demonstrating that you care about their

problems

Testimonials and LinkedIn Recommendations - You have an audience that can vouch for you

People can Google your name and find out what you know and discover

content that you share

BUT, in order to persuade effectively, your audience needs to be engaged

People have to know you

Are you a thought leader?

Are you responsive to online inquiries and comments?

Locally, does your audience see you on STLToday or the…

People have to like you

How do you know that people like you? Have you asked your inner circle?

Are you easy to talk to and approachable in public?

Philanthropy and charity

People have to trust you

Is the product or service that you are marketing reliable and a good value? Why?

Do you back up your product or service claims with your reputation?

Do what you say and say what you do!

Value Proposition Design

Let’s Work on Your Value Proposition Canvas!

Look at the Handouts

Let’s start with the Customer Profile first

Then we’ll transition to the Value Proposition

Who would like to share their Value Proposition Canvas?

Tell us about your product

or service, then your

Customer’s Jobs

What is your biggest challenge?

Feedback from the audience?

Pain Relievers and Gain Creators

Do your Pain Relievers match the Customer Pains?

What type of content/posts do you think that your potential clients would like to see?

Don’t confuse your Product/Service with Gain Creators

How do you receive customer feedback? I.e. Survey Monkey, client

interviews etc.

Do your Gain Creators match the Customer Gains?

Let’s look at the positives that your Product/Service provide

Is there a correlation between Customer Pains/Pain Relievers?

Is there a correlation between Customer Gains/Gain Creators?

Does your product or service match the Customer’s Job?

What features/benefits would your potential clients want to see?

What additional benefits would your existing clients want to see?

Don’t confuse a product/service

feature with a Pain Reliever/Gain

Creator

How do we apply the Value Proposition Canvas to Content Marketing?

Sharing your knowledge

Long-form - an online article or white paper that demonstrates your thought

leadership

Short-form – Facebook posts, Tweets, or short blog entries to do the same thing

Case-studies – real-life examples of how your product or service has helped your

customers

Promoting Pain Relievers and Gain Creators

Where is your audience?

What is a simple social media post you can create today to promote these benefits?

Current marketing materials - Are you promoting Pain Relievers and Gain Creators?

Content Marketing Acronyms – WIIFM, TOMA, and FOMO

WIIFM – What’s in It for Me?

TOMA – Top of Mind Awareness

Through Social Networks and Digital Media

Persuasion through Social Media

Facebook / Instagram

User generated content – Keep in mind it is a “social” media site

Excellent for B2B marketing

Your posts appear on the Wall, similar to Facebook

Excellent tools for lead generation

Website / Blogging

Don’t build your brand on rented ground! Use a self-hosted website (Owned Media)

Content Management System (CMS)

If you blog, you can easily share that information through social media

Earned Media – Relationships with Industry Bloggers, Journalists, and Influencers

Enhances your reputation as an Influencer and thought

leader

Gives you credibility and TOMA

A Google search for your name will list press releases and news

Earned Media placements are hard to obtain, but are extremely valuable

Lives on the Web indefinitely

Placements Local, Regional, National, and Trade Press

Can be used in marketing materials

Affirmation from the reporter and publication

Reporters have a story to tell

Media relations will position you as an expert

Articles are shared on social media by the author and publication

Paid Media

Pay Per Click - Show up on the

first page of search results

Provides data that can help you with content authoring

Craft sales messages in-line with Facebook content

Sponsored Posts

Remarketing - Ads that follow you around your Facebook feed

Generate your email marketing list

Capture emails on your offer pages

Increases qualified leads in your email marketing database

Convert leads into buyers with special offers for insiders

In Conclusion – What We Discussed Today…