There are many shortcomings on most B2B websites, and in particular on their product pages. I normally just kick things off by asking: “Where’s the Call To Action?”, because more often than not, there isn’t one. But another critical element which is so often missing is the ‘Value Proposition’.
What is the Value Proposition? It’s the reason people should buy your product. It’s how your product will make their life easier and impress their own management and customers (that’s what our jobs are all about, right?). It’s also why your product is better than the competition’s.
The Value Proposition needs to be easily understandable, and if at all possible, accompanied by a quantitative assessment of the value. It’s not a slogan – it requires more detail than that. While conciseness is always welcome, if the Value Proposition needs several paragraphs and a load of bullet points, then that’s what it needs. If a prospect can still say: “So What?” at the end, there’s more work to be done. When developing your Value Proposition, keep asking yourself that “So What?” question again and again, improving the copy until the question can’t be asked any more.
There’s loads of stuff online about the concept of a Value Proposition, including many examples which offer us some good ideas. I’d encourage you to read around the subject if you think your website copy needs sharpening up (note: everyone’s does).