I’ve been reading this book about marketing techniques since I am in the process of designing an actual, finished website for the business. I’ve been putting it off somewhat because I want to do a good job on it. Before I can start work on the website, I need to determine what I’m trying to communicate and how to go about it. I’ve learned some useful tips and information that I’d like to share with you.
General concepts:
- Place utility – “The increased usefulness created by marketing through making a product available at the place consumers want.” Make it easy for people to buy from you by taking the work out of getting to where the sale takes place. A good example of place utility is the deli in the adjacent building from me. I go to the deli because it’s easy to get to. The web enables significant place utility since your customers can buy from you whereever they have internet access: home, work, etc.
- Time utility – “The increased satisfaction created by marketing through making products available at the time consumers want them .” Businesses that operate 24 hours a day and accept credit cards take advantage of time utility.
- Possession utility – “The increased usefulness created by marketing through making it possible for a consumer to own, use, and consume a product. It is also called ownership utility.” Make it easy for people to buy your product by enabling them to take possession of it quickly. Businesses that use gimmicks like “no payments / no interest for 12 months” take advantage of possession utility.