{"id":11729,"date":"2016-10-04T04:04:48","date_gmt":"2016-10-04T09:04:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rocksdigital.com\/?p=11729"},"modified":"2025-06-24T11:40:35","modified_gmt":"2025-06-24T16:40:35","slug":"value-proposition-wifm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rocksdigital.com\/value-proposition-wifm\/","title":{"rendered":"Are You Thinking About Your Prospect’s WIFM?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Image Credit \u2013 Constantin Stanciu\/Shutterstock.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Every product or business venture needs a strong value proposition<\/a>. To be effective, that value proposition must answer the WIFM question.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s in it for me?\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014 Title of five different songs by five different recording artists<\/p>\n

Way back in the 20th century, a grad school professor of mine introduced me to the WIFM concept. And beyond my love of saying it out loud \u2014 \u201cWHIFF-um\u201d \u2014 this idea became one of my favorite things about marketing.<\/p>\n

Because at its core, marketing is trying to persuade someone to act. Whether you want them to click here, buy something, visit a location, etc., the onus is on YOU to convince them to do something.<\/p>\n

This challenge is catnip for creative and strategic folks alike. Too often, I\u2019ve seen both clients and agencies forget about the WIFM \u2014 and they don\u2019t effectively communicate the ultimate reason (or reasons) that the prospect should do what they\u2019re asking.<\/p>\n

Why does the WIFM get forgotten?<\/h2>\n

There are many things that can get in the way of the WIFM, but the most common one I\u2019ve seen is that companies fall in love with their product(s)\/service(s) so passionately, they think everyone else should too. \u201cLet\u2019s say we have the #1 solution, that should be enough to move the needle.\u201d<\/p>\n

*angry buzzer sound*<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Funny thing is, it\u2019s totally understandable<\/strong>. Entrepreneurs work and sweat and bleed and grind to bring their business into existence because they truly believe in it. Their new company becomes an all-consuming existence, wherein the founder(s) are pouring their whole life and bank account and time and energy into it.<\/p>\n

But the outside world doesn\u2019t know about all that hard work, the obstacles overcome, the long nights spent stressing, the drawing board and trial-and-error and all that.<\/p>\n

All they know is what your marketing messages <\/a>tell them.<\/p>\n

So how do you create a WIFM-focused marketing message?<\/span><\/p>\n

It all starts with identifying your prospective customer\u2019s WIFM<\/a> with regard to your company and what you offer.<\/p>\n

For example, let\u2019s say you want to promote the fact that it\u2019s your 10th year in business. It\u2019s an important milestone for you, but why should anyone else care?<\/p>\n

Instead of centering your marketing campaign around a message like \u201cIt\u2019s Our 10th Anniversary!\u201d \u2014 think about why that could possibly be interesting to a prospect. (Especially because it\u2019s all about YOU.)<\/p>\n

What if you tweaked it to say \u201cCelebrating 10 Years of Serving [Town Name]!\u201d \u2014 so you\u2019d be communicating your pride in both the town in which you operate and that you\u2019re dedicated to meeting their needs.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s only two words longer, but the second option makes this promotion relevant and worthy of note for your prospects. Plus, you could offer \u201c$10 off\u201d or a 10% discount for locals.<\/p>\n

If they give you their email address, what\u2019s in it for prospective customers?<\/span><\/p>\n

In digital marketing, one of the most common objectives is to collect email addresses for future marketing purposes (email offers, e-newsletters, etc.).<\/p>\n

It\u2019s pretty standard \u2014 and smart \u2014 to ask for a prospective customer to provide their email address. Especially when that\u2019s ALL you ask for (at first), since you\u2019re already showing that you\u2019re considerate by not bothering them for all of their contact information.<\/p>\n

But even after you\u2019ve begun collecting email addresses, remember that unwanted or annoying emails can feel like a major intrusion \u2014 not to mention how much they clutter up an inbox.<\/p>\n

Here are three WIFM-related things to remember when asking for an email address<\/a>:<\/p>\n