Before you invest in marketing you need to have clarity on your website’s propositions.

Discover places: TrustedPlaces.com has a clear proposition

The proposition needs to feed in to the marketing campaign, in terms of who is targeted, and appear on the website, to affirm the marketing message.

With clear propositions any consultative help you employ, and marketing budget you spend, will be maximised.

Start with the focus on the user/customer – how does the website help their life offline, why should they buy from your store and why should they consume your content?

When coming up with your proposition remember your target audience has managed without you up until now, so you need something that’s better, quirkier, useful, exclusive or different, from the alternative.

Better – Amazon (more convenient than ordering a book from a high street store)

Quirkier – Net-A-Porter (delivers items in non-branded packaging, reacting to consumer moods)

Useful – BBC iPlayer (allows TV viewing around users lifestyles)

Exclusive – RightMove.co.uk (more properties listed than any other property website)

Different – Google Street View (offers 360 views)

It’s your job to offer something better to entice them away – whatever it is, it has to be true to the values of the company and something that can be committed to.

When you’ve got it, then go get someone to market it.