Perhaps I should have titled this blog post "Back to Basics," because it is all about hitting the essential notes. When marketing anything, you need to show the potential buyer why he or she would want to buy something. Seems fairly obvious. And yet, how many times have you seen products advertised for which there is no clear reason given that would cause buyers to buy?

I got the following anecdote from Sara Cormeny (who is a web developer at <a class="wp-caption" title="Paper Lantern" href="http://www.paperlantern.com" target="_blank">www.paperlantern.com. )</a>Please note I edited slightly:
<p style="padding-left:30px;">I just recently purchased a product on Amazon called the Standers Bed  Cane, for my dad.  It's a handle that you attach to the side of your  bed, in order to have something secure and sturdy to hold onto as you get in and out of bed.</p>

<p style="padding-left:30px;">For  people who are still having a hard time convincing a parent  to get one, I noticed that they have cleverly added an organizer pouch, useful for holding glasses, the remote control, a pen, etc.  More than
one of the Amazon user reviews mentioned that her mom was willing to  consider the Bed Cane because she actually thought the organizer was  worth it, even if she insisted that she didn't need one of those cane-
assists.
<p style="padding-left:30px;">I thought it was really clever that the makers added this to the  product -- now it appeals to both parties who are likely to be  involved in the buying process, and lets the user save face with a  product that screams "old lady who can't get in and out of bed on her  own."</p>
<p style="padding-left:30px;">I was also impressed that the seller  included  five photos of the product, which were clearly taken and showed it in  use with a person in the bed, in a close-up attached to the bed  without a person, and two photos of it removed from the bed so you  could see all the parts and see it folded up for storage.  For me, all  the photos made it so much easier to understand how it would work and  how it would fit with my parents' bed, and that was really what sold  me (along with the competitive price)."</p>

What Sara is pointing is that there should be COMPELLING reason to buy and also proof, in the way of pictures, that the product serves the purpose. Any marketing should include these basics.  Advertising and marketing should not always leave everything to the imagination. Being clear and transparent is often the way to go (more on this on my next post).

Thoughts? Have you bought something because the photographs made it clear how the product worked?