HIRE ME TO SPEAK
HIRE ME TO SPEAK

WaterField Designs great products and great web content

I write about strategies to turn fans into customers and customers into fans. I also share ways to use real-time strategies to spread ideas, influence minds, and build business.

Case Studies  |  Best Practices

Michael Kane alerted me to a company called WaterField Designs, saying: “I know you like to write about interesting companies. You should check out WaterField Designs. They make all kinds of bags and sleeves for just about any device. I own several of their products and the workmanship and quality is outstanding. The coolest thing about their products is that they all made in the United States – in San Francisco!”

Mike was right to turn me on to WaterField Designs.

The moment I reached the WaterField Designs site I was hooked

Waterfield_franklin-tote-handle_grandeThe company and products were perfectly aligned to my lifestyle and to me. It was as if they knew me!

I’m tired of the same old black ballistic nylon bags everybody sells. I’m not interested in companies that compete on price and rely on a rudimentary photo or two and some poorly edited copy about product features.

I love a well-designed site that is intuitive to spend time with. I am attracted to a hand-made product using natural materials and interesting colors. I relate to an outdoor lifestyle. I’m willing to pay more for a product I love that will last decades.

 

Buyer personas

You know something? It’s not a coincidence when a site feels like it was created especially for you, because that means a marketer somewhere did his or her job well! This is exactly the point of understanding buyer personas and creating a site based on buyer personas rather than a simple product pitch.

When I end up somewhere that educates and informs me through a video, a few blog posts, or maybe a Q&A with some instructive photos, I’m ready to make a buying decision in just a few minutes. And guess where I am inclined to buy? Yes, the place that educated me.

Buyer personas, the distinct demographic groupings of your potential customers, are critically important for successful marketing that leads to sales success. Creating marketing and sales initiatives that target specific buyer personas is a strategy that easily outperforms the results you get from sitting on your butt in your comfortable office making stuff up about your products.

Compelling content

The WaterField Designs site is compelling in so many ways. Let’s take a look at some of the elements I really like:

HeyGary: The WaterField Designs founder, Gary Waterfield, is very visible. In fact, a link to his email is on every single page. In the about page, we learn: “Gary Waterfield started the company in 1998 with these principles which still guides us today: Make products you can be proud of, Treat people with respect, and Exercise kindness—we’re all human. You won’t find corporate intrigue, shareholder revolt, or venture capital drama at our modest headquarters. Instead you will find pot-luck lunches, group outings, and the occasional employee celebration."

Real-time products and real-time content on the blog: I love the fact that WaterField Designs brought its iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus cases to market just hours after Tim Cook and the Apple team unveiled them. WaterField Designs was even featured on ABC World News Tonight. And of course, they tell the story on their blog.

6-word reviews: Showcasing happy customers is always a challenge for any company. I love how WaterField Designs has a page with what looks to be hundreds of 6-word reviews. For example: “Enjoy unholstering your Mac through security.” - Raymond S., Australia

Photos: The images of the products being used are beautiful, showcasing them in a way that makes me want to buy a bunch of them. In addition, each product, such as the iPad Smart Case, has multiple product images so you can see detail from many different angles.

Videos: The products have videos where a WaterField Designs employee, perhaps Gary himself describes what goes into the item. The iPad Smart Case video has almost 80,000 views as I write this. Remarkable. 

My new WaterField Designs tote

Mike was right to turn me onto WaterField Designs because not only do I find their web content compelling, I quickly purchased one of their bags – the Franklin Tote - and after having used if for a month, I’m thrilled with the bag.

Organizations filled with people who take the time to understand the needs of buyers they wish to reach, and then develop information to educate and inform those buyers, are more successful than organizations that just make stuff up.