After over 10 years of marketing experience, I have learned to be intentional, thoughtful & strategic in all the work I do. One of the key ways I do that is focusing on the WHY of our client’s customers.
Why should someone buy their product or service?
How will it benefit their customer?
To accomplish this, I filter every piece of content, whether it’s a quick social media post or cohesive campaign, through the question, “does this communicate how our client’s product or service helps solve their customer’s problems?”
This year we gifted Donald Miller’s book Building a Story Brand to our clients for Christmas. In the first chapter, Miller talks about how important it is to define why customers need your products in their lives. Think about how your product or service helps people:
“Survive,
thrive,
be accepted,
achieve an aspirational identity,
&/or bond with a tribe that will defend them physically and socially” (pg. 8)
With this in mind, evaluate whether your marketing articulates the aspects of your products your customers care about — the aspects that solve their problems. Miller says you should aim to do 3 things with your marketing. Identify
- “What your customer wants
- What problem you are helping them solve
- And what life will look like after they engage your products and services” (pg. 11)
These answers come together to form the foundation of your marketing strategy.
For example, say your company cleans cars in a quick, convenient, environmentally friendly way. You’ll think through how this service helps people in their lives. Here are just a few:
- Convenience
- Ease
- Time savings
- The gratification of driving in clean surroundings
- The reputation boost a clean car gives you
- Caring for the environment
- Protecting your vehicle investment & maintaining a high resale value
These are perks your customer wants, and problems your service helps them solve. Effective marketing will articulate these points and demonstrate how your service meets the needs and/or solves the problems. From there, it will go on to illustrate what life is like in a clean car.
Once you have this defined, the next step is to communicate these answers in a clear, understandable way. “The key is to make your company’s message about something that helps the customer survive and to do so in such a way that they can understand.” (pg. 9)
I even suggest bringing this exercise into your sales process. Use it to write sales scripts and value propositions. Keep the ways your product or service helps your customers at the top of your staff’s mind. You’ll be amazed at how this perspective improves morale, gives your employees a sense of purpose, and increases sales. Our team at Crossroads would love to work with you to create an effective strategy for your business and employ Storybrand’s Framework to “simplify your message, filter out the noise & create effective marketing.” Give us a call at (225) 341-4147 or email Shannon, our Administrative & Recruiting Coordinator, at [email protected] to get started with an appointment.
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