Irresistable Content Part One: Who and How?
Posted on June 22, 2008
Why Having a Great Product or Service Isn’t Enough
You’ve done it. You’ve developed the perfect product solution, the essential service, the breakthrough design. Everyone who has tested it loves it, everyone who purchases it comes back for more, and you’ve received glowing feedback from peers, co-workers, and colleagues. So why aren’t your sales where you know they should be?
If you’ve got a great product or service, but your sales numbers aren’t reflecting their true potential, chances are your content could use a revamp if not a complete redesign. The first step to closing closing any sale is knowing exactly who you are selling your products and/or services to. If you don’t know your intended demographic, you can’t effectively target the areas that will make potential customers want to buy.
Step One: Knowing Your Customer
If you haven’t narrowed your target demographic down from “everyone” then you’ve got some work to do. The easiest way to zero in on your ideal customer, is through a little creative brainstorming. Imagine your product or service in its ideal environment. What functions does it perform? What would a person use it for? Now, expand your focus to include the customer in this ideal scenario. Why did he or she purchase your product/service? Remember, this is the ideal environment - your product has solved all the problems, your service is making life faster/easier/more efficient. So what was your customer’s life like before the purchase? What problems did the customer have? What needs were not being addressed? Once you start answering questions like these, you’re well on your way to understanding your ideal customer, and from there, your broader market.
Step Two: Customer Empathy
Now that you have a better idea of who you are marketing to, think about the types of things that induce your potential customers to buy. Are they busy professionals with time only for the cold, hard facts? Do they need to see a track record of performance, benchmark tests, and comparison charts before they can make a decision? Conversely, is your customer a person who makes purchases based on emotional attachment? Would testimonials and examples of real-life success stories motivate your customer more than numbers? Have a little empathy for your customer - try to experience the purchasing process from the customer’s point of view and imagine what they’re looking for. What questions do they want answered? What doubts might they have? Address these in your content, and you’ll see an improvement in sales as consumer confidence and trust grows.
Step Three: The How
Once you have your target audience, and you understand their concerns and motivations, it’s time to pull it all together and craft a message that will show those potential customers exactly how your product or service fits into their lives. If your product or service is complex, you may need to demonstrate how it works, how it helps your customer, and how to decide what model/service to buy. If it’s a simple product or service, you may need to focus on how your product is better/faster/more reliable than the rest that are available, but that should always be secondary to how it helps your customers. You want your customers to see themselves using your product or service, and how much they have to gain by owning whatever it is you sell.
Putting it All Together
Once you’ve mastered getting a target audience, learning their needs, and catering to what they need to know in your copy, your sales numbers will start to reflect the real potential behind your business solutions. Part Two will discuss the What and Where issues of writing copy - so until then, stay creative!
» Filed Under Audience Focus, Content Tips, Creative Connotation, How, The Five Ws Plus H, Who
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