Create better messages. Connect with your customers.
Marketing leaders, no matter what business they are in, are in the business of empathy. This becomes apparent every time we talk with a business about their communications plan, social media strategy, website development or a simple advertisement, the first conversation always starts with “tell us more about your audience.”
How can being empathetic improve your marketing?
- Relevance: The better you understand your buyers – not as some large, ominous group – but as individuals, the more relevant your messages can be.
- Solutions. The better you know their pains on the job, the better you can demonstrate the solutions your products/services deliver.
- REAL Benefits. The better you know how they are measured on the job, the more specifically you can communicate the impact your products/services will have on those measures.
What Difference Can Empathy Make in Your Messages?
Say you’re an industrial maintenance product supplier. You sell to manufacturers who use lots of machinery that relies on your type of products and services. Do you market to businesses or do you focus on John who is the maintenance supervisor, responsible for up-time, efficiency and when things don’t go well, his butt is on the line?
A boring B2B type message could be, “We have a large selection of industrial maintenance products and services to meet your needs” LAME
Or you could say, “Up-time and production efficiency are critical to your bottom line, that’s why we offer only the best products and services, including a 24 hour service hotline with technicians ready to help.” BOOM!
Which do you think John might connect with a little more? He’ll think, “Wow, they get me, and if our shop is down, I’m going to need them.”
We understand that there are other influencers in the decision making process like purchasing departments and executives. Still, when you connect with your target audiences empathetically through content that is specific to the things most important to them, you make connections that matter.
Content Marketing & Empathy, it is SO Connected
The bottom line is that in an age of content marketing through website content, blogging, social media marketing and more, it is all about establishing an emotional connection with your brand. You want your messages to stick with your prospective customers.
Buyer Persona Profiles, Identify Your Buyers Better
We’ve talked a lot about Buyer Personas and identifying your audiences. If you’re wondering what that is, it’s profile of your target audiences. You should include a photo of what that person looks like, give them a name, and outline what you know about them. Things like:
- What is their background? (education, marriage status, kids at home, etc.)
- What are their challenges, on the job or at home?
- What are their motivations?
- What daily activities to they participate in?
- What media might they use to find what you offer?
Bottom line is that your messages and your marketing need to MOVE people. Are you creating moments, or even micro-moments to connect with your audience?
