A shift in perspective:
It’s only natural for a business owner to address their clients and prospects from the inside out. But for the success of their marketing program, they should be looking at opportunities from the customers’ point of view, not the organization’s.
The subtleties of this shift in perspective are easily lost in diligent focus on the offer or transaction, rather than mindset. Even when we think about Inbound Marketing, we tend to focus on interaction between the organization and its prospective customers. But before we can effectively participate in Inbound Marketing (or outbound marketing for that matter), we need to reset our point of view to “Outside In” thinking.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) will steer us the right direction. It forces us to think about search terms and key words that a potential buyer might use in an online search. But again, that’s a tactical rather than a conceptual or strategic thought process. We need to step outside ourselves and ask, who really cares about our accomplishments, our offerings, our strengths? Why do they care? Our task is to attract people who will benefit from our products and services, and in order to do so, we really need to walk a bit in their shoes.
1. To truly connect with your audience, speak to the benefit they will gain by doing business with you.
From their perspective, what problem will you solve for them? If you can’t settle on just one, limit the focus to maybe three. Five max. Too much information will drive away prospects. Even if they recognize their particular need in your offering, a diluted message may suggest that it’s not a priority for you. Instead, aim for clarity, simplicity and direct relevance. Make it unmistakably clear that you understand their challenge and are here to help them resolve it.
2. Don’t let logic trump emotion.
Even the most intellectual buyer will unconsciously make decisions from the gut before they even have a chance to think it through. Yes, give them reasons to buy—not so you can convince them, but rather, so the buyer can defend his decision in ways his superiors or investors can respect. But first, touch a nerve.
3. Speak your target’s language.
If you are selling chairs to hospitality chains, don’t offer them furniture. Offer them an enhanced guest experience. Your marketing team will do the research and help you find the right words, the right attitude, and the right mindset to make your target feel confident that you understand what’s important to them.
4. No fourth point.
We take our own advice here at c2e.