According to Daniel Burstein, Director of Editorial Content,
MECLABS, the disconnect stems from the nature of our
work.
“Marketers have the best of intentions, but we sleep, eat
and breathe our products. It makes it easy to forget that
customers don’t care about our products, services or offers,”
Burstein explains. “They care about solving their problems
and meeting their goals.”
Burstein relates a revealing conversation he had with a
start-up business with whom he was consulting:
“I was told something along the lines of, ‘Okay. Now that
you’re working with us, you have to get onboard and drink
the Kool-Aid. You have to understand that we have the
absolute best solution, and we are absolutely going to
change the market.’ I responded, ‘No, it’s quite the opposite.
I have to think: why would anyone care about this product?’
because that is your customer’s first reaction.”
Burstein goes on to clarify this divide isn’t the result of
uncaring marketers with bad intentions. “In fairness to
marketers, there is a good reason for this attitude. We
tend to be deeply passionate about our products, which in
itself, is not a bad thing. After all, if you don’t believe in your
product, who will?”
At the same time, he cautions, marketers must be careful to
remain grounded and keep the customer in mind, crafting
value propositions that will truly resonate with market
segments.
Sounds good, but can we really get inside the minds of our
donors or customers to understand what motivates them to
take action? And how does it apply in today’s multi-channel
marketing environment?
“It always comes down to two things,” Burstein says. “Your
customers [or donors] want to solve a pain point or achieve
a goal.”
To be most successful in reaching a meeting of the minds,
marketers should do two things:
1.
Clearly identify your value proposition for your customers
and prospects to match their pain point or goal.
2.
Communicate that message across the channels where
they are most likely to be heard.
For a nonprofit, this might mean taking a fresh look at
why your donors give their time, energy and resources.
For some, giving to a community organization could solve
a pain point of feeling helpless about the suffering of
family or friends. For others, the tax benefit or sponsor
recognition that comes with a hefty financial contribution
could be the motivating factor. With segmented lists and
targeted messages, you can see how much more effective
your marketing can
be with these two
distinct profiles.
For a business
owner, it means
truly understanding
what your products
or services do for
your customers.
And this, explains Burstein, comes down to having a solid
grasp of the value of your product or service to the end
user, which will also drive customer interaction for everyone
in the company.
When creating multi-channel strategies, Burstein points out
that the focus on the customer becomes even more critical.
There is no “right answer” as to which channel and which
message is best. It depends upon the particular needs and
demographics of your target.
Take digital versus print communications. “A younger
customer might barely use a desktop at all, and expect a
fully functioning mobile site to interact with,” says Burstein.
He goes on to explain that an older customer might still be
new to the mobile experience. “Your best way to reach him
might be through something he already understands,” like
email or printed materials.
At the end of the day, the more you know about your
customer, the easier it will be to get in his head.
n
ISSUE 02
|
2013
03
Customer profiling helps
you sharpen your marketing
messages, and “clone” your
best customers to find more
like them. Ask us how.
