It’s about them. Not you.
The concept is simple enough. But, as a business person, this is without a doubt, one of the hardest things for you to get past.
You spend your days and nights thinking and living your business. You work hard to create something of value to a customer, and you want people to know about it. No wonder you talk about what you have, do or have achieved. And, I’m sorry to break this to you, but most people don’t care.
People buy things because they have a problem to solve. No one gets up in the morning and decides they just have to have that shiny new lawn mower. They buy the lawn mower because they want a mowed lawn. Does Black & Decker sell drills or holes? Does Bayer sell pills or pain relief? This applies to everything. If you are going to be effective in your messaging, you have to understand why your customers buy the product in the first place, and then structure your creative from that point of view.
Here are some simple questions to ask before approving an ad.
• Why do people buy this product?
• How is their situation better after they’ve used the product.
• How does your product or company differ from your competition?
• How does that difference make your customer’s situation even better?
If you make sure your ad message describes how your product will make your customer’s life better, you will have a more effective ad.
-Rob Charlton
