There are an awful lot of demands made for consumers‘ attention. Think about how often you’re assaulted by someone or something that’s begging you to pay attention. Nobody can pay attention to every one of these things so how can you have a better shot at being one of the chosen few? It’s by answering a simple question for the target- “what’s in it for me?”
I’ve written on a number of occasions about the need to solve someone’s problem. In fact, if you’re not identifying the problem you’re solving in your marketing materials, there is a high likelihood that those messages are being ignored by the people you most want to respond to them. Think about walking down the streets of a crowded city. There is a lot of noise around you and yet it’s possible to have a quiet conversation with someone who is walking beside you. You’ve both learned to tune out what’s unimportant. That’s what consumers do to messages that don’t pique any interest. You need to engage consumers in a meaningful way.
One way to do this – and hopefully I’m doing it now – is to give those consumers something of value. We humans have a strong need to reciprocate so by giving people something of value you encourage a more open mindset. It can be information (Free Whitepaper!). It can be a discount or a nicely targeted product (a free shirt to people buying shorts, for example). The point is to give them something to let them know what’s in it for them. What you want back can be as simple as an email or something more complex.
Solve problems. Give value. Do both from the customer’s point of view. Pretty simple, right? Then let’s go!
Consult Keith 