Why you need to tap into your clients' beliefs, fears and desires
Listen, I know it sounds a bit woo-woo, but there are some massive benefits to understanding your clients’ beliefs, fears and desires.
Getting your head around people’s preconceived notions about your brand, fears that they might have about working with you, and what they truly want to get out of the process can make it easier for you to deliver exactly what the client wants.
And who doesn’t love happy customers?
Embrace the woo
At Word Candy HQ, we have an open mind about woo, while also being extremely practical. This means that yes, we might use a smudge stick to clear demons (??) from our new workspace, but we also probably don’t know why.
But when it comes to getting laser focused on a client’s target market, there are a couple of borderline woo questions that we never gloss over.
Does your audience have preconceived ideas about your brand? What are they?
‘But,’ I hear you say ‘it doesn’t matter because I’m going to change their minds!’ The thing is, you need to understand what your ideal clients are thinking about your brand before you can get your message across.
Say you’re selling activewear. If your socials are full of photos of slim, white women with perfect hair wearing crop tops — will people who don’t fit into those categories be able to see themselves in your gear?
Say you’re a wedding photographer or celebrant. If your feed is full of heterosexual couples, will same-sex couples think your service is for them?
These ideas might stop a person who sees themselves as outside of your target market from buying because they think: this product or service isn’t for me.
Having an understanding of what your audience thinks about your brand ahead of time means that you can assure people (through strong copy, imagery and messaging) that your business is for them. Your messaging can tell people: you are welcome here.
What does your audience desire? What problem are you solving?
When it comes to connecting with your target audience, the most effective strategy is to solve their problems.
The best analogy for this is recipe blogs. You know the ones — you’re searching for a tasty asparagus recipe and bloggers want to give you their life story.
You know who wants to read this story? N O B O D Y. When you turn up looking for recipes, the last thing you want is someone waxing lyrical about their childhood.
Wondering what this has to do with your target market?
You need to tap into what your ideal customers actually need and want from their interaction with you. Think about your ideal clients, and try to tap into some of the reasons why they might buy from you.
There are lots of reasons why people buy — simple reasons, like wanting to:
Save time
Save money
Look good
Impress others
Avoid pain
Make money
Avoid effort
Prevent stress
Protect family
Have a think about the problems that your product or service solves, in relation to these reasons. If you can identify which of these problems applies to your people and how your thing helps — you’re off to the races.
Does your target audience have fears about working with you or buying from you?
When it comes to any purchase (but big ticket items or long term commitments in particular), there’s always a risk.
Maybe the item won’t fit.
Maybe the photos won’t be great.
Maybe the serum won’t work — you get the idea.
Have a think about what might be holding your ideal clients back from working with you or buying your product. Then think about how you can put their fears to rest through your interaction with them on socials and on your website.
We all feel more comfortable buying from people we know, like and trust — helping put your clients’ fears aside is a great way to build a strong relationship with them
Be authentic, not salesy
These days, people don’t want to be sold to. Building a relationship with your ideal clients — helping them, relating to them, letting them know how you’ll solve their problems — is the cornerstone of marketing in 2021. Put away the salesy playbook, people, and create relationships instead.
Martha Barnard-Rae is a Denmark WA-based SEO copywriter. She supports businesses in Denmark, Albany, the Great Southern and beyond with all the wordy things they need to stand out in the best possible way.
Her words live on the websites, blogs, videos, emails, and socials of businesses all over Australia. An accomplished speaker, Martha helps brands, business owners, schools, and Government Departments understand what they need to do to find their voices.
Martha holds an Honours Degree in English and a Master’s Degree in Education — communication truly lights her up. When she’s not crafting delicious words, you’ll find her walking two giant pooches, practicing her ukulele, or wrapped around a cup of tea, planning out her next Instagram reel.
To stay up to date, join the Word Candy crew on Instagram, or connect with Martha on LinkedIn.