If you’re anything like me, you might be thinking that empathetic marketing is the reason why all the TV commercials right now are set to piano music and include the phrase “We’re in this together”.
Rest assured, it’s not that. It’s better than that!
Empathetic marketing is all about putting yourself in the shoes of your prospective customer, understanding what motivates them, and speaking directly to them in a way that resonates.
As a marketing and advertising agency, Hookd Promotions has the opportunity to help our clients understand Empathetic Marketing and put it to practical use. Our clients often comment that this is one of the biggest benefits they get when they decide to work with Hookd. So we thought it’d be a good idea to write about it, and share that value with you all.
Have you ever asked someone to tell you about their business, only to be bombarded with a laundry list of all the things they do? Did that brain dump on their part motivate you to want to become a client? Probably not. It takes a lot of effort to get all the way down the strangled path from what they do, to what you really need, to whether there’s a match, to whether that laundry list of stuff could provide the outcome you’re looking for. Just writing all that was a strangled effort!
But think about it. If you’re going to convert prospects into clients, you need to do that heavy lifting and help them clearly and easily understand that your products or services will meet their ultimate outcome needs. It’s not their job to do it, and frankly, people aren’t going to work that hard. They’ll find what they need from whoever is making it easy for them.
So how do you do it? You put yourself in their shoes and then change the way you communicate. Stop talking about the what or the laundry list, and start talking about the why and the outcomes. Help others understand why your organization does what it does, and most importantly, what that means for them. At Hookd, we use what we call a Message Map to help our clients understand how to do this. You can watch this two minute video that walks you through it. A message map explores motivations, pain points and overall objectives as a means of identifying messaging that resonates.
Here’s an example:
Instead of saying “My company produces inventory management software.”
Consider saying “The software we produce enables our clients to better manage their inventory and more efficiently manage production schedules. As a result, most of our clients experience revenue growth.”
Another thing to keep in mind is that your customers are on a journey and the messaging that resonates today can change over time. It’s important to keep your messaging fresh and relevant by revisiting your message map every so often.
If you’re interested in learning more, give us a shout. We’d be happy to explore ways Hookd could help your business grow. Contact our Director of Sales, Sarah Gordee, at 715-396-1661.