As business leaders and marketers, it’s easy to get so focused on our business that we forget to step back and see things from the customer’s point of view. We were overwhelmed with questions about operations, market positioning, staffing, and finance. But we often forget to stop and ask, “Do people understand what we’re doing?” As a result, our potential customers are left confused and disengaged every time they visit our website or interact with our marketing materials.
If we want to generate leads and grow our business, we need to stop confusing our customers and start connecting with them. The first step is to learn how to simply and effectively explain the products and services we offer. Next, we need to clearly communicate how we can help our customers succeed. It can be difficult if you work in a complex industry, but not impossible.
Here are a few marketing tips to help you capture the attention of your audience, make it easy to understand your product or service, and ultimately convert them into a customer:
1. Define how your product or service helps your audience achieve their goals.
If you want to help people understand your complex product or service, it’s important they know the answers to a few foundational questions:
- Who is this product for?
- What does this product do?
- Why should customers want to use it?
- Why do customers need it now?
- How is this product different from what else is out there?
You’ll know your messaging is working if your buyers can instantly find out the answers to these questions.
2. Try to simplify your buyer’s journey into three or four steps.
One of the simplest ways to attract potential customers is to make it clear how they might become a client or customers. In order to help them move from where they are now to where they want to be, we advise you to break your buyer’s trip down into three to four steps.
3. Ask questions that help you get inside the mind of your audience.
It’s crucial to comprehend how your audience thinks if you want to learn how to communicate with them. You may develop messaging that resonates with potential customers by taking the time to assess your product or service with the questions they might have.
4. Get direct feedback from your audience through surveys.
Ask individuals what they think of your goods or service if you’re unsure. One of the best ways to accurately assess how well people comprehend your complex product or service is through surveys of potential and present customers. Surveys offer a convenient approach to collecting qualitative and quantitative feedback on your goods, services, and messaging, regardless of how long your company has been operating.
5. Leverage storytelling to make facts or processes easier to understand.
People react to narratives. Consider incorporating storytelling into your marketing efforts if your complex product or service has proven difficult to sell with facts and details alone. Case studies, explainer videos, or a novel approach to advertising could all be used to accomplish this. A powerful technique to not only explain what you do but also motivate potential clients to take action is by telling tales they want to hear.
6. Rely on data and analytics to help discover what content to create.
By examining the kind of material that your audience engages with most frequently, you may learn what messaging resonates with them. Examine the data from all strategies (such as email marketing, blogging, website visits, social media, etc.) to determine what is working and what isn’t as well as any untapped potential for improving the effectiveness of your messaging.
7. Determine what channels might be most helpful in reaching your audience.
A final tip for more effective communication is to consider your audience’s content preferences. For example, 68% of baby boomers prefer traditional content formats like articles, research reports, and blogs. To effectively explain a complex product or service, you must also communicate with customers in a format they prefer.
If you’re struggling to gain traction with your messaging, start with these seven strategies. By taking the time to understand your audience and where to meet them, you’ll go a long way in simplifying your complex product or service in a way that inspires them to take action.
