So…
You’re marketing a product with truly amazing features (seriously… it’s great). Naturally, you’re spreading the word any way you can - organic social content, paid ads, email campaigns, webinars, and anything you can think of. But… no one’s interested. Why is that?
The problem isn’t your product. It's not how hard you're trying (I know you're working hard)… it’s the way you talk about your product.
In other words… your message is broken. And no amount of strategy or fancy new tactics can compensate for it. (That’s right… not even AI.)
Here are 3 major steps you should take today to fix your broken marketing message so you can start spreading the word about your product in a way that isn’t completely pointless and potential users will actually care about. (And dare I say... do business with you.)
Step 1: Reframe everything to be about the user.
Our first instinct is to talk about what we’re doing, our new product launch, how we were featured on the latest whatever. That’s great, but the hard truth is… no one cares.
Everyone wants to be the hero of their own story, and they all have stress and time-sensitive challenges they’re dealing with every day. They’re not being selfish or mean. They just don’t have the bandwidth to possibly care about you or anything you’re doing right now. That’s ok - you can work with that…
Instead of positioning your brand (or your product) as the hero, shift your message to position your potential users as the hero. Now you are simply a guide to lead them, and your product is a powerful tool in their hands that they can use to get where they want to go.
Instead of talking about specs and features, focus on the benefits they provide - describing in detail the outcomes users can expect and the problems they can now eliminate. By doing this, your message is no longer about you and your product… it’s all about them, and now they’re starting to care.
I’d highly recommend reading Building a Storybrand by Donald Miller to learn more about using proper story structure in your marketing efforts.
Step 2: Re-order your message to work with the brain… not against it.
One reason your marketing efforts could be falling flat is that the components of your message are out of order. It's tempting to lead with the solution or features and benefits (you know, the “good” stuff), but here’s the problem: no one cares about any of that… yet. You just need to put that off until later in your message. I’ll explain.
Our brains are hard-wired to be alerted by problems… not solutions. So much so that we won’t even notice a solution until we are alerted to the fact that we need one. Then and only then… are we desperate for a solution.
So your first job is to mention a problem that potential users will resonate with to expose some pain they’ve been feeling in that area. Then dive deep into some more details of that problem to further agitate that pain to the point where they're now eager to hear a solution.
So now you propose a solution… which is simply the reverse of the problem.
- Example:
- Problem: Your marketing message isn’t working.
- Solution: Learn how to craft a marketing message that actually works.
They will no doubt love your promised solution, and now they are evaluating the logic of your solution to decide whether or not it could actually work for them. So now it’s time to walk them through a high-level step-by-step process of how you will deliver on that solution. (I’m a big fan of 3 steps whenever possible). By simply laying out your process, you reduce the uncertainty (and the risk) in their mind.
At this point, if they’re still listening… now they are evaluating you. Can they trust you to do what you said you would do? Now it’s finally time to bring in all those wonderful client testimonials and impressive statistics… (all the stuff that makes you look great). Just don’t go overboard with it.
Wrap it up by painting a picture of how great their life could look once their problem has been solved. Then give them a clear and realistic call to action, providing them the next step that they can take immediately to deepen their relationship with your brand.
Here’s the sequence one more time:
- Problem
- Solution
- Plan
- Outcome
- Call to Action
You'll find lots of variations on this sequence, but starting here will make a world of difference. Check out The Brain Audit by Sean D'Souza to learn more about using psychotactics to craft a powerful marketing message. You can also go to his website psychotactics.com.
Step 3: Become obsessed with knowing (and serving) your users.
Steps 1 & 2 can't help you if your message is based on assumptions of what you think your user wants or what problems they’re experiencing. (Unless you lucked out and assumed correctly... nice work!)
Your message only works when it resonates with a problem that’s so painful or a desire that’s so strong that it’s enough for someone to put everything else in their life on hold to listen to you.
That’s a lot to ask of your marketing message... but if you truly know the pains they’re experiencing and the goals they’re working towards, then it can work.
So make it a goal to always be learning more about your ideal users - this is a never-ending process.
Tools like Chat GPT, online surveys, and basic web searches are all great places to start, but nothing beats real-life conversations with people who represent your ideal user. Use these conversations to validate, refine, or challenge your market research.
After all...
“Whoever gets closer to the customer wins.” - Bernadette Jiwa
Next steps to get started:
- Look through your current messaging (on your website, social, ads, etc…) to see if you can spot any of these mistakes.
- Use steps 1 & 2 to rework your message, making everything user-centric and asking yourself why they should care and what’s in it for them. Then arrange the components of your message into a story structure.
- Ask a current client out to lunch or virtual coffee and bring a notebook. Dive deep into their day-to-day challenges and frustrations, the pressures they’re facing, and their most pressing focuses. Make a habit of this so you can continually test and refine your message.
- Keep learning. Below are some awesome resources on messaging and story structure.
-
- Building a Storybrand by Donald Miller
- The Brain Audit by Sean D’Souza
- Psychotactics.com
- Subscribe to our blog Full Send 101 to get more content and training like this.
And of course… if you found this helpful and you’re passionate about what you do, reach out to me on LinkedIn. I’d love to meet you and hear about the work you’re doing.
Until next time,
Mitch