Nov
15
Written by:
Barry Thornell
11/15/2011 9:54 AM
Okay, it’s not a secret, but it might as well be...
People care about their own needs more than they care about your company’s brand and sales goals…a lot more.
Like I said, it’s not a secret. It’s easy to get marketing heads nodding about customer-focused offers and copy approaches that are more about you (the customer) than about me or we (the seller). Yet, it’s not so easy to find effective applications of this common knowledge.
There are several reasons why marketers might fail to effectively communicate an understanding of the target prospect’s point of view. The worst offenders may be compelled by branding conceits to position Because We’re Us as the primary benefit for their prospect, and they couldn’t imagine it otherwise. Others may lack the confidence to stray too far from what competitors are doing or saying (particularly with limited marketing windows and aggressive acquisition goals). Some simply may be misunderstanding what constitutes a you-focused message.
Think about these far-too-common health insurance lead generation approaches:
Confused about Health Insurance? We can help! We care about you.
We Have the Plans You Need. We’re #1! Switch to the plan that cares
about you. We miss you! Switch plans now! Our plans offer the coverage
you need and the service you deserve.
The we-focused desperation is palpable. Yet most of those writers and marketing managers may not recognize it. They will say “we care about you,” and “the service you deserve” are very customer focused—or they’ll explain that you is the understood subject of “enroll today” and “switch plans now.”
An effective you vs. we philosophy goes far beyond patronizing language. Even though some of the messages above contain you-focused language, ALL of them lead from the company’s competitive perspective—the presumption that the consumer is shopping for a health plan. And all of these messages fail to recognize the consumer’s situation from his or her point of view. Yet, usually driven by guidelines that trump function and common sense, many companies would automatically eschew leading with a message that fails to tout their plans or their brand.
Consider a simple example. You’ve fallen over a cliff and you’re hanging onto a tree a few feet from the top. Several individuals with ropes stand on the cliff above. Most of them worry about getting you to choose their rope before you choose someone else’s. So they shout to you about the quality of their ropes and explain that they have the right rope to fit your needs and the strength to pull you up. Meanwhile, one of them simply drops you a rope. Who gets your attention (and probably your business)?
To connect with consumers, a you-focused message should be free from commercial constraints and artifice. It should address the situation that person is in even if your company did not exist. It’s about them. Not about your company or your plans.
If you judge every creative execution as a standalone vehicle for differentiating your brand rather than for performing its assigned function, you’ll likely end up with we-focused messages that melt into a competitive sea of sameness—images of happy people and offers of “the right health insurance plan for you.” And like the blind date who shows up at the door with an engagement ring, you’ll stand there perplexed when the prospect says “no, thank you” and closes that door.