Last week, the Laurel or Yanny incident made people who have had ears for decades question everything we knew. It ripped friendships apart and nearly broke the Internet. Obviously, #TheDress episode a couple years ago underscored how differently people can see the same image but I never knew our ears could play the same kinds of tricks on us. Of course, there are science-based answers for these particular phenomena in human perception, but it got me thinking: What do your customers take away when they hear your message?
You’ve probably spent a lot of time crafting your message, from perfecting the substance to carefully choosing the words and images to express it. You think it hits all the right notes. But if you’re focused on what you want to say instead of what your customers want to hear, you could be completely missing the mark. For example, you might think playing up your company’s long history positions you as experienced and trusted. Your customers might interpret that message as stodgy and lacking innovation. Obviously, you can’t control every individual interpretation, but creating customer-centric messaging is a good place to start. How?
Use Personas to Understand Your Audience
Creating rich personas is key to nailing down who you’re talking to and what messages will resonate. Don’t just paint a demographic picture. Go deeper to tell the story of emotional drivers, like pain points, motivators and influencers, that can influence their perceptions and behavior.
Map Out Your Customer’s Journey
Journey mapping can help you understand the sources of information and influence your prospects and customers encounter while making their purchasing decision. It helps in determining which message they may need to hear at each step along the way, as well as the format and channel where it can make the most impact. (Learn more about the 3Cs.)
Think Like Your Buyer
Using the insights you’ve gained about your customers and prospects, you can better craft messaging and creative that will really resonate. Put yourself in their shoes to deliver brand information and experiences that connect with their interests and clearly articulate how your products and services can meet their needs.
#TeamYanny
