Who, what, how and why. Know the motivators behind these key words and you’ll have the foundation for a great, customer-focused brand.
WHO
Who is Your Customer?
Get more specific than basic demographics such as income, age, or location. Instead, identify more telling characteristics, such as beliefs, aspirations, challenges, and lifestyle.
A good way to start is by knowing who’s your favorite customer. Outline why this is your favorite customer—look for patterns in the characteristics you uncover and use them to create a buyer persona. Buyer who? Here’s an example of one of our buyer personas to see what yours could look like.
Having a buyer persona for each of your ideal type of customer can help you personalize your message and give you insights about what they need, want, and aspire to. In addition, it creates a framework for new products or services. When you know the customers you want to attract, then you’ll know what solutions to include.
WHAT
What Do You Offer?
These are your services or products. Easy enough. But how do your services and products help your customer? When you have real clarity on what you offer, it enables you to help customers better understand how you can help them.
We’ve worked with businesses that offered a laundry list of services—as many as eighteen. It’s hard to explain that many, and even harder for customers to remember them all. By narrowing them down or creating clusters of services, you give the consumer a clearer, more memorable view of what you have to offer.
HOW
How Are You Unique?
Most businesses skip this step because it’s so hard to nail down. However, without a unique value proposition, your brand will blend like a brick in a brick wall; each brick is unique but none stand out.
Lack of originality or individuality makes marketing harder because you can’t differentiate yourself, and if prospects can’t see a unique value, they will assume you are commodity driven.
Ask yourself why certain customers love you. What are those ”aha! moments” you’ve created for them? Sometimes it’s just the way you care; identify how you express that, and then get creative (but authentic) in how you convey it.
WHY
Why Do You Do What You Do?
This is the forgotten question. Companies that understand their “Why” have purpose. Every business owner has a passion, a personal compass that gets him or her out of bed every day, even when times are challenging. When you have a purpose, you have a vision you can spread among employees, influencing attitudes, and eventually creating a culture within the business
On a consumer level, companies that lead with their “Why” create a special kind of relationship with everyone that touches their brand. Customers identify with them beyond services and benefits, embracing the very company culture—which connects back to the “Who.” Customers often want companies that share their beliefs, that resonate with their self-identity and lifestyle. When they invest in you, in your products and services, they are investing in themselves.
Sell with your soul. As consumers we all want to know our vendors care. Find ways to put your heart in your marketing message; your ideal customers will be attracted to it, and it will garner their loyalty.
Recap
WHO: Who’s your target customer and what are their dreams? You have to know your customer deeply to find ways to solve their problems.
HOW: Differentiate or die. It’s a hyper-competitive market in a hurry to create commodities out of all of us.
WHAT: What do you offer customers? Make your services and products easy to understand and build them with the customers’ needs in mind.
WHY: Lead with your soul and you’ll have the opportunity to inspire trust and attract the customers you want.