If someone seems to know what I'm going through, there's an implicit bond.
Even when that someone is a company.


Think about it: even the most skilled marketers can't forcibly sell anything to anyone. The skill comes in, I think, in providing such a tempting blend of information and persuasion that people sell themselves.

That magic happens when the seller's message taps into something that's already inside the buyer. Something that, most likely, has an emotional component.
• Frustration with an ongoing home maintenance expense.
• Appreciation of anything that will lessen their workload.
• Fear of falling behind in an industry that's changing.

Do you know what the all-time most successful email 'subject line' is? Four simple words: You are not alone.

Some customer issues may be obvious, but the feelings behind them may take some digging. Primary research can be revealing, but so can sitting down with buyers and asking just the right questions. Market economics have changed, of course, and so have customers' dilemmas. Or, we may have a good handle on our audience, but that intelligence hasn't lately been distilled and leveraged in our marketing.

So what's the risk of holding on to old assumptions and marketing messages in a new world?
• A bank advertises its 'friendly personal service' to people who'd rather bank online than drive to the bank.
• A security guard provider boasts a 'track record of success' to facility managers who are mainly frustrated by high guard turnover.
• A college promotes its faculty's 'impressive academic credentials' to adult students who need instructors with industry experience. Swing. Miss.

Funny thing is, our company often does, or can, offer what people are actually looking for, so it's not that hard to make the step up. But instead of updating to a more insightful prospect-focused message strategy, some companies hold on to yesterday's corporate self-image...as they try to make the tactical transition from print to web.

The point is to think beyond the company website or brochure as just being about "our" company. After all, it's not just about product features from our point-of-view; it's about real-world buying issues from their point-of-view.
• What pressures are they under?
• What questions are they stuck on?
• What practical or emotional considerations are keeping them from buying?

Let's start there. Whether it's the anxiety of dealing with a problem, or the anxiety of struggling to achieve something, trying to eliminate that anxiety--and its source--is perhaps the most powerful and prevalent of human motivators. Whichever solution provider is most insightful in aligning themselves with that effort has the natural inside track. Even when we're selling the same thing as everyone else, this can be a surprisingly potent advantage.

Of course, if our company caters to various markets with different needs and mindsets, then technology is our friend, from variable data printing, to tabbed sections of our home page. That way, we can talk the right talk to each audience segment.

You know your business. But often, it seems to take an outside counsel with fresh eyes to transform that knowledge into a unique, relevant message strategy. One that outsmarts competitors in getting into clients' heads. That's the difference between traditional Graphic Design and Persuasive Communication Design.™

In the past few years, marketing technology has evolved at a mile a minute, but basic human nature really hasn't changed. Whether they're looking at paper or pixels, whether they're at work or at home, people still have wants and needs. We can draw them closer by creatively showing how our solutions address their deeper feelings, thoughts, values and goals. Without that implied bond, we become just another seller, with marketing clutter that's easy to ignore.

Kind of like the thousand-and-one marketing messages you've ignored in just this past week.



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