![]() |
Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash |
This isn't merely a matter of style. Language matters. Studies demonstrate that the words we use do more than just describe a problem; they shape our perception of reality, influence the solutions we consider, and rewire our brain for different cognitive abilities. Corporate talk leads to corporate think and corporate actions.
So, how do you start to transition your language from brand to customer, and what benefits might that bring? Try adopting a structured format for stating your business and marketing strategies from the customer's perspective using customer terminology.
As an exercise, let's say you're a marketer at a financial service provider tasked with promoting a new 529 college savings plan, and your approach will be to use an educational content strategy. Your plan might be summarized as this: "To offer educational content that engages new parents, teaching them about the high cost of their children's future college education and promoting the benefits of initiating savings early in their child's life, with the goal of producing more inbound traffic to our new 529 page and more leads for our financial advisors."
Now, try to phrase that with customer language from the customer perspective. You may find it difficult, and that's the whole idea. If you cannot frame your business or marketing concept in a way that makes sense from the customer perspective, that is a concerning omen. To help, here is a format you might follow to put yourselves in the shoes of the customer:
- I,
- A customer with these needs, wants, and motivations,
- In this specific situation,
- Who has this relationship with the brand,
- Will interact with the brand for this reason,
- Resulting in this benefit.
To see how this approach changes our hypothetical 529 plan and consider the impact this customer-centric approach will have on our metrics and success, please continue reading on my Gartner blog.
1 comment:
Really liked this one. Thank you Augie.
Post a Comment