It starts with empathy.
Now that we are well into 2023, it’s safe to say that most of us are probably asking the same question, right?
“How is it almost the middle of February already?!”
The world feels like it’s moving on fast forward, and sometimes we’re left feeling a little out of breath, trying to keep up with everyone else.
It’s like when we pass an old acquaintance at the grocery and stop to ask how they are doing, and they say. “Oh, busy! How about you?”
And we nod our heads in understanding and say, “Yes! It’s been so busy!”
The average person is estimated to encounter up to 10,000 ads every single day.
But we aren’t just busy in our day-to-day, real, physical lives either. We also feel the bustle of online messages being hurled at us from every direction: social media, emails, video streaming, and even subtly in the shows we binge after a hard day's work.
Did you know that the average person is estimated to encounter up to 10,000 ads daily? It’s no wonder that we may be feeling a virtual whiplash every time we open our phones.
Don’t forget the various levels of communication for those who work with remote teams: slack, email, text messaging, Voxer, and any new platform that someone will tell us we NEED if we want to be successful.
Here's what we've learned about the chronic state of busyness we’ve experienced over the last few years...
People worldwide are not “just busy”, they are feeling exhausted, anxious and burned out. (Yup, that includes the ideal customers you are trying to reach in your business.)
If you’re a business trying to figure out how not to be 1 of the 10,000 marketing messages out there that the world is tuning out every minute of the day, here’s a little tip for you:
The last thing anyone needs to hear is a noisy, unclear marketing message that isn't relevant to them or is promoting a product that isn't solving a problem they are having right now.
What the world needs more of right now is for us to be, well, more human. AND to for us to understand who they are and how we can help them.
This is why every single thing we send out into the world as an agency starts with empathy.
From our own in-house marketing to our onboarding process, we understand how our ideal client is feeling about where they are in the world right now.
We know they don’t feel confident enough to show up online because they aren’t sure where to start or what to say, so we dive deeper into their ideal customer journey to remind them of the importance of their business.
And then, we position it in a way that makes the people who need what you offer most slide into your email.
So how do you weave empathy into your own business and marketing?
When we start with empathy, you always want to start every piece of content or any campaign for your products, services, or offers with a few questions in mind:
Who are your ideal clients?
If your answer is “anyone and everyone,” that doesn’t count! The good ol’ saying is that if you're talking to everyone, you’re talking to no one. Get specific. We like to write to one person throughout all of our content. So choose one or two of your favourite customers and pretend you are writing directly to them.
What kind of challenges are they working through right now?
Not just any old challenge, but what kind of challenges are they working through as it relates to your business, and how can you show them that you understand those? Think through the challenges they are experiencing and how that makes them feel.
How can you help them through it?
This is where you introduce your product or service and how it can directly help them through the challenges they are experiencing right now. You can think of what their goal would be at the other end of that challenge and show how your business is a bridge to take them from where they are to where they want to go.
Let’s Wrap-Up
If you start with those questions in mind and build messaging that highlights the answers, it makes reaching the people who need you so much easier. It’s almost like virtually reaching out through their screen with arms wide open (no, not like a scary 90s movie) and saying I see you, I hear you, and I want to help.
If you need support on figuring out the answers to those questions, let us know right over here.
