Give the people what they want.

Give the people what they want?

If only it were that easy. Most of my working life is spent working out what it is that prospective customers need to know/ think/ believe in order to buy.

One of the best ways to find out is to ask them.

But we’re not always aware of the process we go through when buying. What’s the last thing you bought? What’s the process you went through?  

Believe it or not, I can pretty much predict exactly what happened. Whether you bought a tin of beans or a car, a new jumper or pot of paint, I can guarantee that before you bought them, you had a problem you had to fix.

I’ve made all of these purchases recently. This is why I did.

I didn’t buy the beans because I was hungry. I bought the beans because my son was desperate to see if we could make a cowboy pie like Greggs do. It was half term and I needed to entertain him on the cheap. Bonus, I also managed to feed him.

I didn’t buy the car because my lifestyle changed. I bought the car because even though my existing car was fine, I was nervous it wouldn’t be for long. I didn’t like being nervous. I wanted the reassurance of a less old car.

I didn’t buy the jumper because I was cold. I bought it because the dog has literally bitten the cuffs off all my jumpers. I feel I look shabby and I need one jumper that I can wear out the house.

I didn’t buy the paint because the house needed decorating. I bought the pot of paint because I was inspired by my hours of Insta-scrolling to do up the dull cabinet in our hall. I wanted my hallway to feel more welcoming. I wanted to see if I was up to the challenge.

There are so many reasons we might have for buying what we buy. But always, always, our customers are trying to fix a problem. Our job as marketeers is to understand all those problems. Sometimes it’s about need. Sometimes it’s about want. Sometimes it’s social pressure. Sometimes it’s emotional hunger.

What are all the reasons your customers need you to help them fix a problem in their life?  Thinking laterally might open you up to many more customers. Or it might help you develop your product to meet customer needs you hadn’t previously thought of.

I work with clients to find these golden opportunities. I give you all the key messages you need to attract the right customers (so you're never stuck for a social post or newsletter idea ever again). And I create the content that persuades them to buy.

Let me know if I can help you create your content strategy.