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Put WHY before WHAT - improve your marketing & sales messages. London UK

 
 

Companies have an impulse to present WHAT they do but the key to marketing and sales messages is WHY!

We have learned at Allround Creative, over many years, that it is often more comfortable for companies to talk about WHAT they do and HOW they do it.

We meet some great people and great companies who share with us some great products, services and stories.

The closer you get to the maker of a product the more likely you are to hear them describe WHAT their product does and HOW it works. From a marketing and buyer's perspective, it seems strange that the most interesting part of the story is often omitted, which is WHY.

Product marketing

The inventor and engineer's mentality focuses on function

Recently, a company described to us how it had created a clever microphone array to measure the noise and vibration on the aircraft skins of a global aircraft manufacturer. Brilliant, but we wanted to know the context, the WHY, and it was never mentioned. Was it to create competitive advantage through better customer experience, increase flight efficiency, reduce maintenance costs?

Focus marketing messages on outcomes, benefits and problems solved

From brand building, publicity and promotional perspectives, it is the WHY that makes all the difference in Sales. Usually the WHY is about people; that is, the product makers and the product users, the maker's vision and the users’ gains.

Expressing the WHY about your company and products helps the market to make informed purchase choices, builds their confidence and differentiates you from the competition. WHY is also essential to let your staff  know what the company and its culture is about and what is expected of the them.

Find sales messages that speak to the buyers' motivations

The initial promotional focus for Febreze was that it removes odours. And it certainly does; it's a phenomonally effective product. But promoting the WHAT (it does) did not help Febreze sell in the early days. The marketing message was 'off'.

It wasn't until a researcher noitced how Febreze users congratulate themselves after using the product that marketers could promote the reasons to use Febreze. The effective marketing message was discovered in the user's sense of reward and job satisfaction.

Marketing messages should address the problem to be solved (PTBS)

If you are driving and see a sign that says "Hungry?" and then another that says "Food ... turn right", you are in the presence of simple, hardcore, effective marketing that speaks to one of our basic needs. The marketing asks if their is a problem, then proposes a simple solution ... the message directly address the PTBS.

There can be associated sub-texts, inducements and compelling information - specials for children, seasonal dishes, etc - which are necessary to connect with potential buyers even further, especially if there are competing outlets nearby. 

Just as a brainstorming exercise, can you and your team distil your product's PTBS to two marketing messages? "Need space?" ... "The final frontier - next right!" Have fun and experiment to reduce the sales message for your product to its crudest and simplest form.

Don't promote features when you can promote value

Allround Creative helps companies to compete less on features, function and price, and more on brand, problems solved, value, skills, personality and compelling sales narratives –  you might say, true life commercial adventures.

The marketing message here is that it is critical to see through the market's eyes and understand customers' motivations.

 

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