No matter the products you sell or the services provided, it’s crucial to help potential customers grasp why they’d need those things in their lives. Otherwise, they’ll fail to see what’s in it for them and will likely look elsewhere for what they need.
Here are six actionable strategies for encouraging audience members to realize that doing business with you makes sense.
1. Use Videos to Bring Clarity
Even the most descriptive pieces of written content can’t always convey things as successfully as videos. Think about how you could create clips that help people understand things they initially found confusing about your product or service.
Statistics suggest doing that will get the results you want and need. In one 2021 study, 94% of marketers said videos increased people’s understanding. Then, 43% indicated that videos reduced the number of product support calls handled by the customer support team.
Try to recall the specifics of most customer uncertainties or questions. Maybe they want to know how easily a baby stroller you sell folds up and fits into the trunk of a compact car. Perhaps a large segment of customers remains unconvinced that your services would address their needs.
In the first case, you might create a video that shows how someone can fold up the stroller by pushing one button. A timer in the corner could show how that takes less than five seconds. Then, getting more people on board with your services might include creating a video describing several common use cases. Then, it’s easier for people to identify with those scenarios, seeing themselves in similar positions.
2. Focus on Customer Pain Points
Pain points are the specific issues that people in your target audience experience. When people buy camping tents, they often complain that they’re too heavy or difficult to pitch without help. When engaging with customers, determine what matters you could bring up that your product or service solves.
Take inspiration from product reviews when determining what benefits to cover. For example, coverage of robotic vacuum cleaners mentioned a model that lasts up to 100 minutes per charge, as well as one that’s less than 3 inches tall and can slide under furniture.
In that example, people may worry that robotic vacuums won’t have enough power to navigate a large house or navigate despite the numerous pieces of furniture in a sitting room. However, writers who cover products know to call attention to the benefits that’ll appeal to the largest group of potential purchasers.
How does your company make people’s lives easier, save them money, give them more free time, or bring more enjoyment to a task? Those are some questions that could spark a discussion about pain points to bring up during customer communications.
3. Break Processes Into Steps
Many people think about taking certain actions, but they ultimately balk because doing so feels so overwhelming. That’s especially true during emotional times. Individuals feel extra cautious about trying something new because they feel that things are uncertain enough already.
Receiving inheritance after a loved one’s death is one example. Many people aren’t sure what options exist for getting what they’re entitled to and lack the willingness to find out. That’s especially likely when dealing with compounding factors, such as the grieving process. However, this company explains the four steps people go through to receive cash from an inheritance before closing an estate through the courts. Since this isn’t a procedure many people go through often in their lives, this information is very helpful for site visitors.
Taking that approach helps people feel more at ease and increases their understanding of the process. In some cases, potential customers may realize that getting a probate advance is a simpler option than they thought.
Consider reasons people have given in the past for not using a service you offer. Have some of them said that moving ahead seemed too complicated or that they read content on your website and still found it too hard to digest? Those are signs you should look for ways to make a process more accessible by using a step-based structure to communicate with customers.
4. Let Other Customers Do the Explaining
Finding the best way to explain your business to customers may mean letting someone else do the talking. More specifically, look for customers who want to help out by publicly telling their stories. When people see responses from others like themselves, they’ll be more likely to respond favorably to those accounts.
Esther Choy is the president and chief story facilitator at Chicago’s Leadership Story Lab. She explained, “...Companies should source stories from customers because that is how they can defend and grow their market share.” Choy also recommends generating customer stories by using the IRS structure. It involves creating stories with an intriguing start or hook, a riveting middle, and a satisfying conclusion.
Some customers may feel hesitant about submitting stories, especially if they don’t have writing backgrounds. Your goal is to make it as easy as possible for them to express themselves and feel comfortable doing it.
One method is to give people prompts to stimulate their thoughts. For example, one knee replacement company gets stories started by asking patients if they can do things that weren’t possible before having their procedures. That angle helps shape responses into a familiar before-and-after format. You can also provide samples of strong stories to help customers understand what’s expected.
5. Trade Jargon for Accessible Language When Appropriate
You may believe it’s best to use jargon while describing your products or services. After all, highly technical or specific language can convey authority and increase trust in people who already know the terms you use. However, it can also make others feel isolated, believing that your product or service is unsuitable for them since they don’t know the acronyms or terms you used.
Be careful when using phrases that sound good but are not sufficiently descriptive. For example, maybe your website says, “Let us help accelerate your digital transformation today.” Instead of relying on that sentence to communicate what your company does, go into more details and give real-life examples of what a digital transformation entails and the benefits customers get by going through that process.
The idea is to write to communicate rather than primarily to impress readers. When you publish material that everyone understands regardless of their prior knowledge, you’ll naturally help people have good impressions of your business.
However, sometimes there’s no way to express something without technical language. In those cases, add brief definitions of the uncommon terms to get everyone on the same page. If people feel like it’s a chore to understand the content associated with your business, it’ll be especially challenging to explain products or services to them.
6. Publish Relevant Visual Aids
Many people lack the time and patience to read long paragraphs of text. Others prefer getting details via text as well as supplementary graphics. Spend time pondering what visual materials you could give people to help them comprehend and embrace what your business does.
Maybe your company sells an industrial technology platform. In that case, it could help to publish a timeline that shows people how long it typically takes to set up the tool and start using it in an organization. Alternatively, think about creating a chart to show which business departments can enjoy advantages from your product and how.
Visual materials can also guide a person’s purchasing decisions. Perhaps your company provides several service packages. Showing people a chart with checkmarks and X’s can help them verify what a particular plan offers or lacks, making them feel more confident about choosing one.
Making infographics is another possibility, particularly if you frequently include lots of statistics in marketing materials. Data can bring credibility to your content, but it’s often challenging for people to put the information in context. Infographics make the information more accessible for many by presenting it in a different format.
Put Yourself in the Customer’s Position
Company representatives often get so wrapped up in the organization’s operations that they forget to think about how someone feels when encountering a business for the first time. What questions might they ask, and what are their most pressing concerns or motivations?
Keeping those things in mind — besides trying these six tips — will help you make progress when communicating to customers who have a limited understanding of your business. It’s also useful to gather feedback from your target market. If people say your website uses confusing language or they’re unsure how a product functions, pay attention and respond accordingly.
Ensuring customers stay at the center of everything you do should create meaningful gains in getting your points across to them. However, you’ll almost certainly notice other benefits, too.
Devin Partida writes about topics concerning tech and the internet. She is also the Editor-in-Chief of ReHack.com.
