The power of empathy in your marketing
Written by Tiz Porreca, Founder & Director of Amongst Marketing
To connect with your customers and make an impact with your marketing, it's important to step into their shoes and empathise with their thoughts, feelings, and experiences. By understanding your customers' perspective, you will gain valuable insight into what matters to them, their worries, aspirations, and the influences that shape their decisions.
Let’s explore the essential questions to ask yourself when looking for a clearer picture of your audience and how to tailor your marketing approach.
What are they thinking and feeling?
To effectively market to your customers, it's important to understand what they are thinking and feeling. This will make it easier to align your messaging to connect with their core values, beliefs, and emotions.
Think about what matters to them, their worries, and their aspirations. What are their pain points, fears, and obstacles? Equally important, what are their gains, wants, needs, goals, and measures of success?
Examples (but you can be specific to your customers):
- "I'm confused about what to do."
- "This is really annoying."
- "Am I dumb for not understanding this?"
What are they hearing?
Your customers will get information from so many different sources, including their peers, friends, and family, different social platforms, and media. Take the time to pinpoint what messages or opinions they might be hearing.
By understanding these external influences on their decision-making process, you can tailor your marketing to address misconceptions or leverage positive word-of-mouth referrals.
Examples (but you can be specific to your customers):
- Other people's experiences - some good and some bad
- Experts with conflicting advice
- Information overload across platforms
What do they see?
Visual cues play a significant role in shaping customers' perceptions. Think about what your customers see in the marketplace and their environment. Are there any trends or patterns that catch their attention? Pay attention to what others are doing—both competitors and influential figures within their social circles. You may also consider the media they consume, and what they watch and read.
When you understand these visual cues will be able to position your brand and offerings more effectively.
Examples (but you can be specific to your customers):
- People who have achieved social and financial success
- Lots of online articles and TV news
- Their work culture changing
What are they saying and doing?
Your customer's words and actions will give you valuable insights into their desires, concerns, and behaviours. Observe what they say to others and in public. Can you pick any recurring themes or phrases that show their preferences or pain points? You could look at their reviews or social media posts to get valuable feedback and opinions.
Observing how your customers behave can be key as actions speak louder than words. Analysing their behaviour can unveil trends, preferences, and areas where your marketing can make a significant impact.
Examples (but you can be specific to your customers):
- Refreshing the page several times
- Shopping around to compare prices
- Saying they want more information
Applying empathy in marketing
Asking yourself these questions will help you to connect with your customers from a more powerful place with your marketing. Once you have collected all the insights into your customers' thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and actions, you can apply that knowledge to your marketing.
Craft your messages to directly address their pain points, fears, and obstacles, positioning your product or service as a solution. It will be easier to highlight the gains your customers can achieve by aligning your offerings with their wants, needs, goals, and measures of success. You will be able to use language, imagery, and storytelling that resonates with their values and emotions, so they can connect with your brand on a deeper level.
Remember, empathising with your customers is not a one-time effort—it is an ongoing process that requires constant listening, learning, and adaptation to stay ahead of their evolving needs and expectations.