Take yourself back 10 years…before Social Media was the mainstream for information. How did you get your information? I bet one of the ways was through a newspaper…remember the thing that got your fingers all black when you read it? That was a primary source of news and gave you updates on what was happening in your neighborhood, region, and around the world. It was a main source for getting information.
The world changed with the introduction of social media. Now we have hundreds (if not thousands) of sources for information at our fingertips…instantly. So while newspapers are pretty irrelevant for most people today and are dying rapidly every day, their concept hasn’t changed…giving you up to date information that you can use in your daily life.
So what does this have to do with your CUSTOMERS?
When I ask business leaders (CEOs, Business Owners, VPs, etc.) how well they know their customers, you can probably guess the answer they all give…“We know them very well and understand their needs.” This is where the opportunity exists. Not always, but usually I find this isn’t completely accurate.
Often times leadership teams think in terms of what they believe is “knowing their customers” and it usually fits in one or more of the following areas…
- We know what products/services they buy from us
- We know how much they spend with us
- We know “something” about their business and how it relates to OUR products/services
- We know the organization structure of who is in charge and who are the buyers
- We know the demographics of our customers
- We know how they use our product/service
But here is where this falls a bit short…what they generally don’t know as well…
- How is it improving or changing their life
- How do they feel emotionally about your product or service
- How do they feel emotionally about your company…your employees…you
- Are they passionate or excited about your product
- Are they passionate or excited about the experience they get from you
- Are they so delighted by your organization they are telling others about you
Before you start to think this is too “touchy feely” and tell me they mainly buy your product because it does what they need, think about what people talk about. While they talk about some of the “features and functions” of the product (about 30% of the time) they talk more about how they are “using it” and how it is “impacting their life” by using your product or service (about 70% of the time).
It’s hard to talk about features and functions…you don’t know them all unless you have spent countless hours doing research…which most don’t have time to do. But here’s another issue that arises from this conversation. What if the person you are talking to bought a similar product from a competitor. Are you going to spend time debating the differences in the features and functions as to why one product is better than the other one? Most people avoid this situation…primarily because they don’t know all the features and functions well enough to be your product agent in the market.
But they can speak completely accurately about their “experience” and “how it has helped their life.” This is not debatable…it is their facts. Most will head in this direction with the conversation because they are more confident with this information and it CAN’T BE REFUTED or CHALLENGED…it is your experience and your life…not theirs.
Back to the newspaper analogy…
Today people (potential customers) turn to social channels to get information…they can see what their friends are saying on facebook and twitter along with their professional network on channels such as LinkedIn. The BOTTOM LINE…they are talking about you, your product/service, their experience, and how it has helped them in some way. THIS IS INFORMATION YOUR POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS WILL BE SEEING. This is a primary place your potential customers go today to get more CREDIBLE and TRUSTED information. Where they used to trust their handy newspaper, now they have moved to trusting their networks.
How are you populating the networks with information they want to have that will help them better understand the EXPERIENCE you will give them and how it will IMPROVE THEIR LIVES? This is where they go to get this information today. It’s faster, more frequent, and more trusted.
CUSTOMERS ARE YOUR NEWSPAPER OF INFORMATION TO YOUR PROSPECTIVE AUDIENCE.
It’s where they go…what they read…what they trust more than anything else. And in an era where TIME IS THE MOST VALUABLE asset to people, it saves them a ton of time. NOTE: The information we are talking about here is NOT advertising, more features and functions…it’s experiential and how it helps their lives. If you choose to misuse this and slam them with ads and CTAs (Calls to Action) you will alienate them and they won’t want to get information from you. This is your chance to accomplish the second set of bullets I listed up above.
If you think of yourself as “reporters” and contributing great “content” that will help your prospective audience…like a newspaper used to be…you will have a much greater chance of capturing the attention and trust of your audience of prospective customers. This is a great opportunity for just about any business or organization today…it’s an authentic and transparent way to connect with your audience. They are asking for it…they are talking about it already…they are sharing it with others. It’s what will differentiate your brand and separate you from all your “features and functions” selling competitors…it’s how you can win.
