Marketing effectively requires cultivation of empathy. On the contrary, cranking out tactics for the sake of doing so is a recipe for failure.
Can you envision what your customers look like? Do you know what keeps them up at night? What are their priorities? What are their threats? What motivates them?
Looking at your product through your customers’ lenses means to make their problem your own. Only then can you find a solution that will actually work, and thereby increase sales and revenue.
I, myself, sometimes lose sight of the customers’ needs, which is why I follow Nancy Duarte’s advice and keep a Persona Profile on my wall to remind me to empathize with the target audience. I have even named my hypothetical customers to make them more human. I modify the specifics based on the product I’m working on, but the general profile remains the same.
After preparing the customized Persona Profile for the specific product (which can be a simple PowerPoint slide), then only do I internalize the value messages and craft a killer tactic that actually resonates with customers and inspires them to follow through on my call to action.
See below for an example of my high-level Payer Persona Profile.
It’s time to make big strides and turn heads. Ready. Set. Access.
Payer Persona Profile
Jeff, Heli, Sarah, Maggi, and Sam
Pharmacy Services at XYZ, Inc.
WHAT ARE THEY LIKE?
They're payers who are in the business of making and saving money. They can only keep their population and customers happy if they, themselves, are financially equipped.
WHY ARE THEY HERE?
To see how my product can help them make or save money.
WHAT KEEPS THEM UP AT NIGHT?
Drugs are becoming more expensive and they're struggling to find ways to keep them affordable for their population yet ward off unwanted attention from the press and politicians. It's difficult for them to maintain a positive reputation when their current financial calculators cannot keep up with the growing number of expensive specialty drugs.
HOW CAN I SOLVE THEIR PROBLEM?
If a specific type of their population uses my product in the correct manner, they will end up saving, and even making, money.
WHAT DO I WANT THEM TO DO?
First, understand the right population for the product. Then, facilitate access of the product to all those patients.
HOW MIGHT THEY RESIST?
They will scrutinize each of my claims vigilantly. They will want to see evidence of my claims and their own numbers rather than national averages.
WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO REACH THEM?
It's difficult to find time to get all of them together in one room--perhaps the maximum is 45-60 minutes. I will need to be creative in effectively communicating my message in a limited time period. If needed, I will have to resort to pre-reads or pre-views where they can access critical background information before-hand on their own time. Then, I can devote the live meeting to communicating my product's value proposition.
