Using your customer’s exact words is the best message to convert ideal prospects into paying clients
That’s why the world’s best marketers always start with a diagnosis that includes listening and/or talking to your customers.
People make most of their purchase decisions to either avoid pain or experience some gain. If you can tap into these emotions, you can grow your business.
The surest way to discover this pain or gain is to ask. Survey your best clients.
Identifying and creating messages around this gain or pain will allow you to stand out among the many other businesses that claim to do the same thing as you.
For example, we were working with a landscaping maintenance service that attracted busy professionals. After interviewing their customers we spotted the following in several summaries — “I just love coming home on maintenance day.”
Their ideal customer experienced a moment of joy in that the yard was taken care of (all year) and it freed up their weekends.
While most of their competitor's messaging focused on how they were award-winning and top companies, they began to focus on — “You’ll love coming home on maintenance day” — begging prospects to wonder if that’s true for them with their current service.
Don’t guess. Use this process approach:
Let’s say you own a tree service business. Your potential customers will automatically assume that you know how to take down trees. But that doesn’t really address the problem the potential customer has.
For most homeowners, their biggest problem associated with a home service contractor is about something beyond the basic service the business provides. Homeowners hate having to wait around for their service window. When they hire someone to handle their tree removal, the team leaves tread or wheel marks and stump grindings in the yard.
These are the real problems your clients have. So your marketing message is not, “We know how to remove trees” — of course you do! Instead, it’s “We never damage your yard and always clean up when we’re done.”
Professional Service Marketing Message Example
Let’s say you’re a managing partner of a law firm. Your potential clients will automatically assume that you know how to provide legal advice and navigate legal requirements. But that doesn’t really address the problem a potential client has.
For most clients, their biggest problem associated with an attorney is about something beyond the legal service they provide. Clients hate when attorneys do not return phone calls or emails in a timely manner. When attorneys make them feel bad about asking questions or not explaining things in layman’s terms. These are the real problems your clients have.
So your marketing message is not, “We know how to practice business law” or ” We have the knowledge and experience to help” — of course, you do! Instead, it’s “We return your calls, every time.” Or, “We welcome all questions and always make legal terminology easy to understand.”
For these two businesses and so many others that I’ve worked with over the years, reviews, testimonials, case studies, blurbs, or positive unsolicited feedback is a strategic marketing asset to help attract even more ideal clients as much as a vehicle for service verification.
The Process of 3rd Party Proof Research For Marketing Message Strategy
Turn to your case study interviews, past emails with positive unsolicited feedback, LinkedIn recommendations, and reviews on Google or any industry-specific review sites and start carefully reading. (Negative 3rd party feedback can give you a lot of insight as well, but for now, that’s not what we are looking for.)
As you read the 3rd party proof start noticing words, phrases, themes, and patterns that are repeated. This is your client explaining the real problems your firm solves for them, the things you do that others don’t, what they value most from purchasing your services, these are the words, phrases, and themes you need to guide your marketing message strategy right now.
Other Benefits of 3rd Party Proof
Using positive feedback to develop a marketing message strategy — one that offers precisely what your ideal client's value is how you turn 3rd party proof into a powerful marketing message. But, you can also often find a handful of recurring themes that make great expert article topics, FAQs, emails subject lines, and ad copy for your educational presentations or Google Ads.
It’s all about using the words and phrases of your ideal clients to attract more of the same.
Launch. Grow. Amplify.
