One of our local employers was on the front page of the Monadnock Ledger last week regarding a $400,000 settlement with OSHA for worker safety violations. Ouch! They not only have to pay the fines, but they also must take corrective actions & improve the safety of their workplaces for all of their employees. They have agreed to get a full time safety &...
Talk to Your Customers
Submitted by TWP on Thu 9/8/11 4:08 pm
At a recent workshop at Hannah Grimes in Keene, I gave an example of how a marketing message can be transformed to answer a potential customer's most pressing question: "What will you do for me?" A company that answers "We'll solve your problem" is a company that wins a new customer.
Customers don't want to hear about you. They want to hear what you intend to do for them.
In the example I used in my workshop, the ABC company advertises its products this way: "ABC is the premier manufacturer of handmade soaps for sensitive skin." That statement is clear and straightforward but wordy. A single strong verb ("manufactures") has been turned into a weak verb and noun phrase ("is the manufacturer of"). The statement gains power and energy when the company changes it to "ABC manufactures handmade soaps for sensitive skin."
Yet both the old and new statements focus on the company and its accomplishments, not on the customer and the customer's needs. The next transformation changes that focus: "ABC Soaps: Handmade for Your Sensitive Skin."
The new phrase takes ABC a long way toward answering the customer who wonders, "What will you do for me?" Answer that question, and your customers will gladly hang around to find out all about you.
From its base in Peterborough, NH, TWP Marketing & Technical Communications serves companies throughout the U.S. with website content, newsletters, blogs, success stories and white papers that engage customers.