Clear marketing messages should address customer needs effectively

If you want to increase sales easily, you might think,  “Bingo! A new website!" A fancy new website won't work if you can't use language effectively. To harness the power of prose effectively, create a clear message that defines your brand clearly. This message should answer three key questions: Who you are, what your purpose is, and why customers should choose you over others. If your message is unclear, customers will struggle to understand what you offer and will quickly go elsewhere.

If you have a house painting business, make sure your website clearly states that you paint houses. Even if you're the best painter with a great-looking site, it won't matter if this isn't clear to visitors looking to add a new coat to their house. When crafting a message, focus on your customers' basic needs. How does your product or service help them survive? Psychologist Abraham Maslow created a hierarchy of human needs. He organized them based on their importance for our survival.

Basic Human Needs

First, we need food and drink. Next, we need safety and shelter. Third, we need companionship: friends and people to reproduce with. Finally, we seek to fulfill higher needs, including psychological and spiritual ones. Understanding customer needs can help you attract and engage them. Most people want to feel accepted, find a partner, and belong to a group. Everyone also needs food and drink. Explain how your product meets these needs and improves their lives. To attract more visitors, focus on helping customers create a welcoming atmosphere. A well-maintained house encourages social gatherings, fulfilling our natural need for belonging. If your home looks neglected, people might hesitate to visit!

Make marketing memorable with the StoryBrand 7-Part Framework

Have you ever been so absorbed in a book or movie that hours passed like minutes? A good story acts like a net, capturing our fleeting focus and keeping it. Once a story grabs us, we remember it for a long time. The difference between a well-told story and a jumble of tweets, news updates, video clips, and comments is simple: a story presents information in an organized way. This is why we enjoy listening to stories and why they stick in our minds. A story is like a catchy tune. When you step outside and hear cars honking or birds chirping randomly, you won't remember those sounds for long. But a melody can stay with you even after hearing it once because music follows rules and patterns that our brains recognize. To make a message catchy like a melody, turn it into a story. Use the StoryBrand 7-Part Framework (SB7 Framework) to simplify and clarify. The SB7 Framework is built on seven main parts of a story. These parts include character, problem, guide, plan, calls to action, failure, and success.

A simple way to explain how this story structure works: each part gets a thorough explanation later on. The character faces a difficult challenge in achieving their goal. Just as they are about to give up, a mentor appears. The mentor gives them a plan and encourages them to act. Following the mentor's advice, the character avoids failure and succeeds in attaining their desired goal. Understand the story arc for your brand message. Your StoryBrand BrandScript will follow this arc to engage your customers effectively. This script helps you grab and maintain customer attention. Let's begin with the first SB7 Framework module.

Focus on your customers' desires; they are the heroes of your story

Many famous stories have a main character. Luke Skywalker is the hero of Star Wars. Frodo is the hero of The Lord of the Rings. Jason Bourne is the hero of The Bourne Identity. But in your brand's story, the hero isn’t you – it’s the customer. The first part of the SB7 Framework is about character. Just like how customers are always right, they are also always the main focus. Your story should only focus on what your customers need and want. This way, when your customers want something in real life, they'll quickly think of your story and your product. A luxury resort once failed to put its customers first. Instead of showcasing how it could meet their needs, its website focused on photos of the front desk and restaurant. The text rambled on about the resort's "story," but it didn't clearly explain how it could satisfy customers. This approach was confusing and missed the mark.

A successful brand story revolves around the customer as the main character. To truly connect with customers, it's crucial to focus on their specific desires, pinpointing one particular longing. Listing all services can confuse customers and obscure your message's relevance to their needs. The resort, once self-centered, underwent a significant change. Recognizing customers' need for relaxation, they completely redesigned the website. The few remaining photos now showcase inviting amenities like plush towels, relaxing baths, and massage sessions. They simplified the text, too, focusing on one clear message: offering relaxation and luxury.

Address customer's internal problems to deepen engagement effectively

Are you good at solving problems? Some people excel when tackling issues, whether it’s fixing a work process that isn’t efficient or addressing a pattern that’s causing problems in a romantic relationship. If you’re one of these people, you’ll find the second module of the SB7 Framework interesting. It focuses on how your product or service can help solve customer problems. Simply mentioning your customers’ problems can engage them with your offering. People like to feel understood. When you acknowledge that customers face difficulties, you show empathy and understanding. Heroic stories often feature a hero facing a villain—the antagonist they must defeat. Similarly, when telling your customers' stories, frame their challenges as the villains. To effectively market a time-management app, you should portray distractions as the main problem. By showing how things like procrastination can harm relationships, you transform each distraction into a small enemy. These enemies are exactly what your product aims to help people overcome.

Keep in mind, that your customer plays the hero role, needing a challenge to overcome. A villain doesn't always have to be an external problem. Sometimes, internal struggles can be just as troublesome, if not more so. These inner challenges are frustrations that come from within, like feeling you never have enough time for yourself. Companies often market products focused only on the outside. For instance, a house painter sells the service of painting houses. Even though the service is external, it's important to also consider internal problems in marketing strategies. When a customer needs their house painted, they won't automatically choose you. But if you address their concerns, like the embarrassment of having the ugliest house on the block, and show how you can fix it, they might just hire you! External products sell much better when they address inner problems.

Empathize and lead with authority to guide your customers effectively

In many stories, the main character faces tough situations. For example, Luke Skywalker loses his hand and struggles with the dark side. Similarly, Frodo carries the heavy burden of the One Ring. When everything seems lost, a mentor appears, offering advice and encouragement to steer the hero in the right direction. Luke Skywalker looks up to Yoda, a wise, skilled Jedi. Frodo admires Gandalf, an old, blunt wizard. Guides come in various forms. For example, it could be a football coach showing a young player the importance of self-belief. Or a teacher whose lessons help students see the world differently. Even a business leader who leads their team to unexpected success. In your company's story, your business acts as the mentor – the knowledgeable and supportive figure who assists customers in overcoming life's challenges.

To be a successful guide, you must show empathy and authority convincingly. Empathy is crucial. It shows you understand your customer's pain and frustration. This builds trust. Without trust, your advice won't be taken seriously. Authority is important. To establish it, you don't need to be overbearing or condescending. Simply show constant competence. Infusionsoft highlights its expertise on its website by stating that 125,000 users are happy with its service. The site also mentions awards its marketing software has won. By using these numbers and customer feedback, Infusionsoft shows it knows its stuff and proves its credibility. Now that you've introduced the key characters in your brand story, it's time to focus on shaping the storyline.

Ensure customer purchases with a process or agreement plan for clarity

You've successfully positioned yourself as a trusted guide for customers. They rely on your expertise and judgment. However, even with their trust, there's no guarantee they'll purchase your product. Buying involves risk, so planning helps streamline the process. Your customers need to cross a creek without a bridge. They don't want to get wet. Solution? Throw big stones into the water. Now, they can hop across to the other side. These stones mark your path forward.  When making plans, you should either clearly show customers what to do or ensure that purchasing your product is completely risk-free. One way to help your customers is by using a process plan. It shows them how to buy your product or use it. This reduces confusion and improves customer loyalty.

Your online shop sells storage systems. When someone visits your website looking for a garage system, they need a clear plan. They want to know if your system fits their garage and if they can assemble it themselves. To avoid confusion, here are straightforward instructions for using our storage system:

• Measure your space first.
• Order parts that fit your space’s size.
• Install the system yourself using basic tools in a few minutes.

The second approach is called an agreement plan, focused on offering customers a deal that removes their worries about buying your product. For example; CarMax, a used-car dealer, faced a challenge: many customers disliked negotiating with stubborn salespeople. Their solution was straightforward. CarMax made two promises: all deals are negotiation-free, and every buyer gets a car that meets their needs and standards.

Motivate purchases with clear calls to action, direct or transitional

Your story is almost finished. However, there's a bit more work before you can relax and attract clients. You should motivate your customers to take action. Each day, the average person encounters about 3,000 advertisements. To grab attention, you must be bold. Waiting quietly won't work—customers will just ignore you. What makes a good push toward action effective? One effective strategy is to directly ask customers to buy. This clear approach challenges them to make a purchase. Call-to-action buttons like "Get It Now," "Register," or "Purchase" are common on e-commerce websites for good reason—they work. To improve your website's effectiveness, place multiple buttons in various locations so that customers encounter them as they navigate your site. This strategy encourages more engagement and prompts users to take action easily.

A direct call to action urges customers to place an order, while a transitional one aims to keep a friendly connection even if they don't buy. It ensures they remember you next time they need your product, not your competitors. Typically, this involves giving away something memorable without charge. For example, you might invite people to watch a series of webinars. Or, if you're a web designer, you could provide a link to download a PDF that explains the basics of web design. Actions like these leave a lasting impression on customers, making them more likely to return to you in the future.

Highlight potential losses to encourage customer purchases effectively

Most people enjoy happy endings in stories, but it's the possibility of an unhappy outcome that really grabs our attention. We stay engaged because we fear the worst—maybe the hero won't succeed, or the character we care about might fail or even die. This suspense keeps us glued to books, movies, or shows until the very end. In your brand narrative, you should capitalize on this fear of failure because it also influences our purchasing choices. In 1979, the behavioral economist Daniel Kahneman wrote about what drives people to make purchases. He found that, in general, people feel more unhappy after losing something than happy after gaining something. For example, losing $1,000 feels worse than gaining $1,000 feels good. When making purchasing decisions, people are more inclined to avoid potential losses rather than seek potential gains. Therefore, it's crucial to clearly outline what disadvantages could arise from not buying your product or service.

In running an insurance company, the main goal is to protect against potential losses. An effective ad campaign should focus on common risks like theft, fires, or accidents. By showcasing these risks and how our insurance can safeguard against them, clients understand the value of choosing our services. Unlike other financial firms, I meet personally with clients. I guide them through investments, avoiding hidden fees. Many people fear being swindled out of their money. By suggesting that most financial advisors might try to deceive them, you can make clients more likely to choose you. Now that you understand how to use setbacks to your advantage, let's focus on the final part: achieving success

Illustrate how our product transforms lives through a compelling vision

Stories captivate us because they often include the possibility of a sad outcome. But no one wants their own story to finish sadly. That's why, after showing the risks of not buying the product, you should also highlight how your product can create a positive outcome. A happy ending equals success.  For instance; Nike doesn’t just sell good shoes and sports gear. It offers a lifestyle full of inspiration, motivation, and success. How can you create a vision that your customers will want to achieve?

Effective Strategies

Three methods that work:

• In some movies, you might see a storyline where a nerdy guy, despite all odds, ends up with a popular and attractive girl. This plot isn't just about the guy winning the girl's heart; it's also about his social status improving. Male nerds often find this story appealing for these reasons. One effective strategy is to establish your brand or product as a symbol of prestige. A straightforward method is offering a special membership with exclusive benefits unavailable to regular members.
• In stories and movies, we often see two lovers who face many challenges but eventually overcome them to live happily together. These endings, though common, are still satisfying because they promise a sense of completion – something your product should also aim to achieve. Even if you sell dish soap and your only promise is clean dishes, you must explain how your product enhances your customer’s life. You need to show that this soap is essential for their sense of completeness!
• The third strategy emphasizes self-acceptance and reaching one's full potential. American Eagle demonstrated this by showcasing real people with natural imperfections in their ads instead of traditional models and heavily edited photos. This approach not only gave their clothing line a unique marketing angle but also inspired viewers to develop greater self-acceptance.