A design engineer I know works with companies to help them prototype new products. She always tries to understand the challenge from the most human and emotional perspective before she does any concept drawing. Her question to her clients is simple:
What is the feeling you want to facilitate with your product?
Senior Citizen Gadgets
Selena, my engineering friend, once worked for a company that created products for the elderly.
She told me an example of a kitchen appliance that she designed that made it easier for someone with arthritis, to open jars and to do other tasks in the kitchen. The community they wanted to serve had trouble with common kitchen challenges.
Selena spent a few weeks in the kitchens of several elderly people listening, watching and asking questions about what they are trying to do that is challenged because of their arthritis.
She knew from observations in people’s home that she wasn’t in the business of creating a jar opener, but she was in the business of supporting older people who wanted to be independent and cook for themselves. They weren’t in the kitchen appliance or gadget business.
Her client was in the freedom business.
The business her client was in was the freedom from nursing homes. Her clients’ products weren’t about the kitchen gadgets, but the emotion benefit of taking care of yourself. Independence. Freedom. Self-sufficiency.
What’s the Emotion?
When I approach a marketing challenge, I like to follow a similar path to gain insights into the emotions of my client’s customers.
What is the real emotional goal behind the thing my client sells? Is it peace of mind, is it freedom from complexity, is it reassurance or something else? What is your client truly interested in buying from you? It might not be the physical thing or service you sell.
Before throwing tactics and a challenge, I want to get as close as I can to understand their prospects pain. What promise does their brand offer and how can they deliver on communicating this message effectively.
Consumers and businesses buy solutions to problems. All the features and functions tend to be secondary drivers for purchase.
Waving Goodbye to Receipts
Like any small business, I have a lot of receipts from business meals and miscellaneous office supplies. I don’t want to forget to keep track of all these little pieces of paper from lunch meetings to ink cartridges to business cards. I found an app called Receipts connected to a free accounting software called Waveapps. I can now snap a photo of the receipt, and the software populates the data like a day, amount, vendor and will guess at the code.
When I started using the app, I felt like I had hired a virtual assistant to take a load off my plate. Clicking a photo of the dozen receipts I have at the end of the week keeps me organized and on track to monitor my expenses. It is a load off my plate. I wasn’t looking for an app,
What used to take 30 minutes to record the data takes less than one minute. The emotion I feel is I needed support to keep take work off my plate and keep me on track. I wanted to feel supported.
How well do you understand the emotions behind your customer’s problems? Those insights can enhance the effectiveness of your marketing.
You can set up a time to chat with me about your marketing challenges using my calendar. Email me jeffslater@themarketingsage.com Call me. 919 720 0995. The conversation is free, and we can explore if working together makes sense. Try my new chat feature on my site if you have a quick question.
Photo by Cristian Newman on Unsplash
