So many companies waste a large amount of money on marketing, but what if we said you didn’t have to do that to be successful? Follow this BrandScript series to see how you can do that in a short, seven-part framework.
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“People buy things because they hear or read words that make them want to buy things.” To succeed in marketing, you must create a clear message because “it's the way that we talk about our products that make people want to buy them.”
But why are words so important in marketing? It’s because of how our brains work. The two things your customers’ brains are thinking when looking at your company, products, and services are: How can they survive and thrive, and how can they conserve calories?
Survive and Thrive:
Our brains are designed to keep us alive. As you may know from Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, your first priorities are to keep you living: food, water, and shelter. After those are met, your next needs are in the form of relationships. Your consumers want to know how you will help them get ahead, grow bigger, and gain more security. However, “if your communication about a product isn’t directly related to helping your customers survive and thrive” like in the examples above, “then they aren’t going to pay attention” to what you have to say. In essence, when communicating a message to your customers, be direct. Don’t go on about the awards your company has received. Instead simply tell them how you can help.
Conserve Calories:
Your brain burns calories when digesting information. So, when your brain is put in a situation where it has to digest a lot of information that isn’t necessary to your survival, it shuts off. Because burning these calories is exhausting, your brain has to determine what is worth burning those calories for, so you often cut out information that has nothing to do with your survival. To use this to your advantage, make sure you communicate a message to your customers about how you can help them survive and thrive. You have to make sure your messaging doesn’t fall within the curse of knowledge.
The Curse of Knowledge:
Your knowledge of your company sits on a scale of 1 to 10. Level 10 is the most knowledge you can know about your company, a product, or service. Product inventors and company CEOs are often at Level 10. They know they have too much information to share with customers, so they deliver their knowledge at a Level 6 on the scale to avoid confusing customers. However, most consumers make buying decisions at the knowledge of Levels 1 and 2. This gap between Levels 2 and 6 is called the curse of knowledge. It’s where marketers and other individuals can get stuck delivering information that is far too complex for their consumers to consider buying from them, but the marketers believe they're doing a great job selling to their consumers. Again, keep your messaging as simple as possible.
Follow this Storybrand Brandscript series to learn how you can communicate effectively to your audience in just a seven-part framework.
If you enjoyed this article, check out the next post in the series “StoryBrand BrandScript: Identity Transformation.” Also, check out our strategy package, and bring StoryBrand BrandScript to your company to help convert more site visitors into not only customers, but fans.
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Topics: PR tips, story telling
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