Understand the Needs of the Customer Before Marketing to Them

What's the fastest way to hook a client or donor? Empathize with their problem.

Be careful, though. The problem that's obvious to you may not be a problem to them at all.

Years ago, I watched the marketing and communications industry shift towards digital, so I transitioned my consulting practice from copyediting and long-form writing to digital marketing strategy and messaging.

Armed with fresh training, I saw countless websites that needed message restructuring and rewrites. 

I went merrily to market, believing I understood the needs of the customer and expecting clients to bang down my door.

After all, I had cleverly identified an important problem I could solve for them.

Boy, was I wrong.

Most people know their websites could be better. They just don't see it as much of a problem.

What do they see as pressing? A few common ones:

• How to reach their target customers

• How to break into a promising new market

• How to create steady lead generation and end the feast-or-famine cycle

• How to tell their story in a way that inspires

• How to boost flagging donations

The website may have been part of the problem, but it was rarely acknowledged as The Problem.

When I led with a prescription for a problem my clients didn't recognize, I faced an uphill battle — and I often struck out.

How to Identify the Needs of the Customer

How can you avoid my mistake?

Sit down with your audience. Interview them. Ask them to list the problems they're struggling with.

Wipe your mind clean of assumptions before the conversation, and listen carefully.

You'll learn their real pain points. If the conversation is genuine, you'll strengthen the relationship, too.

Good marketing isn't just story, strategy, and channels. It's the trust you build.

If you want your marketing to succeed, take the time to empathize with your audience, and leave your assumptions at the door.

When you understand the needs of the customer, you're no longer solving the problem you think they have—you're solving the one they actually care about.

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