How do I market to people who don’t know they need me?

The human at the end of this question is a damn fine woman; big of heart, ruddy good at what she does, full of love….and full of longing.

She is desperate for more people to realise that she is the answer to their prayers, that her work is important, that her approach is transformative.
She is longing to help more people.

But no one is paying attention to her.
Because she’s not paying attention to them.

My lovely lady is missing one crucial element in her marketing.

Empathy. 

“They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”  Teddy Roosevelt

Ted is bang on here.

We are all obsessed with our business, of course we are – it’s our passion, our livelihood and for some of us our identity. ????

But those we want to help, who we want to buy from us don’t give a hoot about our biz.

They are equally obsessed with their own struggles, concerns, and are scanning social, mining google in need of help. And, whilst we’re waffling on about our 3 step process, or going deep into our methodology, they are feeling pretty misunderstood, and alone.

Can you remember when you read something online that made you gasp, and think ‘that’s me, they’re describing my life?

Remember that relief, the yearning to know more, the scramble to follow them on allthechannels and sink into everything they have to say.

That’s empathy in action, m’lovelies and this is a beautiful example from corporate coach, Clare Mackinnon.

What are my people experiencing, right now?
What do I know about their pain, issue, sticking point or roadblock and how can I help them?

If I asked you what ‘stuff’ your perfect-fit clients were facing right now would you know?
If it’s a no Rachael, then I would recommend you get curious.

Here are my 2 fave ways to inject empathy into my marketing

1. Ask & listen
I bang on about this an awful lot but all of us biz owners should be constantly seeking answers from our clients and prospects.

The key to feel good, do good marketing is knowing oodles about your niche, so connect with people in your network and ask…

• What are the biggest things you’re struggling with right now in relation to…. (insert your niche)
• How are these issues showing up in your day to day?
• Is there anything you can’t do because of this issue?
• What would trigger you into getting help for….(specific problem)?

The aim is to get specific, real-life examples from your clients….so you can cut through all the live your best life, free yourself from stress flim-flam, and get meaningful, vivid and visceral with your narrative, like The Joy Junkie here (swear words optional)

Give yourself a few hours and mine:

• Facebook groups
• Amazon book reviews
• Competitors websites

for information about your perfect-fit clients.

In an afternoon you can have a pretty solid feel for what problems they’re experiencing and what it is they’re looking for, and from this you should be able to create some super specific content and copy for your website

This is one of my fave methods of research, I spent the first few weeks of business scouring the internet for my perfect people and it took me from not having a scooby about my ideal client to creating social posts that got likes and shares and love!
I write in detail about how to do this here….

And finally, how the heck to use this intel in your marketing?
I’m not a fan of poking the bruise or using pain to sell.  I don’t think you are either. But, in order to get attention and be relevant, we need to talk about the experience our people are having.

If they can see how our product or service is relevant to them they will pay attention. If they can’t they won’t. It’s really as simple as that.

But how and where.

How: with sensitivity and empathy. It’s highly likely that you’ve experienced a similar struggle to your client, so tell your story
Tell your client’s stories too; if I can see myself in another person’s experience I feel supported and seen.

Where: Lead with empathy (ie speak to their situation, their lived experiences) on

Your homepage
Sales pages
Presentations
Client discovery or consultation call

“Build your company around your customers’ biggest perceived problem. Give them your solution, or somebody else will.”

Ouch, I know this sounds a little dramatic, but the theory is spot on.

Showing empathy isn’t hard, in fact, you prob do it every day – but maybe this marketing lark has got you thinking you need to talk more about you and your business?  Not so.

All you need to do is find your people, ask some Qs and listen. Simple. 

Ready to go deeper into audience research, but not sure where to start?  Book a complimentary marketing clarity session with me and we’ll explore together x