THE LOW DOWN ON HOW TO GET INTIMATE WITH YOUR CUSTOMER

Customer Intimacy Photo: Gawk Display

Marketing is powered by the need to connect, inform and persuade. Much of it is about what we want to tell people and what we‘d like them to do once we’ve told them. But sometimes results fall short of what we desire; clever ads have flopped, brilliant campaigns have failed. At times we are left shaking their heads, wondering where we went wrong.

THERE COULD BE SEVERAL REASONS:

• Telling our customer what they should want

• Designing our ads and campaigns from our point of view

• Producing something that is downright confusing

• Assuming it’s what people might be looking for right now

SO WHAT’S EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE?

According to a recent study only one in three brands truly understands what their customers want. Emotional Intelligence refers to our ability to understand our customers’ moods, behaviors and impulses. It helps us to get to know our customers on a deeper more intimate level, so we can be real, authentic and intuitive.

Assuming what our customers need is one thing – but putting it across to them in a way that they will respond to, is another. The way your recipient receives your message is vital. Statistics and demographics and segmentation are not necessarily going to give us that subtle information.

How do we make someone see our message so that they react instantly, with recognition and appreciative awe?

THINKING LATERALLY

• That frilly pink dress that gran wants to buy for her granddaughter – it’s pretty and expensive. But granny’s really buying it because she wants her grandchild to look the best at the party. It’s about attention and pride.

• That new toilet cleaner that offers superior cleanliness and germfree surfaces. But the home owner is really buying it because she wants her house to gleam in the area most likely to be visited by guests, namely the bathroom. It’s about appearances and a need to impress.

• A perfume may be advertised as a certainty to attract the opposite sex. But a woman may buy it simply because the other girls in the office will be envious. It’s about status and confidence.

Most people spend their waking hours thinking about themselves and close family and associates. In a busy, competitive, often uncertain world, we are chiefly concerned about safety, appearances, and money.

So how do we tap into that kernel and use it to alert our customer to the valuable solutions we offer?
GETTING INTO THE WHY

• Despite what they say, timing isn’t always key. If we have arresting material in the right format with a message that talk directly and accessibly to our consumers’ concerns, we usually have their attention.

• Extolling the virtues of our product is not enough, we must assure customers that it will deliver a result that will alleviate their problem.

• Quantifiable analysis is important – but don’t let numbers, volume and conversion rates blind you to the questions: what are our customers’ concerns, what are our solutions?

• Sometimes being too creative doesn’t do it either – we can only be relatable to our customer if we have their emotions in hand. Personalised, useful content is vital, but only if we are touching on the points of concern that drive our customers’ lives.

• Listening, targeting, adding value, clever storytelling are all valuable – but the most valuable is not that insight into what our customer wants in a product, but what they want in their lives.

MOVE YOUR STORY ACROSS ALL MARKETING POINTS

Gawk Visual Engineers create visual branding solutions to meet the requirements of marketing campaigns across a broad range of applications. And we understand what people like – from colour to style to design. Knowing what attracts, what excites and what warms the heart, is key to delighting and surprising our clients – and their customers in turn. Our cutting-edge in-house design, development and production capability, has made us a vibrant and sought-after supplier in the industry.

Find out more about us at: www.gawk.co.za

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