Your business will be better at marketing and in turn enjoy more success if you just got out of your own head. I have talked to countless business owners and executives who understand their manufacturing process to a level of detail that belies hours of in-depth analysis and study. That’s what it takes to be successful in operations. In operations you have to live in your own head.

Find A Connection

But what about in marketing? In marketing you have to live in your customer’s head. Don’t spend your marketing dollars pounding your chest. Don’t waste resources trying to shamelessly sell more through brute force tactics. Instead find a connection to your buying audience and empathize with their plight. Make a connection with your customers on a level your competitors aren’t doing.

Want an example?

Look no further than Pedigree brand dog food. They had a choice when devising their brand and the marketing that flows from it.

1. They could sell dog food.
2. They could love dogs.

They Chose The Right Path

They choose the latter as evidenced by their positioning statement:

At PEDIGREE® Brand, everything we do is for the love of dogs, from the dog food we make to the dog adoption drive we support.
Pedigree lives inside their customers’ heads. Their customers love dogs and every buying decision their customers make is based on that universal truth. Pedigree has aligned itself with their customers’ most basic emotion. Dog owners love their dogs.

Now I have no doubt that Pedigree is an example of operational excellence. However, the key lesson here is that they don’t lead with this message. And neither should you.

Take Action
Now it’s your turn. Find out what your customers love. Get inside their heads and get out of your own. Learn empathy for your customers and then craft your message around it.

Visit blogs based on your customers’ interests. Look for reoccurring themes and connections within the group.

Understand what your customer’s are buying. Rarely is it just a product. Many times people are buying something more, something they aren’t saying. Look at how people use your product; listen to how they talk about it online.

Make a list of three to five emotions that your product evokes. Brand yourself around the top answer.

Stop leading with operational, blow hardy messaging. Start standing for something your customers are already rallying around.