Understanding people and their things (things of course referring to their personal preferences, their feelings, their beliefs and their intents) are important within the marketing sector…Why?
Some people feel that understanding is deeper than knowledge, because there are many people who know you, but there are very few who understand you.
For a creative agency, it’s just as important to understand our client, as it is to understand their target audience. In order for us to understand both, we need to understand the basics of human behaviour.
With the help of The Collaborative, here are 5 secrets to human behaviour…
- Filters. Humans grow up with filters. These filters influence the way we view the world. Keeping in mind that we are 98% emotional, human filters aren’t always objective or logical. Using data, numbers, and facts to convince an audience of a product or service, will not necessarily be relatable. That being said, it will, of course, differ from industry to industry.
- Preferences. Humans hear what they want to hear. The moment we hear something we can’t relate to, we don’t listen. We want our clients and their potential clients to listen to the message. Once we have their attention, we are able to explain the problem and sell the solution!
- Values. Humans value different things. As our client, we understand that your product and service is important to you, and we need the target audience to feel the same way about it. But, when creating and developing a marketing strategy, it’s about your customer. The client. Their values and their needs and how your solution can be important to them.
- Assuming. Humans assume too much. Open the door for the client to ask: SO, WHAT? Allow them the opportunity to ask: “Why should I care?” And be ready to answer! Make it matter to them! Don’t assume they will understand your message from the start, but nurture such relationships until your message has meaning for them too!
- Focus. Humans focus too much on themselves. We care about how well we do; how much we sell and how impressive we are. The fact of the matter is: Who is going to buy your story? Who is going to buy your message? Who is going to buy your solution? THEY are! So, learn about your customers, understand their thinking, which means that you should think with the mind of the buyer. What will happen if you learn to do this well? You will win the mind of the buyers!
Getting down to it, as Simon Sinek says:
“100% of customers are people. 100% of employees are people. If you don’t understand people, you don’t understand business.”