Finding (and Solving) Customer Problems

Development
Sep 2010

In a nutshell… your customers have a problems you can solve. It’s up to you to know, understand and relate to those problems in a way that appeals to their best interests.

People throughout history have become successful by spotting a problem and solving it. Most of us can come up with a list of problems, but it takes some work (or a genius idea!) to come up with a workable solution. The next trick is to relate that problem and solution into readable, “relatable” content on the web.

Know Your Customers

The first most important thing to know before starting any copy, article or blog is to know your audience. If you don’t know who you are talking to, how can you possibly relate to them? If your product or service is geared towards moms, make sure you aren’t reaching an audience of teenage boys. See our past blog post to learn more about target audiences. http://glidedesign.wpengine.com/5-ways-find-target-customers/

Relate To Their Needs

Once you know your audience, you have to know their needs. Give them a scenario that they might encounter on a regular basis that makes them say, “Hey! That happens to me all the time!” or “She totally knows what I’m going through!” or “Man, it would be nice not to have to deal with that problem anymore.” You need to be able to see what they see, feel what they feel, experience what they experience, and relate in ways they can relate.

State Their Problems

Once you grab your audience’s attention by relating to them, you have to make them realize there is a problem- a problem you can solve if they use your products or services. For example, I’m a mom. I love coffee. And I have kids. It’s hard to take kids to coffee because they need to be occupied. And no mom can relax with a cup of coffee when the kids are bored. So I found a place (by searching online) near my home that has a huge indoor playscape for kids and has a nice little lounge section for moms to sit and drink their coffee. The founder of this place is pure genius, and if I’m really desperate to get out of the house for a nice hot latte, I’m willing to pay them to let me use their facility.

Show Them You Have Their Solution

The owners related to me (and other moms) by letting us know that we need a little break with a cup of coffee; they understood there was a problem- it’s difficult for moms to enjoy coffee when they have small kids running around; and they solved the problem by offering a service that entertained the kids and gave us comfy chairs to sit in. To top it all off, they even have healthy food and snacks available for purchase. Their web copy made sure to state all of these things, and I buy their service as often as I can!

In Conclusion…

This is only one example of how a great idea solved a problem. However, having a great idea isn’t enough. Make sure when you are advertising or writing copy for a website that you remember the important elements to selling to your audience- relate to them, state the problem and show them that you have their solution.

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