how well do you know your customer?

“Nunca se para de conocer a una persona”

I used to hear people around me say “You never fully know a person” and it would be usually be in the most cynical context. You find out that the doting, Christian family man cheated on his wife. Or you find out that your friend has been starting nasty rumors about you because she’s jealous. Then you hear your mom, your voice of reason tell you time and time again:

“Nunca se para de conocer a una persona”

But in marketing, this popular Latin American saying holds true especially when trying to figure out who your customer is. It’s a marketing concept that previously meant knowing your audience demographics and attuning your messaging to that demographic. That may have held true when the only marketing channels available were TV, radio and newspaper. However, in the 21st century, the advent of new marketing channels brought forth by the internet revolution has armed brands with targeting previously unknown in the history of humanity.

New channels and advanced tech created the opportunity to get deeper insights on who your customer truly is. The lazy generalized slogans and images that reigned in pre-internet seem antiquated in the age of social media. We have tools to know how our customer thinks, what they buy, locations they’ve travelled, what they like to eat, how they like to be entertained, and so much more.

Marketers have known this and exploited it beyond the unethical. Similar to developing products to be quasi-addictive, through these 3 key elements of stickiness marketers have breeched privacy and cut corners to reach their customers. Social media platforms have since implemented policies to put privacy back into users control. That’s what the iOS 14 revolution transformed about digital advertising in January 2021: since then algorithms have done the heavy lifting in targeting our audiences. By fully understanding your customer, you can craft messaging that effectively drives immediate purchases.

Do you really know your customer, or are you assuming that what you think is best is actually what’s best for them?

I came across this post on my IG feed and I not only saved it but reposted it to my stories. In the past three years, I have worked with five different brands and directly with CEOs who have varying levels of marketing competency. Based on my experience, it is clear that customer research is not truly a priority for them. While focusing on the bottom line is important, missing opportunities to learn about your customer base can end up being a costly mistake. Business leaders should prioritize customer research to optimize their operations or empower their teams to become customer-centric. This involves conducting A/B testing, ethnographic research, utilizing customer relationship management (CRM) systems, collecting feedback from existing customers, analyzing competitors, and conducting general market research.

Understanding your customer is essential. Having a complete profile on your customer can help you find audiences that would be receptive to your message. However, this information can be used for more than just defining your targeting. With it, you can communicate with customers throughout the entire sales funnel.

In this post I’ll walk you through my methodology for discovering who my customer is based on what services and products I am providing. I strive to empathize with my customers and consider how the product I am selling can improve their lives. This goes beyond listing features and benefits or showing the customer vs. telling them. Both of these concepts are commonly studied in marketing, but I find that they don’t fully capture the real pain or motivation that drives customers to purchase a product.

A customer is a person. You might think you fit within the demographic you’re trying to reach but you are simply not the vast majority of your customers. The best way to discover your customer’s catalyst to purchase is to figure out the following:

Who is your customer? Write down demographic information about your customer.
What is your product? Write down a brief description of your product
Why would your customer need your product? (Emotional angle) List a few emotional reasons why a customer may consider your product/service:

Does it makes them feel happy or satisfied
Does it makes them feel secure or safe
Does it makes them feel important or valued
Does it fits with their personal values or beliefs
Does it helps them feel like they belong to a group or community

4. Why would your customer need your product? (Functional angle) Identify the features or functions of your product that may attract customers.

5. Why would your customer decide against purchasing your product? List up to 3 potential objections your customer might have in deciding to purchase your product

Taking the time to sit down and write out the answers to these questions has a way of expanding my thinking beyond what I believe to be my customer’s driving force. The key is to figure out the emotional catalyst behind your customer’s purchase decision to make your product seem like the most obvious solution. Let’s focus on point number three. Have you explored which intrinsic human motivation is connected to your product?

How does Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs give customers an inexplicable urge to buy? I’ve learned how to marry human motivation to a key objection. It strengthens my copy, bolsters my offers and seals the funnel. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a psychological theory that describes human motivation in terms of a hierarchy of needs that must be fulfilled in order for a person to reach their full potential. In marketing, this theory can be applied to better understand what motivates consumers to make purchases and how to tailor marketing messages to appeal to their needs at various levels of the hierarchy:

Self actualization: describes the process of achieving one’s full potential and becoming the best version of oneself.

Esteem: describes respect and admiration that one has for oneself or another person.

Love and belonging: refers to the need for social connections, intimacy, and a sense of community and support.

Safety: includes things like physical safety, financial security, and protection from harm.

Physiological needs: in Maslow’s hierarchy refer to the basic needs of the human body, such as food, water, shelter, warmth, and sleep. According to Maslow’s theory, these needs must be met before an individual can move on to fulfilling higher level needs.

Find which one applies to your product and read the following section.

This equation is my go-to for creating ads, writing copy, and designing sales funnels that convert at every touchpoint, especially the first one. Rather than focusing on the pain points your customers face, show them how close they are to reaching a solution if only they give your product a chance.

Capture their attention by being almost embarrassingly vulnerable in your advertisements. Strengthen your landing pages by addressing every insecurity in your audience’s minds. Highlight their needs your email blasts and see purchases trickle in minutes after they open them. Using this formula correctly could change your business overnight. And that is not an exaggeration.

Get inspired from the following ads, landing pages and emails. Screenshot to save: