How do your customers want to feel?

When we go through the process of any strategic marketing development, the customer is at the centre of these conversations. Well, if they're not they should be! Often, though, the most important aspect of the customer experience is neglected.

We create elaborate profiles based on research, demographics, psychographics, and more and of course we need to do this. We even go through the more creative and fun process of building customer avatars and beautifully describing their before story and their after story. Again, a very valuable piece of the puzzle and one that provides great insights needed for our marketing decision making. Too often I don't see enough dialogue around how we actually want them to feel; and when we do mention it it's too much of an after thought. We talk about their behaviours, what we want them to do.

We need to go deeper than that.

What I would encourage you to do is make sure you really think about how your customers want to feel. Whatever your product or service is, the real reason you exist is to satisfy a need in your customers – there is something going on in their lives that needs to change – in other words they are looking for a change in the way they feel. When you are designing your products, your ranges, your services, of course its important to focus on what the features are, and be able to align the benefits with the needs of your customers as well as being able to articulate these. That is only part of the equation though, and it's not the most important part.

If you are selling a fitness program it is no doubt packed full of features & benefits, but there is so much more you need to understand in your potential clients lives - how they want to feel. You need to show that this program is offering exactly what they want - the chance to feel better about yourself, to feel healthy, to feel fit, to feel in control. – to feel like you are looking hot! 

If you are selling a skincare range of course there are unique elements to each product that you offer - a certain combination that provides a level of benefits that are different to your competitor. A scent, a tactile sensation when you use the products. All absolutely relevant in your marketing but what are you really offering? The chance for one woman to look in the mirror each morning after she uses your face products and think this is making a difference, my skin feels great, I look better. I am feeling more confident and beautiful than I did before. When she bathes in your divine body wash, or scrubs off the day with your exfoliant, she feels better a out her body, sexier, more desirable. When she buys your hand cream for her Mum, she feels excited and generous because she knows that everyone knows your hand cream is beautiful and that this is a special gift.

If you are selling an online program to help people start their own business you will be talking about the unique inclusions that differentiate your online program from every other in the market place, of course. The delivery methods, the community, the access to you as a coach and so on - all very important to mention. But what is it you are really offering? The chance for one individual to feel completely different about the life they are living. Right now they are struggling to build a serious, sustainable business. They are overwhelmed, they feel fear, they are confused. You are offering her the chance to turn this on it's head, to reframe their thinking, and to change the way they are feeling. You know that by working with you, in your program, she will feel clear, empowered, determined. She will move from feeling stuck to feeling strong and capable.

If you are selling superannuation what is the feeling you are really offering to help your ideal clients experience? They don't want to feel trapped by lack of funds, they don't want to work until they are too old to enjoy life, they don't want to leave nothing to their children. They want certainty, they want to feel secure, they want to feel free.

You need to understand how they feel right now and how they will feel after they have experienced what you have to offer. You need to be able to articulate that you know exactly where they are now, and, critically, where they want to be. You need to address this clearly and show them you get it.

Working with clients in talking through this reminds me of the experience of a psychologist asking a client how they feel. It can be really difficult to express. We talk about situations, circumstances, blame, what if's and more, but it can be really hard to get someone to just talk about a feeling. We sometimes do the same in our marketing, we miss the point, if we can't define the feeling, a person can't resonate with our brand in that powerful way we want them too.

If you struggle with this in your business just keep asking yourself, your team, your stakeholders and, most importantly, your customers the same question – “yes but how do you want to feel?” If you get stuck on your tangible benefits – the softest fabric, the best plans, the most convenient way, the best answers, the amazing support, etc – ask the question again “yes, but how do you want to feel?” Do you want to feel comforted, to feel better, to feel supported, to feel nurtured, the feel empowered, to feel loved, to feel strong? This list in almost infinite. How do you want to feel?

In this space you will find the answers you need to create the best possible experience for your tribe.