“Data! Data! Data!” he cried impatiently. “I can’t make bricks without clay.”
(Sherlock Holmes, in case you were wondering)
Just like detectives (even the ones on TV) can’t expect to catch a killer without any evidence…
… business owners shouldn’t expect to do good marketing without any clues about their customers.
“What do your customers want?”, I say to copywriting clients.
And then they tell me.
Except they don’t.
They tell me what they THINK their clients want.
Here’s a quick example…
I was recently chatting to a friend about workout gear aimed at middle-aged women.
“What do they look for in workout gear?”, I asked.
“Probably to look good?”
“Hmmmm…”
I doubt that. I’ve seen myself exercising. The only thing that could make me look good would be if I did it next to Russell Grant, squatting in a mankini.
They MIGHT want something that looks OK on the school run before they go to the gym…
They MIGHT want something that covers up all their unsightly bulges without it feeling hotter than a club 18-30 sauna in Magaluf…
They MIGHT want jogging pants that don’t reveal their arse to passing motorists every 23 seconds if they don’t keep pulling them up…
I have no idea, and that’s the point.
Aim your marketing at what your customers MIGHT want and you’ll always struggle.
Like Baker Street’s finest, you need DATA.
You need PROOF.
Ask your customers what they want.
Get some EVIDENCE…
… and then show them how your thing helps them get it.