Nobody Cares About Your Product

Many years ago, when I was interviewing for a CMO position, the CEO asked me what my philosophy was in terms of an effective content marketing program. I told him that probably the most important thing to keep in mind was that nobody cared about his product. After a few blinks and about 3 seconds of awkward silence, I explained that an optimal marketing messaging hyper-focuses on what the audience's problem is first, and what the ramifications of that problem are on the business. How the solution fits into solving that problem comes later in the messaging journey. (For what it's worth, I did get the job!)

Of course, marketing's goal (among many others) is to get your prospect TO CARE about your product, over time. If they didn't, you wouldn't have any sales. But buyers want to get their problems solved, at a reasonable cost and in a reasonable amount of time. Who exactly does that is less of a concern, at least in the beginning. They want sympathy and an understanding of their plight. Good marketing understands this and tailors the messaging to reflect an understanding of the prospects' pain points, without diving into the solution's features and functions from the outset.

A good way to think about it is to focus on the negative consequences the problem is causing for the business, and how your solution's value proposition addresses them. Ideally, understanding what the negative operational and/or financial impact the problem is having on the business is the goal. Conversely, the messaging can now begin to address what the positive business outcomes can be, mainly regarding the resolution of the negative consequences - what the prospects 'ideal state would look like and the positive business and economic impact. From here, your value proposition message begins to be introduced as the enabler of that ideal state.

Focusing your initial messaging on an audience's business pain/future state is an ideal way to engage with prospective clients. By moving your solution's specific value prop message to a later stage, you create sympathy, understanding, and credibility with your prospect. After that, you'll see your audience begin to care about your product. A lot.