Identifying your Customer's Pain Points
As a copywriter, it’s your job to relate to your audience; you need to identify (or frame) the problem that they’re experiencing and offer a convincing solution.
A huge part of copywriting is the creative use of emphasis and empathy - but just how do you use this to make a lasting impact?
Engaging with your readers
Rather than just bundling all of the issues that someone might face into one condensed ‘problem’, it can be incredibly beneficial to differentiate between the different types or ‘levels’ of problem.
One of the easiest ways to do this is by differentiating between internal problems and external problems.
What’s the difference?
So, as you’ll see in the video, external problems are the things that someone might google. These are generally ‘face value’ concerns - things that someone might not have any shame about, or that they’re happy to share with just about anyone.
A great example of an external problem might be something like:
“I’m looking for a new pair of pants,” or “I’m looking for a new toothbrush.”
Seems innocent enough, right? Well, external problems are directly connected to internal problems.
An internal problem is one that someone wouldn’t usually tell anyone about. It could be something that they’re embarrassed or even ashamed over, or that they just wouldn’t like anyone else to discover. An internal problem is one that is typically very difficult to frame.
If someone is looking for a new pair of pants, the internal problem it might be connected to is:
“I’m worried that I’m putting on weight” or “I’m embarrassed that these pants make me look fat.”
Similarly, if they’re looking for a new toothbrush, they might be embarrassed that their teeth aren’t sparkly white.
External problems are always connected to an internal problem, and as a copywriter or persuasive marketer, it’s your job to find out what they are.
When you touch on an internal problem, you can demonstrate that you strongly empathize with your audience, as you already know exactly what they’re going through. This will make your audience much more willing to trust you; you’ll be seen as more relatable and much more understanding.
So, what next?
First of all, address the external problems (what the customer is already researching) to get their head nodding. Once they’re in complete agreement with you, start digging in with the internal problems.
Your customer will begin to relate to you much more, because you’re demonstrating that you really do know what they’re going through - you’re not just pretending to get it using a superficial problem.
As a creative marketer, it’s absolutely essential that your customer trusts you. You will provide them with much-needed clarity - your voice will not only be clearer, but more trusted. Let’s face it: you’re more likely to buy something from someone you trust, right?
Checklist
Emphasize the problem before you begin discussing a solution
Show your customer that you get it
Address the external problems
Connect the external problems to the internal problems
Follow these steps to make sure that your reader will be right there with you, every step of the way.
Happy writing.
-Tyler