You probably write some kind of content for your customers every day. It may be an email in response to one person or it may be ad copy for a larger audience, but you’re still communicating with your customers. And they are making judgments based on what you say and how you say it. That is why writing with the customer in mind is so important.
The next time you have to write something for your website, an advertisement, or a brochure, stop and consider who your audience is first. Ideally, your audience is all of your customers, future, current, and even former ones. You want to make sure what you say resonates with those people who will purchase your goods or services.
Who is your typical customer?
Chances are you have a typical customer. If asked, you could describe the basic details of who usually buys from you. This is a good place to begin when thinking about writing for your customers.
Maybe you run an old-school barbershop, so your customer is a middle-aged to older man who appreciates a well-priced haircut. He doesn’t need frills or a spa-like experience. He might be someone who has a high school education and works a trade. Your content should appeal to his desire for a quick and inexpensive, but quality haircut and you should use everyday words. Your customer probably doesn’t care to know what kind of shampoo you use or if it’s paraben-free. He will likely care more about how long you’ve been in business and how much you charge for your services.
What if you have a payroll service? While your end customers will likely be human resources directors or small business owners, their assistants may be the ones who are doing the initial research for providers. So, you will want to make it easy for the assistants to explain to their bosses the benefits of using your service. You’ll want to avoid too much jargon but be sure to spell out how you can save your customers money and time.
Consider their buyer’s journey.
Your customers may all ultimately need or want the same service or merchandise, but they still differ based on where they are in the buying process.
If they are brand new to your site, they will want to know who you are and what you offer. The content you write for the potential customer should speak to your experience, possibly include customer testimonials, and explain how you can help solve a problem for your customer.
Your current customers, however, already know and trust you. They may need support or want to purchase something new from you. Your content for these customers could be a web page that talks about your latest offering or a short video showing how to use an existing product in a new way.
Listen to your customers.
Perhaps the best way to know how to communicate with customers is to listen to them. What questions do you have from them? Use this information to shape your FAQs, blog posts, videos, and other content.
Have you received positive feedback or heard a success story from a customer? Think about writing a case study or a customer profile based on this (after asking the customer’s permission, of course).
Deciding how to write for your customers isn’t only about what they want to know, but also how they want to receive the content. Ask your customers how they prefer to consume new information. Do they watch videos or listen to podcasts? Or is written communication better? Keep in mind, this may change over time and it different customers may have other preferences, so listening should be an ongoing task.
Should you need help crafting content to effectively communicate with your customers, please reach out to us at klg communications.