When a brand comes in contact with a customer, their mind is far from an empty vessel. There is usually a story running, spinning in their head…that story is preventing them from opening their hearts and minds to hear and feel you.
So how do you break through that story and really be heard?
The way to do that is to get into their head with them. This means speaking to them about what is going on in their head, in their own natural language. They first need to tell you their story and then you need to share it back to them in their natural language…and hey presto, you have built an emotional connection.
That is all very well, but your brand can’t always be in a one on one interaction, that is where brand research kicks in. By taking the time to understand what stories run around in people’s head and how that links to their world view, you can create a brand that does the same thing as that one on one contact. Research based brands can build an emotional connection.
Just this week, Hearts and Minds was researching in home care and we uncovered that first thing people asked was:
“is the carer going to be friendly?”
If that is where their mind is, that is where the brand communication needs to start, asking that same question in the natural voice of the customer, something like:
Many people like to ask us, “is the carer going to be friendly?”
Suddenly you have their attention.
Using the natural voice is critical, because is brings people into the exact emotional state they were in when they spoke those words, and now they are anchoring that emotional state to your brand.
From here on, you need to take them on an emotional journey, by continuing to use their natural voice and share the value the brand will bring into their world. This is where true mastery is shown, you will need some strong branding disciplines to pull that one off.
Using a customer’s natural voice to create a connection is really powerful stuff, be responsible, be honest and create brands that work at the highest good of the individual.
One more thing to consider! SEO experts say search engines love the natural voice of the customer, because customers search how they speak.
Yet another reason to really listen to the customer and learn to speak their language.
Louise Kelly
Hearts and Minds
Thought Leaders Circle 