When I have a splinter in my finger, my world stops. Nothing else matters except removing that splinter.

But let’s say I’m struggling to get it out. I can’t see it, and my tweezers won’t grab it. Now I have a nagging pain in my finger, and I’m still trying to go about my life.

Later, when I’m scrolling through Instagram and see a post about a crazy new way to remove a splinter, you can probably guess what I’m going to do.

Yep, I’m going to stop and watch the video. I’ll probably even try their weird solution.

Your ideal customer is the same. They’re in pain, whether they’re actively looking for a solution or not. So if they see something that promises to remove their pain, they’ll stop and listen.

Now, let’s look at this in reverse.

Your product solves a painful problem. You’re sharing blog posts, videos, and social posts about it.

So why aren’t people knocking down your doors? Why aren’t they stopping to read your posts?

Because they’re busy AF, just like you are.

All of us are juggling work, family, friendships, and keeping a roof over our heads. While we’re rushing to fulfill all of these obligations, we’re being bombarded by thousands of emails, ads, billboards, calls, and texts.

As marketers, we’re not just competing for people’s business. We’re competing for their time and attention.

The question, then, is how do we cut through the overwhelm and deliver a message they’ll slow down for?

How do we get seen and remembered?

The only way we can do that is to tap into their most primitive urges and desires.

They’re trying to survive. If they’re facing an immediate threat, they’ll pay attention. But if an issue seems too far away or unlikely to impact them personally, they’ll ignore it.

If they’re in pain (like my splinter), they’re more likely to stop and listen.

But, and this is a big but, they don’t want a solution that feels too hard, too complicated, or too long. They want immediate relief. They want an easy button.

Now, back at the office, we’ve been tasked with putting together a campaign for a new product or feature.

We come up with a story, some cool images, and a smart explanation about why our product is the right choice for our target audience. Then we start creating the landing pages, promotional pieces, and content.

It’s probably a great campaign. But it’s not likely to cut through the clutter.

Because when we’re wearing our marketing hats, we forget what it means to be human. We ignore the pain. We try to educate our audience when all they want is to remove the splinter.

This is why it’s critical that we know our customers. We can’t guess about what they care about. We need to understand what drives them. We need to know their biggest pain points.

Only then can we put together an offer that hits home:

• Something that makes them stop and listen
• Something that promises to remove an immediate pain
• Something that feels like it can fit into their busy lives

Our tactics and tools may change, but this will always be our task. We need to know our audience, and we need to speak to them where they are.

What are you doing to ensure you know your target audience: their insecurities, their fears, their biggest pain points?

And how are you using the information to craft messages that make them stop in their tracks?

Stay awesome!

Kathryn Aragon
Founder, KA Media​

P.S. Marketing has a lot of moving parts. I’m focusing now on the parts that are most likely to impact revenue. If that’s what you’re looking for, let’s talk. You can book a call here.