What’s in it for me? How to write offers audiences cannot refuse
Whenever you make a purchase, you subconsciously ask yourself the question ‘what’s in it for me?’ Research the answer for a persuasive messaging strategy.
Can I be totally honest with you? Nobody cares how wonderful your business is. Or how accomplished you are as a person.
I know you make a great effort trying to get your message across to your audience. I know you want to position yourself as the best possible choice for your customers.
But we’ve all done it. When talking about our businesses and what we do, we’ve all at some stage fallen into the trap of:
- Talking about our features
- Talking about ourselves
- Using cliched terms such as ‘innovative’, ‘featuring quality workmanship’ and ‘tailored to your exact needs’
The good news is people do care about:
- How you can solve their problems
- How your products and services can make their lives easier
In other words, your audience wants you to answer their most pressing question ‘What’s in it for me?’
That’s right.
Answer the question ‘What’s in it for me?’ and you’ll show why your products and services are worth your audience’s time and money.
Still not convinced?
Companies with big marketing budgets always start out by doing their research.
Indeed, they always start by identifying messages that answer the question ‘What’s in it for me?’ They do this before uttering a single word on their websites, blogs and social media.
I know you don’t have access to big brand marketing budgets. I know you have limited time and resources. But take the time to work on your messaging. The what’s in it for me factor. And you’ll get much more return on investment from your marketing activities as a result.
So have we got that straight?
Let’s get started.
How to answer your audience’s question: ‘What’s in it for me?’
To identify ‘what’s in it for me’, you need to appeal to your buyer’s psychology.
- Make a list of your product/service features
- For each feature, reply to the comment ‘So that’
- Think of the financial, practical and emotional reasons why each feature is important to your end customer
Better still; ask your customers what the reasons were behind their purchases.
For example:
Service: Copywriting
Feature: I provide blog writing services
- So that (financial). You’ll get traffic driven to your website and enquiries to your door.
- So that (practical). You’ll save time spent researching, writing, editing and proofing. You’ll receive consistent and regular content that meets editorial deadlines.
- So that (emotional). You’ll have confidence that you’re building your audience’s trust and respect. And keeping them interested in what you have to say. As a result, you’ll secure long-term relationships with your clients.
The goal is to paint a clear picture of how much better life would be if they use your products/services.
It’s as easy as that.
So take a little time to concentrate on your messaging. As a result you’ll be clear about and be able to persuade by answering your customer’s most important question.
‘What’s in it for me?’
And finally
About Claire Hawes
Claire Hawes is a marketing communications copywriter. She enjoys writing engaging copy that helps businesses to get noticed and attract enquiries. Claire’s experience mainly lies in the business to business sector. Her clients include both businesses and digital marketing agencies.
