- Tina Freemantle
"I don't know whether I should be focusing on client's pain points or my solution"
I get asked this question frequently, and I’m not surprised why. You’ll hear one expert telling you not to focus on pain-point marketing because you don’t want clients to feel worse than they already do. Then there are others who tell you that clients aren’t buying from you because you didn’t create a big enough gap between their current painful situation and their desired situation. So, how exactly are you meant position your services? Let’s start by understanding what motivates people to act. THE TRUTH ABOUT PAIN-POINT MARKETING As much as we all love pleasure, our brains are wired to prioritise the avoidance of pain. It's an instinctual response designed to keep us safe and motivated. By addressing your audience's pain points, you tap into this innate drive and capture their attention. When your content talks about the exact experiences your perfect client is facing, they take notice. They feel understood and are more likely to read your content. THE SCIENCE BEHIND PAIN AS A MOTIVATOR Neuroscientists have found that our brains respond more strongly to negative stimuli than positive ones. It's an evolutionary mechanism that dates back to our survival instincts. When we encounter pain or a potential threat, out in-built alarm system—kicks into high gear, driving us to act and find solutions. This means that when you address your audience's pain points, you activate their brains' motivation centres, propelling them to seek answers. Let’s think about this. Those clients that quickly experience success are the ones that were faced with do or die situation. They had no other choice but to follow all the steps and implement. If they didn’t turn their situation around then they faced eviction, or growing mountain of never-ending debt. These are the people who are most fired up to act. On the other hand, many other clients may share similar financial goals and desires, but they’re not faced with an imminent threat. They have a safety net that keeps them in their comfort zone. The Art of Pain-Point Marketing Now, here's the crucial part—while pain-point marketing is essential, it's equally important not to dwell on the pain. Great content creators understand that effective marketing balances the focus on pain with providing solutions and offering hope. When you address specific pain points, you empathise with your audience and establish a connection. But then, you shift the narrative towards providing solutions, offering actionable steps, and inspiring them with a vision of a brighter future. The the power of pain lies in its ability to motivate action. Harness it by addressing your audience's pain points, but don't stop there. Offer solutions, inspire them with a vision of a better future, and empower them with actionable steps. That's the secret sauce to creating content that truly resonates and drives meaningful change.