Marketing and Branding Tips: 5 Benefits of Making Your Customer the Hero of Your Story
- Written by Adam Jacobs
When you create your marketing and branding materials, who are you mostly talking about? If you’re like most companies, you would say “My customers!”
Perhaps you spend time detailing your customers’ needs and then presenting yourself as the solution. That’s the usual strategy for marketing, and it can be effective. However, there’s a better option.
What if instead of presenting your company as the hero who saves the day, you made your customer the hero?
Let’s take a look at the benefits of this approach to customer focus.
When the Customer is the Hero, They’re Committed
Everyone knows they have problems, but most people aren’t used to being the hero. They are accustomed to having businesses swoop in and offer the dream solution for “only $19.99!” Consumers don’t believe these promises and tend to brush them off.
However, when you make the customer the hero, you build a new level of commitment. People want to see themselves succeed. They are suddenly very engaged with what you’re saying and rooting for themselves to win.
This commitment means that customers will engage with your message and be much more likely to choose to buy from you as they move toward their goals.
It Gives You a Chance to Build User-Generated Content
When you position yourself as the hero who saves the poor customer in distress, all the pressure is on you. You have to tell the story, create the images, and make it persuasive.
When you make your customer the hero, it shifts things. You get an opportunity to let your customers create the narrative. They can share their stories, images, and information.
Not only does this make things more interesting and easier for you, but it also connects with customers on a much deeper level. In fact, user-generated content is a powerful tool and marketing approach that has been used by major companies around the world.
You Connect With a Universal Narrative
Why do you think that every movie in the world has almost the same story arc? You start with an average person who is then pushed into a challenging situation. They meet a wise guide who can teach them what they need to know.
From there, they step out and prove to themselves and others that they are more than they dreamed. In other words, they’re a hero.
It’s a universal story that everyone wants to live. In my work with Bubblegum Casting, I work with kids all the time and I’ve never seen one that doesn’t want to be a superhero.
Although we all grow up and pursue more mundane things, the truth is we never stop wanting to be heroic. When your marketing taps into this, it will be extraordinarily successful.
Build Your Marketing and Branding Around the Customer
It’s not enough to point out a need and then offer your company’s products and services as the solution. That positions you as the hero, and the consumer can easily brush off your offer.
Instead, put the customer at the centre of the story. When they’re the hero, and you’re just that wise guide we spoke of earlier, the consumer will be infinitely more invested in the adventure. As a result, your marketing and branding will get their full attention.
So if you’re ready to help others succeed — and build your bottom line at the same time? It’s time to let the customer be the hero!
Adam Jacobs is the incredibly busy Managing Director of Bubblegum Casting and Hunter Talent. He works with some of Australia’s biggest brands, media properties and agencies to secure talented children to work in Television, Film and Modelling roles. They’ve recently launched an office in LA as well.
