Yada Yada Yada: The Importance of Communication

We’ve talked about the importance of communication during a crisis, but what about communication as an everyday part of your marketing strategy, particularly when the regular in-person opportunities are less frequent or non-existent due to a pandemic? Communication is one of the most important tools in your marketing toolbox. How, when, on what channels, and how often you communicate all play a role in shaping the voice of your company and in forming the relationship with your audience. As we adjust back from 100% remote work to variations of normalcy, it’s clear that business as we know it is changed. Thus, you have the opportunity to assess your communication strategy with your consumer’s new needs specifically in mind. How do they make decisions? What do they need to know in order to sign up for your services? What do they truly care about? The more you understand the inner workings of your audience, the more powerful your strategy and communication will be. 

You probably already naturally adjust your methods of communication style depending on who you’re talking to. When you’re talking with a busy client who often has another meeting in thirty minutes and doesn’t mince words, you’re likely quick and to the point in your conversations with them. When speaking with a client who you know loves to chat, you may slow your cadence and spend a good five minutes talking about her daughter and what colleges she is applying to. We make these changes because when we communicate, we’re conveying two things: the content of the message, and the feeling behind the message. You adapt your approach because different people are expecting different feelings from us. These rules of engagement remain true across all communication; in-person, digital, in print, and through your physical space, too. If you do not understand what your client needs in this specific moment, you may likely be missing opportunities to meet them where they are and build a strong consumer relationship and grow your business. In order to do this, you must intimately understand your customer, what they care about, and the decision drivers that lead to purchase. 

Creating the most powerful brand voice requires you to have a deep understanding of your client and how they make decisions. Once you understand their process, you can craft your language to meet them where they are and build a long-lasting relationship with them that leads to success. Below is a schematic I’ve used for years when teaching students. You might look at it and think, “Well yes, of course! This makes sense.” But, there’s a lot to be gained when using the process of decision making to inform your brand and communication strategy.  

Long, W. and Cooper, I. 2011

A lot of our decision making process happens subconsciously. The entire left half of the diagram, the experience, the “gut instinct,” is happening for your customer beneath the surface. Over on the right are the things that your customer is actively aware of doing while deciding whether or not to pursue a relationship with your company. Reading reviews, checking specifications, researching your company’s reputation are all very active. The full process, however, is a blend of the two. Some may be heavier in analysis or heavier in intuition, but they work together in a unique web for each decision they make. 

Strategically, we must think about where on the wheel our clients are likely to be. How are your clients making their decisions? Are they leaning more toward intuition or past experience? Do they value analysis of data or testimonials? Only once you have this answer can you tailor your communications to perfectly suit your unique prospects. 

So how do we do that? By crafting the right message for the right person. Let’s play out two scenarios.  Think about the last time you had to purchase a refrigerator. What were your main concerns? Did thinking about the purchase give you great joy or cause you anxiety? A refrigerator is a functional and durable purchase and is often not a purchase you’ve likely made many times, meaning you’d probably want to do a fair amount of research to know what you need. There are a plethora of options for refrigerators, though, once you identify your budget and requirements. For some, this may be purely an analytical purchase. For others, they may be drawn to a specific design that reminds them of their grandmother’s kitchen or a feature that connects with them emotionally - perhaps they always imagined having a refrigerator with filtered water and ice as being a marker for successful adulthood. Understanding your particular client, and meeting them where they are, can differentiate your refrigerator from the many other competitors. Once you know what your ideal client cares about, you can meet them where they are and they trust you. 

Now let’s talk about cancer treatment centers. Hospitals and health systems tend to focus their brand messaging around either comfort & care or their success statistics. For some patients diagnosed with a terminal illness, the fear, desperation, anger, etc. inevitably lead to an emotionally charged decision. These types of decision makers may want to go to the hospital that felt trustworthy and safe. If the top doctor worked in a hospital that felt cold, distant, and desolate, that patient might have strong reservations about choosing that doctor -- possibly even discounting the actual reputation or quality of the doctor. However, for others, they may be laser focused on success metrics. Under stress, they may turn to the numbers and want to go to the place with the highest data success rates, and care very little about the aesthetics of the location or the bedside manner of the doctor as long as they know they are in the very best hands. Their decision making, then, would require an understanding of the analytical data to quantifiably show that the hospital is the best at saving lives. For that potential patient, numbers and data matter most to inform the decision. Different people create different sets of criteria that uniquely balance their intuition and analysis. The more you know about your customer’s decision making process (or processes), the better you can support them in trusting you and engaging with your services. 

Understanding how your customer thinks when it comes to your product or service is critical. If your communication from the very beginning is connecting to their natural thought process and considerations, you gain their trust from the moment they see your brand. This understanding also feeds your workflow and communication priorities. If you have a product that leans heavily on intuitive decision making, you may find great value in creating a community of users who can connect with one another and share testimonials, guidance, and support. Perhaps you would create virtual support groups and provide spaces of community and connection. Through your marketing materials, you might choose to feature images of families in action as opposed to close ups of your product. If your service is one that requires data, you would be remiss in creating a warm fuzzy site that doesn’t include the statistics that inform a decision. If market research shows that a customer needs to know the safety rating of the product from a reputable source, and then they are ready to buy, put that information at the top! Highlight the studies, emphasize the success of the product, and lean into the data. Your ultimate goal is to be engaging in the right conversation from the beginning. The best way to do this is by knowing what your customer wants to talk about. 

Your communication is, and will remain, deeply important to your brand recognition and trust. How well do you understand your customers? Has their decision making process changed since the pandemic? Or, has your ability to converse with them in the language they speak changed as a result of a recalibrated balance in work and home life? The more you have strong answers to these questions, the more effective your communication and messaging will be, pandemic or not.