Emotional benefits: tapping into the big enough “why”

It’s that time of year when you and I and millions of other people get serious about setting personal goals and benchmarks for the coming year. I don't know about you, but as part of this annual exercise, I don’t just make a list of what I want to accomplish, I also take a good look at why I want those things.

Evidence shows that if we want something badly enough, the action towards that goal is much more likely to become part of our daily lives. We will find a way to make it happen. And when we don’t really know why we want something, all of our well-intentioned behaviors— whether running every day or following our new marketing plans— eventually get abandoned.

In motivational circles, this is called having a big enough “why.” The premise is that if you have a strong reason for accomplishing your goals, your chances of success go up dramatically.

What does this have to do with how you’re writing your marketing materials?

It’s simple. If your copy provides your audience with good reasons to sit up and pay attention, they're a lot more likely to do that. If you give them a good reason to respond, more of them will. If not, they’ll move on. It's the same with the media. If you can provide reporters and producers with a good hook, one that resonates with their idea of what’s important (not yours), then your odds become a whole lot better.

In marketing speak, this all boils down to what is called the emotional benefit. And you get to it by exploring questions like these:

• What are the benefits of using your service or product as compared with similar offerings?

• Which features offer those benefits? How?

• What are the positive feelings associated with those benefits? How does that translate in daily life?

• Which negative feelings are alleviated by those benefits? How?

In media terms, you might ask:

• Who really cares about this story? 

• Why do they care? What buttons does it push?

• How does this news really affect the community, the industry, the daily lives of the customers and clients we serve?

• Is there a larger context that we're missing?

Let’s face it. No one can guarantee that your firm will be selected for the contract, or that your target market will buy your latest offering or that the media will swarm over your big news. But if you’ve spent the time to communicate a big enough why in your marketing materials, your press materials, your web site, then you are taking control of the message. You are doing your part to make your marketing communications goals happen.

Have you given your audience a strong reason to favor your solution over the competition? Have you connected with them in a way that truly resonates?