Earlier this year, I found myself in front of a group of middle school theater students, walking them through how to define a target audience and value proposition for a small business. It was part of a cool project—the kids were creating commercials for small businesses in Holly Springs. They were all in: writing scripts, acting, and editing. Their finished pieces were shown at a big fundraising event where each business was recognized as a sponsor. Although their teacher is all over dance and musical theater, marketing isn’t her forte, so I came in to help them connect the dots.
I took the students through the same process I use with clients (side note: this is available as a free download on our website. Go get yours!).
Interestingly, the second question tripped them all up.
What shared pain points do your buyers have related to your products or services?
The students answered the question with benefits that the businesses offer:
- “Our ice cream is handmade locally!”
- “Our fences keep your dog and kids in your yard!”
- “Our gym helps people combat obesity!”
These kids did exactly what most grown-up business owners do. They talked about benefits, not pain points. They had a strong grasp of what each business does well, but had to bend their brains to think about the customer’s struggles.
You may also be interested in: 3 reasons why everyone isn’t your customer
What are pain points in marketing?
A pain point is a problem your customer already knows they have. It’s something that’s frustrating them, slowing them down, costing them time or money, or actively bothering them.
Take an accounting firm, for example. They don’t win clients by listing credentials or software certifications on their website; they gain new business when people panic because their books are a mess, tax deadlines are looming, and their current provider won’t return their calls.
That’s the moment they start Googling, and that’s when your messaging needs to show up like a calm voice saying, “We’ve got you. We clean up messy books and help you avoid surprise tax bills.”
“We are a full-service accounting firm specializing in small business bookkeeping and payroll” doesn’t have quite the same impact.
The 5 types of pain points
In marketing, pain points are specific problems, challenges, or frustrations that your target audience is experiencing. Addressing them directly in your messaging is one of the most effective ways to attract and convert customers.
Most pain points fall into one of these buckets:
- Financial: “We’re spending way too much on software no one even uses.”
- Time/productivity: “Why does this process require three different interconnected spreadsheets?”
- Convenience: “This platform has 87 buttons and none of them are helpful.”
- Support: “We haven’t heard from our account manager in six months.”
- Emotional: “I feel like I’m missing something everyone else has figured out.”
Let’s turn the students’ benefits into pain points
Back to the kids and their ice cream shop: “Our ice cream is handmade locally!” Great. But what’s the customer’s problem?
“I’m tired of freezer-burned factory ice cream that tastes like cardboard.” Now we’re getting somewhere.
When you flip the script to make the conversation about the target customer, that person is more likely to hear your message.
Same with the fence company:
- Benefit: “Our fences keep your dog in the yard!”
- Pain point: “Now I’m that neighbor on Facebook because the dog keeps slipping out of our broken gate.”
Or the gym:
- Benefit: “We help people combat obesity!”
- Pain point: “I want to lose weight, but I can’t stick with a routine.”
QUICK TIP: We find the Storybrand framework particularly helpful to get you thinking more about your audience and the problems you solve for them. You can learn more about Storybrand on their website, or, even better, get the book.
You may also be interested in: How to leverage the power of storytelling in your marketing
Real-life examples
On our own website, we talk about what marketing leaders are tired of: “Cut through the frenzy of marketing activities to focus on what’s really driving your business goals.”
In other words; we know you’re overwhelmed, stretched too thin, and not sure what’s working. Let’s fix that.
One of our clients, Realtor Lauren Fours, says this on her homepage: “Life is hard. Buying or selling a home shouldn’t be.”
Again, pain first. Then the promise. It’s a one-two punch that works.
Want better marketing results? Start with the pain.
Marketers love to talk about efficiency, innovation, and seamless integrations. Which is fine, except everyone else is saying the same thing. But when you start with your customer’s pain—the thing that’s driving them nuts, costing them time, or keeping them up at night—they stop and pay attention.
So, next time you write copy or brainstorm a campaign, skip the features and fluff. Ask: “What’s driving them crazy right now?”
Then talk about that.
If you need help getting started, our Marketing Mentorship could be just what you need, especially if hiring a marketing agency is out of reach for you right now. Click to learn how to DIY your marketing with professional assistance.
