Brand Messaging That Makes You Stand Out: Put Your Customer First

What's the first thing people see when they land on your website?

Do they see paragraphs about your business or service and what you can do for them? Or statements that lay out the problem they're dealing with?

It seems logical to immediately mention who you are and what you offer. But that's not the best way to connect to your customers.

You have to let them know that you understand the pain they're going through.

"Pain" isn't physical pain. It could be something as simple as not being able to get a wine stain out of carpet.

Here's how you can write your copy to get more prospects converted to customers.

Focus on the Customer's Problem

Before you talk about yourself, point out what your customers are dealing with. Focus on the reason why they're on your website. They have a problem or a need they are trying to solve.

Talk about what's going on in their life that made them come to you in the first place.

Short and Punchy Headlines

Now is not the time to be asking questions.

For example, "Are you struggling with dirty carpets in your office building?" While it is talking about their problem, a more effective headline is, "Get rid of carpet stains."

It addresses the pain they have (stained carpets) and shows exactly how you can solve their problem. And you didn't mention yourself at all.

It's short and sweet. The most effective headlines are the shortest ones.

When it comes to copy, less is always more.

Don't Instantly Focus on You

It's a natural inclination to talk about ourselves first. People tend to write copy that's all about themselves and their business. It seems to make sense to immediately shine the spotlight on what your business offers.

But your prospects don't really care about you.

What they want to see is that you understand them and their problems.

Here's another example.

Let's say you help B2B companies make more sales and generate more leads. Your headline might say, "I help B2B companies improve their sales tactics." Or "We've been teaching B2B companies how to generate more leads for 20 years."

A stronger headline says, "Make more sales and attract more leads." This addresses the real problem your prospects are dealing with. (Not making enough sales and leads).

When to Mention Yourself

So, when do you mention who you are and what you do? You may want to say, "We've been cleaning carpets since 1985." Or "I provide high-quality pictures for all your wedding needs."

There is a place for sentences like these.

Coming back to our stained carpets example, you might say, "I clean carpets for commercial buildings in the Savannah area."

Otherwise, some sentences would sound awkward. You don't want to end up with, "Are you a commercial building in the Savannah area? Get clean carpets."

At certain times, talking about yourself is necessary. Just not right off the bat.

Make Your Customers Feel Understood

This is why you focus on your customer and their pain first.

People want to be understood.

Taking the time to show you understand your customer's problems will help them see you as a better choice to solve their problems.

If you were dealing with an issue and were searching online for a company to help you out, who would stand out to you more?

The company whose website greeted you by talking about what they offer?

Or the company who instantly made you feel like they knew exactly what you were going through?

Most people resonate with the second company. Even if they both offer the same product or service, you would want to use them because you felt like they understood you.

Show Your Customers You Care

Making that connection is crucial to closing more sales and gaining more leads.

When you focus on your customers, they see you care about them.

People want to feel like they're the only person in the world you're talking to. They want to know that you understand the problems in their life and business.

Once that fire is sparked, they feel as if only you know how to best serve them. As if you know how to make their pain go away better than anybody else.

They're going to be comparing you to several other similar companies. The one who connects with them on the deepest level is almost certainly going to be the one they give their business to.

Next Steps

Put yourself in your customer's shoes and go visit your website.

Take a hard look at your copy. What sort of impression are you making in the first few seconds?

If you're not focusing on your customer and the problem they're dealing with, rewrite your copy to reflect that. Move the first mention of yourself down the page.

When a potential customer feels like you understand exactly what they're dealing with, they trust you. They see you as the expert to fix their problems. And you'll stand out from the crowd like no other.

Also worth reading: Are You Really Customer-Centric?

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does customer-focused brand messaging work better than talking about yourself? When a prospect lands on your website, they're not there to learn about you. They're there because they have a problem and they're hoping you can solve it. If your first sentence names that problem and shows you understand it, they keep reading. If your first sentence is about how long you've been in business, most of them leave.

How do I rewrite my website copy to focus on my customer? Start with your homepage headline. Ask yourself: does this describe my customer's situation or my company's background? If it's about you, rewrite it around the problem your customer is trying to solve. A simple test is to replace "we" and "our" with language that puts the customer in the sentence. You'll usually find the copy gets sharper right away.

What if my business offers many different services? How do I pick one problem to lead with? Pick the problem your best customers hired you to solve. Not every service, just the one that gets people in the door. A plumber with 12 service lines still leads with "stop the leak" because that's what sends someone searching at 11pm on a Tuesday. Once they trust you with that, they'll learn about everything else.

How quickly do I need to mention my company on the homepage? You don't need to avoid it entirely. You just don't want it to be the first thing someone reads. Lead with the customer's problem, show you understand it, then introduce your company as the solution. By the time you mention your name, the reader already has a reason to care who you are.

Does this approach work for B2B companies too, or just consumer brands? It works especially well for B2B. Business buyers are still people with real frustrations, deadlines, and consequences if they make the wrong call. The B2B buyer reading your site at 9pm is thinking about their boss, their budget, or the deal they might lose. Name that pressure and they'll feel understood in the same way any consumer would.