When you read content intended for YOU as a customer, how often have you felt unimpressed and unmoved? The most powerful messages: be it ad copy, website content, email, or a sales pitch – are written from one POV – the customer’s. I apply the WIIFM principle to: – craft the value proposition and messaging for a business – edit copy for consumer brands
WIIFM is a great way for marketers to translate business speak, and brand features into what really matters to customers. By answering “What’s In It For Me” on behalf of each of your customer segments or buyer personas, you can put value proposition at the very core of your messaging. The #1 Rule of creating customer-facing content is to: – translate features into benefits – positioning into value proposition – credentials into a promise – purpose into relevance – policy into practice – culture into commitment
Seems fundamental right? Yet, when messaging is put together: whether it is brand collateral, a website page, or a profile deck – it is all too easy to forget this rule. The result? Bland content in the name of brand content. Messaging that fails to answer WIIFM to your target customer, is messaging that fails!
A few simple examples:
Brand: We have been around for 25 years. The customer: What’s In It For Me? Edited content: You can leverage our expertise of 25 years to grow your business. Or We have seen clients through varied business cycles across 25 years. Or We are a resilient partner with a proven track record of staying current and relevant for over two decades.
Brand: We are XYZ platform certified. The customer: What’s In It For Me? Edited content: Our certifications give us access to personalized support and advanced tools which we deploy for you.
Employer Brand: We respect work-life integration. Prospective Hire/Talent: What’s In It For Me? Edited content: Our work-life integration is not just policy but is practiced in everyday work culture. This means your personal time is respected.
These are oversimplified examples. I have applied ‘WIIFM’ countless times, to fix various aspects of a brand’s messaging, tone, or content. You can do it too!
Take any piece of important messaging for your brand or business. Read it. Now ask, as your customer: “What’s in it for me?”
If the content did not answer WIIFM impressively, it needs a rewrite (or a rethink!).
If WIIFM helped you improve ONE thing in your content, please share it here. WIIFM you ask? Good karma of sharing with one another.
Pavithra 