Watch Your Tone
Whether we’re aware of it or not, we change our speech, writing, and actions to match our surroundings. This adaptation is crucial to success in all areas of life. Without it, we would come across ineffective, awkward, and out of place. We often do this instinctively to gain credibility and feel like part of the group. The easiest place to see this in action is in the way we talk to different groups of people. You don’t use the same words or tones with your clients and your golf buddies (at least I hope you don’t.)
This desire to match is why nailing the tone and messaging in your ads and marketing material is so key. It’s why brands are constantly chasing cultural relevance and why so many ads seem to reference memes a few weeks or months late. It’s responsible for the cringy corporate Twitter accounts and trendy combo meals named for celebrities. While these efforts might resonate with some potential customers, they often alienate others. Still, sometimes you have to take a risk, and you ultimately cannot please everyone.
If we can reach customers where they are, we can tailor our sales and marketing efforts with relevant information and eliminate the irrelevant bits. The wrinkle is understanding how to present things; you need to know their needs, wants, and personality. What’s important to them? What stirs emotion? Why are they seeking a new roof? What drew them to you and your company? What features and benefits are they looking for?
You need to ask the right questions. Dialing in on a customer’s needs is a skill in its own right, and you’ll need time to develop it. Social media has already gone through this process with targeted Google Ads and Facebook groups. Marketing tools make this division easier, allowing you to filter by demographic and location to deploy ads exactly where they should perform best.
Interestingly, AI might be the ultimate example of this need to blend in. After all, our current grasp of AI takes an existing set of information to make connections and spit out its best guess. It may provide a window into the consensus, but take any answers with a grain of salt.
We’re fortunate to exist in a time with a plethora of tools, advantages, and methods to reach potential customers. Unfortunately, everyone has access to these advances, leading to the breakneck information economy. We all want a piece, but customers have less time and attention to spare than ever. If you can pierce through the noise and resonate with their needs, you’ve got a much better shot. Find their problems, solve them, and make it easy for people to do business with you.
Todd Miller has spent his entire career in the metal building products manufacturing industry. He is president of Isaiah Industries, an organization recognized as one of the world’s leading metal roofing manufacturers. Todd is currently Vice President of the MRA (Metal Roofing Association) and a Past Chair of MCA (Metal Construction Association). Through his website, he strives to raise the bar on standards and practices to provide property owners with the best possible products for successful roofing projects.
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