Even if you're fairly new to internet marketing, you've probably come across experts explaining that marketing requires you hit on the emotional needs of your audience.
"Find their 'pain points',
include those in your writing, and then offer the solution".
By mentioning the pain points you're establishing a connection with your reader. They find themselves nodding their heads as they're reading, they know you understand what they're going through. They expect you've found the solution so
they'll keep reading.
I've read about the concept thousands of times and I've probably done it effectively by accident on several occasions but I couldn't exactly see how to use that as an Amazon Associate.
Something happened today that suddenly made this crystal clear and my little trick here doesn't just work for Amazon - it should be something you can use no matter what you're trying to sell online.
You
can use this in email marketing, getting email opt ins, listing your product on Amazon to sell directly, writing paid ads, other affiliate programs, digital products - you name it.
I've been working on a set of Facebook ads for my business. I purchased a book on Kindle to help me craft better ads
(http://www.amazon.com/Facebook-Marketing-Guaranteed-Results-Advertising-ebook/dp/B00P2KL8PE - NOT an affiliate link and, yes, well worth it if you want to improve your FB ad campaigns).
The author spent a lot of time going over how to create the best text for FB ads and he really pounded on the fact
that you have to find the "pain points" for your target audience.
I followed his instructions but I could tell I still wasn't getting it quite right.
And then...someone from my list sent me an email and spread throughout were all the pain points I'd ever need.
This is just a sample:
- "Depressed about inability to make things work online."
- "Frustrated because I haven't made strides."
- "Find myself
flitting from one thing to another."
- "Unable to focus on one thing long enough to make it profitable."
This woman literally handed me my FB ad campaign
text.
But, Amazon is never far from my mind so I went back to my original problem - what are the pain points if I'm selling something like kids toys, or a power tool, or a home appliance?
Dang it if those ideas weren't also sitting in my email.
Every time a visitor adds a comment on my site, I get an email. Those comments are filled with pain points:
- "I'm so confused..."
- "I'm torn between..."
- "I need help narrowing down..."
- "I've been researching these for months and can't decide..."
- "I have spent weeks trying to find..."
What if I don't have comments on a post? How might I find the pain points for that topic?
The answer is to find comments on other sites or to look at
what people are saying in forums. Find the frustrations.
Suppose you have a post on "long gold striped curtains". If the person is on your site instead of Amazon, there's a reason and it's probably because they couldn't quickly find what they wanted on Amazon.
(We've already talked about how Amazon search isn't perfect - it's one of our advantages.)
Find a site where people are
talking about finding the right curtains and you'll find the pain points. Choose the ones that apply to the products you're featuring in your content.
- "Struggling to find gold curtains that are long enough for my uniquely shaped
windows..."
- "Can't find just the right color...."
- "No store seems to have what I want..."
- "Don't want to pay for custom curtains..."
What if you're selling something that's like a toy or collectible? There are still pain points.
You know those big Lego sets that seem to run out fast at Christmas?
I'm a parent - I've done the mad dash store to store looking for the one, main thing on my child's list knowing that it was supposed to sell out fast. My pain points
were:
- "I really want to find this before they sell out..."
- "I'm afraid all the stores will run out of
stock..."
- "I'm afraid this isn't going to be on sale for very long..."
- "This is perfect for my child and I don't want to have to come up with a different idea..."
Find the pain points.
Pay attention to what your target audience is saying either to you or in discussions elsewhere about your
topic.
Fold those pain points into your writing - even for Amazon sites - and you'll be on your way to doing a better job of connecting with your reader. They're more likely to stick with your page and find their way to the products you recommend for solving their
problems.
Sincerely,
Erica Stone
erica@extremereviewer.com