Society is full of people who need things
They won't buy your product simply because your company is socially responsible.
“If you want to know why society seems to shun you, or why you seem to get no respect, it's because society is full of people who need things. They need houses built, they need food to eat, they need entertainment, they need fulfilling sexual relationships. “
Does this sound relevant? It’s a quote from an article on honest truths that is, fair warning, both vulgar and honest. It’s mostly written for 20-something-year-old men who are struggling in life - can’t get a girl, have no passion, etc. But, the point of the article is that people have needs.
Whether those needs are being met by a person or a product is irrelevant. The message is the same:
“Either you will go about the task of seeing to those needs by learning a unique set of skills, or the world will reject you, no matter how inoffensive and courteous you are. You will be poor, you will be alone, you will be left out in the cold.”
Now, let’s reshape that for brands:
Either you will go about the task of seeing to people’s needs by building a product that solves them or the market will reject you, no matter how eco-friendly and socially-responsible you are.
Before anything else, tell me how you solve my problem.
Brands will often lead with something about their company’s practices. “We’re eco-friendly” is a common one. That’s great. Except…
Nobody cares.
Okay, people might care but that’s not what’s going to convince them to buy your product. You need to start by telling them how your product is uniquely qualified to solve their specific need.
Let’s look at an example. Here’s the second section from a client’s site that I’m working on.
That is:
Made in the USA
Toxin-Free
Responsibly Crafted
Cook for Good
Before I know anything about the product and how it’s uniquely qualified to solve my need you’re telling me:
We’re not made in China, we don’t use toxic coatings, we don’t source our products irresponsibly, and we don’t keep all the profits for ourselves.
Back to a quote from that article:
“Well, I'm not sexist or racist or greedy or shallow or abusive! Not like those other [d-bags].”
“I’m sorry, I know that this is hard to hear, but if all you can do is list a bunch of faults you don't have, then back the [expletive] away from the patient. There's a witty, handsome guy with a promising career ready to step in and operate.”
Think about your brand. There are dozens of brands that can tout the same responsible practices as you. If all you have to say about your brand is a list of faults you don’t have, I’m out.
So, what should you say?
Again, I’ll repeat myself here. Tell me how you’re uniquely qualified to solve my specific need. If you’ve read my previous issues you may know I’m a Hydrant fanboy, but lets look at their website again:
“Meet the fastest way to rehydrate.”
“A refreshing hydration mix, created to hydrate you quickly. Lightly flavored with real fruit juice powder, our no-nonsense, versatile product contains the precise blend of electrolytes you need to own your day.”
Notice how nothing here is screaming: “We don’t have a ton of sugar like those other sports drinks”
Instead, they say this product is meant to hydrate you quickly, it’s flavored with real fruit juice, and it has the perfect blend of electrolytes you need.
This copy focuses completely on what their product does for you.
If you scroll through their entire home page you will not see a single piece of copy about their mission, or how they’re changing the world, or how responsible they are. I’m making an assumption, but it seems like they know those things are table-stakes in 2020, not differentiators.
Okay but some people care about how good we are, right?
If you’ve done your job of showing customers how you are—I’ll say one more time—uniquely qualified to satisfy their need, great! That’s a huge first step.
Now you need to convince them they should buy from you instead of your competitors. This is when customers may go looking for information about how you source your products, where they’re made, how you treat your employees, etc.
You can either put this information further down your PDP/landing or on a separate page all together. Again, looking at Hydrant, they put their company information on the ‘about’ page of their site.
That’s not exactly the easiest place to find it, which confirms what I’ve been saying all along.
That’s all, folks
Alright, that’s it for issue number 2. Apologies if this was a bit long and ramble-y. Still working on becoming a better writer so bear with me!
If you enjoyed this issue, please share the Twitter thread:
This newsletter is unofficially brought to you by Civitas. Civitas makes graphic tees for the DTC community and their new “DTC FAM” shirt is live for pre-order! Represent the DTC community by pre-ordering this super comfortable t-shirt today!
Want to be featured here in the next issue? Let me know and I’m happy to promote something cool you’re working on
.