What Need(s) Do You Sell To? Do You Know?

One thing that’s always amazed me is how many businesses try to treat their audience like it’s one big block. We have segmentation and focus groups and self-selecting markets and opt-in mailing lists so easy a narcoleptic dog could manage it…

Yet we’re still holding onto the “customers as numbers” 50s mass-marketing mindset?

The Web, among many other things, demonstrates that we are all individuals. Millions and millions of individuals in fact. And all these individuals have needs.

What’s fascinating about needs is that each individual has different needs…but they tend to be different combinations of the same types of needs. For example – let’s say I need some information from a client on their new software app, so I can write content for it. Meanwhile, the client’s security consultant needs different information so he can run some tests on the network.

We both need information. From the same person, even. Just different kinds.

Address Different Needs for Different Groups In Your Web Content

The underlying reason for this is that human psychology doesn’t change (much). Treating customers like clones is self-sabotage at its finest. However, by addressing the same needs in different amounts, you can speak to a cluster of individuals at the same time.

(Not everybody, but groups within your audience. Can you name 3 such groups? No? Go back and do more research.)

The point I’m driving for here is that when you’re trying to sell – to individuals – you’re speaking to their needs. These needs may not be what you’re thinking of at the time. But if you consider that we as humans have different types of the same needs, it makes selling a little easier. Because you know what needs they have that you can address.

Since I’m a nice writer, I’ll post a few of the “human needs” to which we all respond, in different combinations. I use these all the time when writing content.

6 Types of Human Need to Address When Selling

• Need to belong in a group
• Need for comfort
• Need to feel safe, protected
• Need to impress others
• Need to help out
• Need to understand

I’ll go into more detail on these need types later. For now, remember when you’re planning your next marketing push to consider the individuals that make up your audience. They may be a likely buyer of your product…but the needs behind those purchases may vary. Speak to them. Sell to them.