We’ve all been challenged to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. We hear it but do we have any idea what it means? Empathy is a hard one for us to wrap our minds around. It is a skill that can and should be learned by every copywriter. But how does one learn empathy?
Em-pa-thy
-noun
1.the intellectual identification with or vicarious experiencing of the feelings, thoughts, or attitudes of another.
2.the imaginative ascribing to an object, as a natural object or work of art, feelings or attitudes present in oneself: By means of empathy, a great painting becomes a mirror of the self.
Companies need to have empathy for their customers. “People want nothing but mirrors around them. To reflect them while they’re reflecting too.” This quote is from The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand and perfectly sums up what people desire when they are interacting with companies, products and/or services. As a company, you have the opportunity to show empathy to your target market through your website 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. [Your website even works holidays!]
The copy on your website is a conversation with your customers. If you use your website as a platform for authentic communication, you will build a loyal following. Statistics show that a majority of people scan website pages because we are all too busy. I am too busy to read copy that doesn’t relate to me but I find the time to read every word of a web page I feel is directly speaking to me. So how do you have empathy in your writing?
1. Recognize your consumer’s problems, needs and desires
2. Legitimize their problems, needs and desires
3. Offer support & partnership – Position your product/service to address their problems, needs and desires
To recognize your consumer’s problems, needs and desires, you need to do your research. Assumptions about your consumers usually end up being completely off-base. Through research, you will be able to understand your target market.
With research based information in hand, you will be able to legitimize your consumer’s problems, needs and desires much easier. If you can’t personally relate, then you will have to try to imagine what it would be like to be your consumers. Many times, you won’t have the same experiences but similar ones to call on. This is “vicarious experiencing of the feelings, thoughts, or attitudes of another.” Not an easy concept obviously but one worth trying to comprehend.
When you are able to write with empathy, your website becomes the perfect tool of partnership and support to your customers. When you have empathy for your customers, you will be able to address their problems, needs and desires with compelling information, blog articles, videos, etc. There are many ways to support your community and they will vary based on the information you glean from your research.
Empathy will open up the communication lines between you and your target market. By utilizing empathy, you will be able to authentically build relationships with your customers that will last a lifetime.
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