Thread by @KateBour

Marketing is harder than ever

Wanna quickly figure out what works with buyers?

You don’t need to spend 100s of hours doing research

There are only 4 questions you *really* need to answer to get started

If you can these Qs, coming up with smart marketing ideas feels easy

🧵

You need to know:

1. What triggers people to begin the buying journey?
2. What job are they trying to get done?
3. What are their pains with other solutions?
4. What are their selfish desires?

Answer these 4 Qs and you've got the foundation of your next big idea

I call this the Trigger Technique

It’s a simple strategy framework to turn real customer stories into smart marketing ideas that work

The best part? You don’t need to convince your team or client to *let* you do research

You can get everything you need from ONE buyer interview

Let’s explore the Trigger Technique using an example…

I recently interviewed Jess (not her real name) about her decision to buy a BarkBox subscription

I asked Jess to retrace her buying journey in detail

What she shared was powerful and helped me come up with a killer idea

Q1: What triggered Jess to begin the buying journey?

A “trigger event” is a moment when your buyer moves from being uninterested in your product to being in the market for a new solution

Fun fact: Marketers who leverage trigger events spend 80% less on direct marketing costs 😲

Q2: What “job” was Jess trying to get done?

People don’t buy because of *who* they are

They buy because they have specific “jobs” they want to get done and they “hire” products to help them

When you understand the job, you can position your product as the best solution

Q3: What pains did Jess have with other solutions?

Buyers typically seek out, try, and buy many different solutions to get their job done before looking for a product like *yours*

If you know what else they’ve looked at, you can find clever ways to get in front of buyers sooner

Q4: What were Jess’ *selfish* desires?

People buy for emotional reasons and then justify their decisions with logic

When you understand the underlying personal motivations of your buyers, you can craft messages and offers that get them reaching for their wallets

After just ONE customer interview...

You have the foundation of a killer marketing campaign

Think of these 4 cornerstone insights as your raw ingredients

And, much like cooking, the magic is how you combine these ingredients 👩‍🍳

Here’s a 5-step recipe to follow...

Step 1: Choose target buyer

Be specific about who you want to reach and, most importantly, *when* you want to reach them

When you know the trigger event and job they’re trying to get done, pinpointing the right target buyer is easy

Step 2: Identify target moments

You already understand your buyer's "job" and pains with other solutions

Combining these insights will inspire clever ways to get in front of buyers sooner

You’ll discover channels and opportunities that aren’t even on your competitor’s radar

Step 3: Brainstorm marketing ideas

If you’re a creative person, then you’ll be brimming with ideas by this point

And your ideas are more likely to work because you’re targeting the right people at the right moment

(Rather than blindly following the latest marketing trend)

Once you’ve picked an idea, you’re ready for the next step

Step 4: Craft your promise

You already know what buyers have tried and how other solutions fell short and you know what selfish desires drive buyers

Combining these insights can help you craft a compelling promise

Step 5: Choose your call-to-action

You’ve got a great idea and strong promise—now you need a call to action

When you understand your buyer’s underlying selfish desires...

And you know what triggered them to begin the buying journey...

You can entice them to act now

This is powerful stuff, right?

You don’t need to spend weeks doing research or digging through survey data

Just ONE customer interview paired with The Trigger Technique framework can unlock 10, 20, or even 100 highly-targeted marketing ideas

CONFETTI POP 🎉

Every buyer journey begins with a trigger event

That’s why smart marketers start there too

If you want to get in front of buyers sooner, in less crowded channels, with better messages…

And wow your team/client in the process...

It’s time to try The Trigger Technique!

Did you find this thread helpful?

Follow me for more marketing tips

And if you could give the thread a quick retweet, I’d be so grateful 🙏

https://twitter.com/KateBour/status/1451262731659751425

I should add that the Trigger Technique framework was inspired by the work to many smart people:

JTBD: @bmoesta @claychristensen @alanklement @Ulwick

Value prop canvas: @AlexOsterwalder

Trigger events: @CraigElias

Obviously Awesome: @aprildunford

4-fits framework: @bbalfour

Psssst: I've gotten 100s of requests asking for more info on the Trigger Technique

We're working on a new masterclass that will launch in Jan/Feb 2022

Only 100 spots will be available—jump on the waitlist below to get first dibs 👇

subscribepage.com/saveseat_copy