Your Product Isn’t the Hero, Yet—Their Problem Is

Harsh reality time: People don’t care about your product. They care about their problems.

It’s a harsh truth, but one that every company needs to embrace. You might have the most innovative, groundbreaking product on the market, but if your messaging is focused solely on its features and benefits, you’re missing the mark. Why? Because your ideal customer profile (ICP) isn’t searching for your product; they’re searching for solutions to their problems.

People don’t care about your product – they care about their problems.

The Psychology of Pain

Psychologists have long understood that humans are hardwired to focus on negative experiences and potential threats. This negativity bias means that your ICP is actively seeking out ways to alleviate their pain points. And this is your entry point.

The top of the funnel (TOFU) is where you need to capture attention. This isn’t the time to wax poetic about your product’s technical specs or its superiority over the competition. Instead, you should be addressing the issues, challenges, or problems that are front and center in the minds of your prospects.

Hook Them with Relevance

Think about the last time you searched online for a solution to a problem. Did you care about the brand name of the product that solved it? Likely not. What mattered most was that the content you found spoke directly to your needs, your frustrations, and your goals. This is what TOFU content should do.

Create content that speaks directly to the pain points of your ICP. Whether it’s a blog post, a white paper, or a social media update, make sure it’s centered on the challenges your prospects are facing. By doing this, you’re positioning your brand as a trusted advisor who understands their struggles and can guide them toward a solution.

Earn Their Attention, Then Sell

There’s a time and place for touting the virtues of your product, and that’s on your website, in the middle and bottom of the funnel. But you can’t jump straight to the sales pitch without first earning their attention. Once you’ve hooked them with relevant, problem-solving content, they’ll naturally progress down the funnel where they’ll be more receptive to learning about how your product can help them.

In the end, it’s about shifting your mindset. Stop thinking about your product as the hero of the story. Instead, position your customer and their problems at the center. When you do this, your messaging becomes infinitely more compelling, and your brand becomes the go-to solution for those actively seeking answers.

Remember: Your ICP isn’t interested in what you’re selling—they’re interested in solving their problems. Speak to that, and the rest will follow.

Not sure where to start when identifying the problems of your ideal customer profile? There’s no time like the present, reach out today with absolutely no strings attached.