Great Digital Content Leads Buyers to their Aspirations

By Kelsey Boudin
President and Founder, Southern Tier Communications Strategies, LLC

You may already know about the 8 buyer motives. Our good friends at HubSpot list them quite nicely here. They are:

1. Need
2. Acceptance
3. Fear
4. Health
5. Impulse
6. Pleasure
7. Financial Gain
8. Aspiration

The first six are easy-to-understand triggers and intrinsic human emotions. You need to buy toilet paper (most places in the civilized world). You seek acceptance from your peers. You fear what would happen to your family if you went without. Most people attend to their health to one degree or another. You may impulsively crave that magazine at the checkout counter. And, of course, the porn industry has a greater impact on the U.S. economy than Netflix because pleasure is among the most powerful human urges.

Financial gain and aspiration are a bit tougher to analyze case by case. In some ways, they’re two sides of the same coin. People aspire to wealth and wealth incubates further aspiration.

But aspiration, as the eighth and final buyer motive, is where digital marketers need to resonate most in their content marketing strategy. People naturally aspire to a better future or a greater state of being. They aspire in little ways — perhaps to become better at a personal skill like painting or writing. They aspire in big ways — perhaps to become a millionaire and assume control of the company. 

Your Digital Content Must Complement Buyer Aspirations 

What do I mean by complement? The consumer of your digital content — whether it’s your blog, podcast, YouTube video or whitepaper — must see themselves in your organization’s work. They came to you for professional advice on a pain point they’re experiencing. Ideally, you want them to envision walking in lockstep with your solution toward whatever end goal they might have.

Let’s say you oversee the marketing department of a B2B tech software company servicing utility companies. Your staff has worked diligently across all digital channels to become a “thought leader” in the industry. Your target buyer — a decision-maker at a utility company aiming to streamline services — has consumed dozens of pieces of your content searching for the answers to her questions. Now, you want her to picture your solution as a lantern lighting the way not only toward a better future for her company, but just as importantly, toward her own aspirations and ambition.

Why? Because while immediate organizational needs consciously drive your buyer’s day-to-day decisions, personal success subconsciously drags her out of bed every morning. 

But Aspiration Today Runs Even Deeper Than Personal Success

Social consciousness guides aspiration in today’s infinitely interconnected world, which seems ever on the brink of collapse. People want to take on the world not for the ownership of it, but for its benefit. And whereas previous generations typically held their own distinct characteristics, studies show the evolving social consciousness movement spans all living generations.

Keep these key points in mind as you craft your digital content for the ultimate impact.

Social Good

People today act (buy, vote and otherwise participate) on the premise that it will benefit someone in some way. Could it benefit the world? The region? Perhaps. Their communities? Sure. The people they serve? Absolutely. 

Creativity: The Infinite Resource

The world is no longer black and white. A million shades and hues, a thousand races and infinite possibilities all combine to be the ultimate solution machine. We’ve found that creativity — thinking outside the box and with a diverse team of stakeholders — solves significant problems easily. What’s more, creativity is an infinite resource that always returns to offer smart solutions.

Cooperation and Collaboration

Not long ago, an age of secrecy defined most industries. It was an ownership economy, and even employees were hesitant to share knowledge internally for fear of losing some competitive advantage. While trade secrets will always exist, an information economy today encourages the free flow of knowledge. In most professional circles, we have evolved to an understanding that cooperation, collaboration and synergy benefit everyone. Your buyers want to hear that we’re all in this together. They want to know you’ll be at their side through good and bad.

Honesty and Transparency

People have heard it all. The digital age spreads all sorts of nonsense and outrageous claims. It’s always “underground playbook” this, “workplace hacks” that and “insider secrets” the other thing. It’s no wonder people are jaded and suspicious. They hardly trust even the news anymore. Your buyers want honest communication with your brand, even if it’s you doing all the talking. They want to see the real and true you — warts and all, no more hiding, sharing successes and failures in hopes of working toward a greater good. 

Human Connection

Buyers are comforted by human connection. In an era when nearly everything is automated, it’s nice to know there’s an actual person on the other end. Buyers today aim to become closer to the source. They buy crafts directly from Etsy. They frequent their local winery or craft brewery to not only enjoy something handmade from the hearts of neighbors, but also to become a part of something. Your content should inspire them to join your organization’s movement.

Lead Buyers to their Aspirations Through Great Content Marketing

Craft your content marketing around the greater aspirations of your target buyers. They came to you for solutions. As you answer their questions and build a foundation of trust, remember your content must place the buyer where they hope to someday be. But doing so runs deeper than career or personal gains. Behind people’s aspirations today are key qualifiers like honesty and social justice. 

Meet those needs and you’ll inspire brand evangelists for life. If you need help, contact an experienced content marketing agency to plan and launch a strategy to meet your target audience.