A Guide to Problem Solution Advertising

We see ads almost EVERYWHERE. But what separates the good ads from the bad? Well, it’s as simple as knowing how to use advertising to solve problems for your customers. This approach is also known as Problem Solution advertising.

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at what makes this marketing strategy so effective. We’ll also look at the basics you need to learn to use this in your ad campaigns.

Are you ready to start solving problems in your ads? If so, keep on reading.

A guy marveling at the colorful billboards scattered across New York City.
Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash

Why Is Problem Solution Advertising Effective?

It’s often said that the key to successful marketing is to find the answer to your customer’s problems. And this is what problem solution advertising does. It asks potential customers questions and helps them solve their problems by offering the solution.

What’s more, this tactic makes purchasing from you even more likely. This is because it implies that your products go a long way toward solving their problem.

How to Discover Customer Problems

There are many ways to discover customer problems. You can conduct personal interviews, surveys, forums, social media polls, etc.

To help you more effectively discover the problems of your customers, try asking yourself these questions:

  • What are the goals and dreams of my target market?
  • Why is it difficult for them to solve this problem?
  • What are the steps they take to solve their problems?
  • Are there any specific things that my customers value?
  • What are the biggest pain points in my customer’s experience?
  • How hard have they worked to solve their problems in the past?
  • What is the top unmet demand in this marketplace?
  • What is success to them?
  • Who else is trying to solve the problem, and what is their approach?
  • What might discourage them from purchasing a product or service?
  • Who am I selling to?
  • What are the steps involved in their decision-making process?

Why You Should Sell Solutions, Not Features

A common mistake that marketers make is selling product features instead of solutions. Customers won’t be able to see the value of a product just by looking at its long list of features. You need to show them how these features can translate into benefits.

For example, a printer manufacturer might say that their printers are very easy to use and enable you to print from any device. This will sound more enticing than just stating that the printer comes with built-in Wi-Fi, 6-color printing, and a mobile printing app.

Customers will be more receptive if they believe you’re helping them. By using problem-solving techniques and value selling, you’ll be able to earn customer trust more easily and raise your sales.

Problem-solving helps your business stand out from the rest by proving that your products make customers’ lives easier.

How You Can Include Problem-Solving in Your Marketing

Here’s how to use problem-solution in your marketing.

1. Refocus Your Messaging

If you want to reach your ideal customer, your message must resonate with them and be directed at their pain points. They want a message that revolves around their problems. You should have a clear and concise message so that they quickly understand your main point.

Businesses tend to focus on themselves, their products, and their services in their messaging. Ensure you scan your messaging and focus your message on your customers and their problems.

2. Create Trigger Phrases

Trigger phrases are phrases that motivate or inspire a person to act. You can compare it to your call to action. Explain what you’re selling and what benefits they bring. Connect these to the customer’s “trigger phrases.”

These are important statements or questions and should be considered from your customer’s perspective, not your own.

3. Be Educational and Informative in Your Content.

Be mindful of the content you create, even if it doesn’t directly discuss your products or services. Show your knowledge of your customer’s problems in several formats.

These formats include blog posts, how-to articles, tutorial videos, and so on. Let them know you are experts in the field and can help them resolve their pain points. Actionable advice can help a great deal.

4. Make Your Prospects’ and Clients’ Lives Easier With Content Upgrades.

Use content upgrades to offer valuable information that your customers can download. This is an essential part of your lead generation efforts.

In this way, you can nurture them with additional helpful information. And this can help retain customer trust because they can see that you have the answers they are looking for.

5. Be Responsive to Customer Queries.

Messaging channels should not be one-way streets. They must be conversational tools. You can assure them that you are an authority in your field by responding to customer questions quickly and thoroughly.

6. Optimize Your Landing Page

Make sure you create a professional landing page. Write a bold headline for your website. This might be the first thing people see when they visit it. Try this headline with your ideal clients and ask for their honest feedback. Having online reviews can also provide valuable insight for optimizing your website.

7. Dive Deeper Than Basic Keywords

Keyword research is essential to getting the attention of your audience. But to have a real impact, go beyond just surface keywords. Try to focus on long-tail keywords to get targeted and address their problems.

8. Personalize Your Lead Generation Tactics

While problem-solving will contribute to your success, you must be unique and creative in how you tackle these issues. This will help you truly stand out and impact your market. 

Final Thoughts

The problem-solving approach to advertising has been around for a long time, yet it continues to get more and more attention. This strategy has time and again proven to be effective in growing business and increasing conversions.

Whatever industry you’re in, you can stand to gain a lot from using this solution-based marketing strategy.

Abir is a data analyst and researcher. Among her interests are artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing. As a humanitarian and educator, she actively supports women in tech and promotes diversity.

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