There are so many different ways to approach your digital marketing strategy and it can be hard to work out which one is right for you and your business. With several tactics you could be following and new ones emerging each week, the ‘what's in it for me?’ (or WIIFM for short) rule is a great place to start and one that has proven results within the marketing industry. 

💭 ‘What's in it for me?’ Explained

On the surface, WIIFM is a very simple marketing rule to follow. It is a form of persuasive copywriting that encourages you to think about why your audience or customers should bother engaging with your content or product. It boils down to putting the customer's interests first when writing your copy.

Used successfully it can convince your audience that your service or product is important, of value and will give them something they want. You'll also be using it to explain why your audience should choose your product or service over your competitors. This doesn't however, mean listing features and becoming overly promotional or telling customers the problems they have that need solving - this is where attempts at WIIFM fail. 

🤔 Why does WIIFM matter?

The WIIFM rule is a great tool to help shape any form of copywriting. This includes blogging, non-linear content, website copy and social media campaigns! 

As a result of keeping the rule in mind when creating content, you are likely to have better customer satisfaction and engagement and can connect with your audience more easily. It can also be that deciding factor when a customer is considering purchasing your product. This should lead to further sales and consistent engagement with your audience and can be a great tool for retaining customers and giving them that reason to come back. 

Maybe you are currently putting a lot of energy into your marketing and reaping no rewards? You could be missing the mark and failing to address what your customers really want. A huge proportion of online marketing fails because it isn't about the reader but instead about the advertiser. As consumers, we purchase products and services, not the providers!

💬 How it can be used to improve your campaign messaging

The motivations and needs of your customers can be extremely specific and sometimes emotional. If you can address them in your copy you are much more likely to resonate with readers instead of all your hard work in terms of content going over the top of their heads. 

For the WIIFM rule to work it has to be used correctly - and this is the trickier part. You have a matter of seconds to get your customers on board and tell them what's in it for them. Don’t just list the features of your service, instead show customers the benefit they will get. 

Research is key; craft buyer personas, research competitors, learn how your audience communicates online and use platforms such as Quora and Reddit to find their pain points, aspirations and motivations. You can then craft a much more informed solution as a result. Never assume what you would want is what the customers want too.

With this information, you can now tackle your copy and aim to show your customers you can solve their problems. You should be mindful to keep all that research in mind when phrasing your content too - your own professional knowledge and jargon can be lost on your customers otherwise, so make sure you are using language they understand. Fundamentally customers want to know the practical benefits of your brand. 

Obviously, depending on your business and the research you carried out, you could have different results when using the WIIFM strategy to other businesses or industry professionals. Below are some great examples of the different ways WIIFM can be used. 

Apple is a great example of a big tech brand hitting the mark with its copy. You'll see that they craftily pair the features of their products such as the M2 chip and CPU with the reasons why this matters to the customer - in this case so that customers can get more done and ‘keep working - or playing - all night’.

Red Bull is a company that has been trying to sell you the benefits of their energy drinks since 1993.  No doubt we are all familiar with the term ‘it gives you wings’ but their witty marketing strategy expands further with them demonstrating specific scenarios the energy drink can actually help with.

EE is a recognised British brand but exists in a saturated market of phone providers. Despite this, each year they continue to be one of the most popular mobile networks in the UK and their marketing certainly enforces this. They tell customers exactly what they are getting and why it matters in a world where we are all so reliant on our phones. The copy seen above is straight to the point and captures a reader's attention within seconds. They even back up their claims with a dedicated page linked to their copy. 

With a myriad of marketing tools out there to choose from Later has its branding and copy nailed down. It effectively entices the audience and shows them how their service can directly help them and their specific needs as a business. Whilst they are appealing to a mass audience of different consumers, the problems they address are very real and common for the audience they are trying to target.

So when it comes to the next time you are writing copy - make sure you keep this handy little acronym in mind. It might just make the difference and boost your marketing efforts, taking your content to the next level. Remember to be creative and think outside of the box, the possibilities and ways of using this writing formula mean no two campaigns should be the same!

If you want to find out more about how we can help with your marketing strategy and craft engaging campaigns for your business, please don't hesitate to get in touch.