To win eyeballs you might want to first imagine they are yours.
It’s very easy to look at perceived behavior and data, and project what people want. But it’s another thing to empathize with the experience of your key customers to better understand where they might be coming from and what they need from you.
You want their attention, their eyeballs, but what you really need are their eyes.
To better understand how to get their attention, imagine first that you can borrow their eyes and look out. While you’re at it, borrow their shoes as well. You don’t need a degree in cultural anthropology, as fascinating as the Yanomamo people and indigenous tribes of Africa can be. Instead try pausing for a moment letting go of your own view of the world, and your own beliefs and stories of how things work and simply imagine that you are your target customer.
What is that customer thinking about when he/she wakes up? What is their biggest challenge of the morning or day? What do they need most? And how does what you do solve for that need?
Use data. Use empathy. Use both to gain broader insights into the real challenges your customer faces and how you can help solve them.
“Is there a greater miracle than to see through another’s eyes even for an instant.”
-Henry David Thoreau
