Currently, a leading role is given to data; based on these, products, strategies, applications, and a wide range of goods or services are developed. Executing each of these while considering the data is crucial because it allows us to launch the perfect product for an audience based on their information.
Yes, we can know if ‘Esteban’ lives in Bogota, what his income is, what his educational level or marital status is. Having this data enables us to understand how we can develop a product that aligns with his income, location, or marital status and can better adapt to his lifestyle.
But even though this information is crucial, we are overlooking something very important: Esteban is more than just data, more than his age or his college diploma. Esteban is a human being who feels, reasons, and takes action; this is where we start to talk about a word that has become very popular in recent years: empathy.
While demographic data allows us to know a lot about a person and is of great importance in business, if we want our audience to truly feel a connection with the brand, we must work on empathy. The best way to do this is by identifying with their feelings to connect with them emotionally.
But how do we understand what a person feels? The best tool to achieve this is the empathy map, which allows you to deeply understand the potential customer’s personality through information centered on their needs and desires.
What is an empathy map?
An empathy map is a digital marketing tool that serves as a guide to capture the emotions and feelings of the target audience in order to define their preferences, characteristics, and weaknesses through hypotheses based on their emotions. This enables a profound understanding of their needs, desires, motivations, and obstacles.
When developing an empathy map correctly, strategies and messages can be crafted to establish a stronger connection with the audience, enhancing their effectiveness in persuasion and providing an opportunity to refine the ongoing strategy.
Building an empathy map
If your brand or business is contemplating the development of a new product or aims for more assertive communication with the audience, an empathy map will provide insights into the human aspect of your target audience. This facilitates a smoother and more tailored approach to their needs.
The construction of the empathy map involves six quadrants analyzing aspects of the target audience’s life: What do they hear? What do they see? What do they think/feel? What do they say/do? What are their efforts? and finally, their results. Each of these quadrants should be filled out by you and your team, considering the previously established buyer persona profile. The responses should be compiled on a moodboard for analysis at the end of the exercise.
What do they hear?
Your potential client is influenced by various information sources: TV commercials, social media messages, opinions from family and friends, podcasts, etc. It’s crucial to consider these stimuli, as they convey messages that can impact their opinions, emotions, and decisions. In this quadrant, you can include information such as the music they listen to, the podcasts they follow, and even sayings or proverbs that might resonate with them.
What do they see?
In this quadrant, we analyze the visual stimuli that the buyer persona receives and how it impacts them. Here, you can answer questions like: Do they watch television? Do they prefer YouTube or TikTok? What are their thoughts on current aesthetics? It’s essential to understand their opinion about what they see, how they consume media, and what they find attractive.
What do they think/feel?
This quadrant delves into how your buyer persona perceives the world. You should start by considering their emotions, beliefs, desires, and expectations, whether in general or regarding your product or service.
What do they say/do:
This is where we analyze the client’s understanding in light of all the previous quadrants. It’s crucial to comprehend them all because what you see, hear, and think may not necessarily align with what you do. In this quadrant, you should attempt to understand how the subject of study makes decisions.
Efforts:
Our potential client, like everyone else, has fears, frustrations, and obstacles they face every day. It’s important to understand these, as addressing them allows us to develop content with a communication message focused on consumer needs.
Results:
This is the last quadrant of the empathy map, focusing on each person’s perception of success, which is subjective. It’s essential to understand what success means to the consumer and what actions or moments lead to it. By knowing the customer’s desires, our digital marketing strategy can transcend through valuable content.
In what areas can I apply the empathy map?
This invaluable digital marketing tool can be applied across various processes to achieve optimal results. Examples include:
Content Development:
Utilize the language and emotions identified in the empathy map to craft a content strategy delivering impactful messages to your target audience.
Product and Service Enhancement:
In addition to facilitating the creation of new products, the empathy map allows for the improvement of existing ones by understanding the needs and concerns of the customer and devising effective solutions.
Customer Experience:
Enhance the customer experience by considering their thoughts and emotions.
If your goal is to develop new strategies, create products, or simply establish a closer relationship with your consumer, the empathy map is an excellent tool that will provide you with the information you need to work towards the needs and emotions of your potential customer.
