• To surpass the competition, brands could implement Speaking the Customer’s Language. 
• It helps in fostering connections with customers on a deeper level.  

In simpler terms, “Speaking the Customer’s Language” is more than just translating the content; it’s more about connecting with your audience. While incorporating this marketing strategy, marketers try to understand the target audience’s communication style, needs, preferences, etc. This strategy aims to create a connection that resonates with the target audience on a deeper level. 

Marketers try to understand the target audience’s communication style and utilize the words and phrases they would use in the marketing campaign. Using these relatable words, they try to address the needs and pain points and provide them with the exact answer on how a product or service solves the problem. Finally, it’s crucial to understand their preferences, their tone, technical details, or emotional storytelling. 

How did Dove speak customers’ language through its The Real Beauty Campaign? 

In the early 2000s, the beauty industry heavily relied on unrealistic beauty standards, making people believe that if you don’t have fair skin, blue eyes, a particular type of hair, or body measurements, you are ugly. Dove took a different approach with its The Real Beauty campaign, addressing customers’ insecurities by shattering the notion of set beauty standards.

Understanding the Customer’s Language

For decades, the beauty industry has portrayed unrealistic body types, such as a chiseled body, a female model with an hourglass figure, fair skin, light-coloured eyes, and heavily edited models. This has created a sense of insecurity and inadequacy among women who either lack these features or fail to identify with those portrayals. 

Dove acknowledged and recognized this widespread frustration and identified a customer yearning for a realistic portrayal of beauty. In its advertisements, Dove’s The Real Beauty campaign successfully used everyday women from different ethnicities, body and skin types, and ages. It was a significant shift that openly spoke directly to the customer’s desire for a relatable representation of natural beauty while challenging the narrow definition of beauty. 

Dove Spoke the Customer’s Needs

Dove’s revolutionary campaign featured women from all walks of life, all shapes, sizes, ethnicities and ages. They successfully showcased the existence of natural beauty by celebrating diversity and everyday women. This approach resonated harmoniously with a much broader audience who felt left out by traditional beauty marketing that relied on unrealistic standards. 

The successful campaign used messaging like “You’re Beautiful Because You Are,” which directly triggered their female audience’s self-esteem. The aim here was not to achieve some unattainable ideal or adopt those unrealistic beauty standards. It was about celebrating each individual’s uniqueness, something significant brands missed at the time. 

Using Communication that Resonated With the Audience

Through this campaign, Dove tried to tackle the social issue of promoting body positivity and confidence. The main goal was to spread awareness and self-esteem in women and young ladies. Dove was also committed to not using filters and enhancement techniques in their advertisements but featuring everyday women in various standard situations. 

The campaign heavily focused on self-acceptance and feeling good about oneself, promoting self-love. It not only challenged unrealistic beauty standards but also spread positivity among the audience. They tried to spread the message that you are beautiful and don’t need to change yourself to meet these unrealistic beauty standards. Through this, they challenged the “fix-it” approach of traditional beauty advertising. 

What was the Impact of Dove’s Real Beauty Campaign? 

By speaking directly about the customer’s insecurities, Dove emerged as a thoughtful brand. They not only addressed the situation but offered positive and realistic alternatives. The Real Beauty campaign built a strong sense of community, trust and brand loyalty. The target audience, women, felt like Dove “understood them” and wasn’t just trying to sell a product. 

Dove sales increased exponentially because the campaign was more than just a social message; it was revolutionary and a successful marketing campaign. The way Dove established a personal and emotional connection with the customers facilitated positive business outcomes. 

Why is “Speaking the Customer’s Language” Crucial? 

By incorporating the “Speaking the Customer’s Language” marketing strategy, businesses can increase engagement, trust, and credibility and improve customer satisfaction and conversion rates. It’s a known fact that customers are more likely to pay attention to and engage with clear, relevant messages and use terminology that is easy to understand. 

When a brand speaks a customer’s language, it shows that it cares about their needs and understands their challenges. It helps build trust and position your brand as a reliable partner. Also, clear communication reduces confusion; Dove had a clear message, The Real Beauty, and customers understand the value proposition. 

How do you “Speak the customer’s language”?

Brands must use customer terminology when speaking the customer’s language. They must focus on ditching technical jargon and industry buzzwords. Dove never used terms like chemical composition, alkaline, fatty acids, pH level, etc., but promoted The Real Beauty campaign. 

Brands should conduct in-depth research about their audience’s language in online research. What are the customers’ biggest frustrations? What pain points are other brands failing to address? Focus your campaign to directly address these points and portray how your product or service can solve the issue. 

The brand message’s tone and voice must match the audience. The brand must have a clear understanding of the target audience. If they are young and tech-savvy, use lingo and related terms. If they are professionals, use a formal setting, and if they are homemakers, use related words. Brands must tailor their communication style to resonate with their niche. 

If the target audience is global, the campaign should be mindful of cultural preferences and avoid anything offensive to them. To further increase the success of this marketing campaign, ensure the following variables are considered. 

• Customer Research
• Social Listening
• Customer Review and Feedback
• & Sales Team Insights

Marketers must conduct detailed research, surveys, and interviews to understand the target audience’s communication needs and pain points. A mechanism must be in place to monitor social media conversations to understand how and what your audience talks about the industry and related topics. 

Marketers must analyze customer reviews and feedback to gain insights into their needs, frustrations, and the language used to describe them. Your sales team must be on the front line interacting with customers. During conversations, they should ask them questions to gain insights and understand body language. This provides them with ample data to kickstart this marketing campaign. 

Significantly, the campaign should go beyond language; it can use images and videos that resonate with target audiences. Draft a compelling story similar to Dove’s The Real Beauty campaign that connects with the audience personally. This way, they can connect with the audience that the competitors might need help establishing. 

Pros and Cons of “Speaking the Customer’s Language” Marketing Strategy

Like any other marketing strategy, Speaking the Customer’s Language has pros and cons, as discussed below. 

Pros

Customers are more likely to pay attention and listen to your message when they feel understood. This could help build trust around your brand and engage the audience in the marketing efforts. Clear communication reduces confusion, plus the customer is more likely to see the value you offer, which leads to higher conversion rates, sales, and leads. 

By speaking the customer’s language, the brand understands their needs, establishing your brand as a reliable solution provider. Tailoring the message to specific segments within a target audience allows a brand to have a more focused and impactful marketing campaign. Using the language they understand helps create a smooth and positive customer experience. 

Cons speaking the customer’s language

Effective implementation of this marketing strategy requires continuous market research and efforts to gain customer insights. It could be a time-consuming and resource-intensive endeavor. While targeting a global audience, adapting the message to different languages and cultures could be complex and expensive. 

If a brand tries too hard to imitate customer slang or humor in a marketing campaign, it could backfire. Customers might perceive your brand as inauthentic or even offensive. It’s highly advised to strike a balance between casual and professional. 

If a brand focuses solely on targeting a niche audience’s language, it could limit its reach to a broader audience still interested in your product or service. Even if avoiding jargon is essential, oversimplification can be a risk. The key here is to find the right balance between speaking clearly and authentically while communicating the value proposition effectively. 

By speaking the customer’s language, the brand can establish a deeper connection with the target audience. This can boost brand awareness and engagement while painting a positive brand image. Marketers must clearly understand the nuances and intricacies of this marketing strategy before implementing it.