- Write ads and webshop copy based on what you think customers want to hear
- Find that your ads feel generic and miss the mark
- Want to know where to find your customers' own words and objections
- Want to know how to use them in ads and on your webshop
Many brands speak their own language. They write what they believe is the right thing to say and what they think the buying needs and motives are. That is guesswork. And customers have already seen those generic hooks.
Customers chose you for a reason. They use specific words to describe that reason. When you find those words, you can write copy that customers recognize themselves in, instead of copy that sounds like an advertisement.
What is voice of customer?
Voice of customer is the customers' own words about three things:
- The problem: What bothers them and how they describe it themselves.
- The reason for buying: What made them buy, and why right now.
- Hesitation: What almost stopped them, or what they are still unsure about.
It’s not what you think customers mean. It’s what they actually say.
- Reviews: Your own and your competitors'.
- Comments and feedback on social platforms, for example TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and Reddit.
- Review sites like Trustpilot and Google.
- Your existing customers. Ask them through customer service why they bought, so you get the answer straight from the source. A post-purchase survey is a great source. See Post-Purchase Surveys.
Start with the ones you already have access to: your own reviews and your customers' responses.
Once you have found the words, gather them in one place. We use the same categories:
- Pain points: What customers want to get rid of.
- Desires: What they want.
- Desired outcomes: How they describe a good result.
- Direct quotes: The customer's own words, verbatim.
- Personas: Who is saying it. Separate the large groups (macro) from the smaller ones (micro).
Keep the quotes as they are. If you rewrite them, you lose what makes them powerful.
- Segment by buyer group. Create messages for each group instead of one generic value proposition for everyone.
- Turn quotes into hooks. Open the ad with the phrase the customer uses to describe their own problem.
- Write scripts based on the quotes. Use the customer's words in videos and voiceovers.
- Address the objections. For customers who know the product but aren't sure, use reviews, testimonials, and comparisons to handle their hesitation.
- Use the words on your webshop. Headlines, product descriptions, and FAQs can be built on the same phrases.
- Adapt to the customer's level of knowledge. A customer who is unaware of the problem needs a different message than a customer who is already familiar with your product.
The content from a post-purchase survey can also be used as input for new creatives: what the customer needed the product for, what triggered the purchase, and what content convinced them. If there is a significant gap in who you are speaking to, it may require a new round of creatives.
In a saturated market, customers have seen the same hooks many times. In that case, the message needs to be more specific and closer to the customer's own language. Read how to stand out in Differentiation in a saturated market, and how to evaluate a video that isn't performing in Hook Rate and Hold Rate.
DVISIONMEDIA's approach
We start with research, not an idea. We conduct deep market and audience research based on the brand's own data and website, and we gather problems, desires, desired outcomes, direct quotes, and personas. We use responses from customers themselves via post-purchase surveys as input for new briefs. When we write, we use the customer's words and language, not our own. This is part of the approach we build into our work with creative strategyand throughE-COM OS.
1. What is voice of customer?
Voice of customer is the customers' own words regarding their problem, their reason for buying, and their hesitation. It is used as hooks, scripts, and copy in ads and on the webshop.
2. Where do I find the customers' words?
In reviews, comments, and feedback on social platforms, on review sites like Trustpilot and Google, and from your own customers, for example through customer service or a post-purchase survey.
3. Should I rewrite the customers' quotes?
No. Keep them verbatim. If you rewrite them, you lose what makes them powerful.
4. How do I use the quotes in an ad?
Open the ad with the phrase the customer uses to describe their problem, and write the script based on their own words.
5. Why should I create messages for different buyer groups?
Because different groups have different problems and motivations. A single generic message rarely resonates with any of them.
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