Why your customers should drive your brand story

April 24, 2025 ~ By Christine Thompson Ever had this experience? You’re at a party or networking event and are introduced to someone for the first time. You smile, excited to get to know this new person, and eager to have some engaging dialogue. Instead, the floodgates open—you’re cornered!

In one long stream of unending monologue, the stranger tells you about their business, their life, their hobbies, beliefs…

As you look to make a graceful exit, your new acquaintance makes a feeble attempt to get to know you: “What is it you do again?”

Ugh.

Many companies are guilty of the same thing. They spend too much time thinking internally and not externally. When customers visit your website, they want solutions—not a monologue about your company. But instead of clear, engaging content that speaks to the customer’s needs, they are met with paragraphs of “We do this,” “We believe that” and “Our company is committed to XYZ…”

This happens when businesses content uses internal resources to create content and fail to project an objective viewpoint on their copy and messaging. They become overly “I” and “we” focused, neglecting the very thing that keeps them in business: their customers.

Is your company too self-centred and lacking the essentials to be customer-centric? Do a search on your copy for how many times you say “we” versus how many times you say “you” in your content. “YOU” is one of the most powerful words in advertising! Your customer should feel like they are the focal point, not your business.

Get an outside perspective

On the inside, it can be incredibly difficult to accurately assess what it is the customer needs to hear. When you are so married to your company and its values and brand, it is natural to want to tout those characteristics.

Internal teams are too close to the company, too invested in the day-to-day operations, and too focused on what they think is important rather than what customers actually care about. This can lead to self-indulgent messaging centred around corporate jargon—and content that makes sense within company walls but leaves potential customers confused or uninterested.

An objective and unbiased communicator can make all the difference to your brand language and messaging. Why? Because they can view the company similarly to how the outside world sees it.

Be the most interesting person at the party

The most interesting person at a party is the one who asks questions, listens, engages, laughs at your jokes, provides solutions, is genuine and interested in everything and everyone! Customers do not come to your website because they want to hear about your company. They come because they have a problem, and they need a solution.

Are you going to listen carefully and provide a solution? Are you going to ask about them and what they want? If your messaging is overly focused on internal narratives—your history, your process, your internal values—you are missing the mark.

Flip your perspective. What does the customer need? What are they struggling with? How can your product or service help?

Bringing in external writers, consultants, or even conducting customer surveys or interviews can completely transform how a business communicates. Fresh eyes provide clarity, cuts through the noise and pinpoints what resonates with a customer.

For example, rather than listing company achievements, a professional writer would ask:

• What problem is the customer experiencing?

• How does the company’s products/services fix that problem?

• What emotions, motivations, or concerns does the customer have?

• Who ARE the customers?

• What tone or style will resonate most?

• How can we create trust and loyalty?

• What else do the customers want?
  

This approach ensures the messaging is not just readable—it is persuasive and personal. It speaks directly to the audience, making them feel understood and addressed, rather than feeling like it’s a one-sided show (remember our networking friend?).

Shifting the language

And once you have uncovered language and a tone that relates to your primary audience, document and formalize it! Writing guidelines and brand guidelines can be instrumental in fleshing out a brand, creating a common voice and gaining customer loyalty. Make it the bible for your company going forward. The more consistent and customer-focused the messaging, the more clearly your customers will see who you are and how you fit their needs, every single time. A skilled copywriter or marketing consultant brings objectivity and strategic thinking that internal teams often lack. They help refine messaging, ensuring it is compelling and memorable. If your business is stuck in an internally driven cycle, it’s time to shift gears. Customers don’t want to hear about you—they want to hear how you help them. Stop talking at your audience and start talking to them. By giving your customers the front seat to your brand story, you’ll be driving your business in new directions.

#copywriting #editing #brand