What’s the Problem? Solve an Issue and You’ve Already Got an Audience

Everyone loves a good bit of drama. Those gripping reality shows where contestants bicker about everything, or that one family member who always has something to complain about… it’s messy, but oddly compelling. And as it turns out, businesses (and savvy content creators!) can employ the very same principle to build an engaged audience.

The key? Problem-solving, with a sprinkle of that user-focused magic.

People are naturally drawn to solutions. When you identify an issue your customers or readers struggle with and offer a clever fix, you become part of their success story. This is where understanding your users becomes essential. It’s about delving into the why behind any problems.

Step One: Hunt Down the Beast

Be a Sherlock Holmes in the digital age, the first step is pinpointing the culprit that’s making your users’ lives a misery. Here’s your toolkit:

• Talk it out: Get in touch with customers directly. Interviews, surveys, those little pop-up feedback boxes are your allies in understanding the heart of the problem. Conversations are also an overlooked tool — read more about that here.
• Detective Data: Website analytics are your magnifying glass. Look for high bounce rates, abandoned shopping carts, or pages where folks seem to vanish into thin air.
• Empathy is King: Put yourself in your user’s shoes. What are their goals? Their frustrations? Understanding those unspoken needs is as important as what they explicitly say.

Step Two: Unleash the Ideas

Right then, you’ve got your problem on the dissection table. Time to brainstorm its demise!

• Assemble the Squad: Get a diverse team together — designers, developers, even someone from customer service. Different perspectives breed clever solutions.
• No Such Thing as Bad Ideas (At First): Go wild! Think way outside the box. Sometimes the wackiest idea inspires something perfectly workable.
• Think Like a User: Will your solution actually hit the mark? Would you find it helpful, clear, and perhaps slightly delightful to use?

Step Three: Pick Your Winner

Not all solutions are created equal, dear friend. Before you dash off to implement, consider:

• Practical Magic: Can you realistically pull it off? Be wary of solutions demanding a fairy godmother and unlimited funds.
• Impact Factor: Will it truly make a difference for your users? Don’t settle for a mediocre plaster when you could be doing surgery.
• In Their Best Interest: Does it align with your user’s goals? A flashy solution is pointless if it misses what they actually want.

Step Four: Make It So (And Then Watch)

You’ve crafted the perfect plan — time to unleash it into the world! Implementation is where teamwork shines, but that’s not all:

• Metrics are Your Mate: Don’t just cross your fingers and hope. Track analytics or check back in to see if your fix is working its magic.
• Iterate, Iterate, Iterate: Perfection is a myth. User feedback is your guide — be willing to tweak things as you learn more.

TLDR;

Problem-solving isn’t just about making things work, it’s about creating an experience your users will love (and happily tell their friends about). It shows you understand their world, and that’s the kind of loyalty you can’t buy — we talk in more depth about focusing on loyalty in our article ‘Winning the insurance price war; Focus on loyalty’.

So, what are you waiting for? Go find your audience’s most irksome problem and become their knight in shining armour! If you need help, we have an army of user researchers, designers and developers that can lend a helping hand :). Get in touch now.

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