By Adam Mohrbacher
Nail the customer pitch in four easy steps
Shortcuts are usually talked about in negative terms. For instance, you often hear “there are no shortcuts in life” or how “nothing worth having in life comes easy.” Such statements may be true in life, but they aren’t in marketing. Using marketing shortcuts reduces the effort involved with pushing out campaigns and ensures alignment with best practices. The 4-C framework is a fantastic example of one valuable shortcut, offering a template for efficient, customer-centric messaging.
What are the 4-Cs?
So how can your agency start using the framework? Well, first we must look more closely at what each of the “Cs” is.
- Customer — Your messaging must speak to a specific customer demographic and demonstrate your understanding of their day-to-day needs.
- Cost — Marketing copy must outline the cost the customer should expect. In the context of our industry, cost can also be considered in terms of time, aggravation and lost opportunity versus other providers.
- Convenience — Content should also indicate how customers can find, learn about, buy, receive and/or use your offer.
- Communication — Finally, your copy needs to provide options for two-way dialogue and proof points to back up your claims.
In general, the four Cs focus your copy on customer pain points while emphasizing how your agency is uniquely capable of addressing those needs.
Implementing the framework
The 4-Cs is a series of guardrails rather than a script that you must follow. Use it in the order that fits your moment, context, and funnel stage, not necessarily the sequence above.
Let’s say you are raising awareness for your agency. In this case, you may consider leading with “Customer” before “Convenience” and “Communication.” “Cost” should be last. Awareness customers are just orienting themselves. They may not be considering the “Cost” of doing business with you versus another company at this point.
If your audience is further down the funnel and considering options, begin with “Customer,” then “Communication,” “Cost” and finally “Convenience.” These customers don’t need further education. They need outcomes, proof points to alleviate doubt, brand guarantees and clear next steps.
Customers ready to pull the trigger might be messaged with a nearly identical format. The biggest difference in this stage is that your “Cost” message could focus even harder on removing any perceived risk of doing business with your company, while the “Convenience” message could include a more explicit call to action (CTA).
Putting it all together
Let’s say we are trying to connect with real estate agents. You would first populate each of the 4-Cs with your agency’s basic details, brand promises and value propositions. This will vary by company, but one example might look like this:
- Customer — “Our company is targeting real estate agents who want to keep their deals on track and value fast, efficient closings delivered with exceptional service.”
- Cost— “Our local knowledge and deep experience reduce friction and helps our customers avoid aggravation, as well as lost time and opportunity.”
- Convenience — “We designate a contact person for interested real estate agents. We let our real estate agents know that if they’re working, our team is working and available to meet their needs.”
- Communication —“We share our great consumer reviews, success stories and discuss our underwriting partnerships. We make sure real estate agents and their customers always feel ‘in the know’ without feeling overwhelmed.”
Once the basics are in place, it’s time to assess where your target customers are within the buyer’s journey. You can then organize your messaging accordingly:
- Awareness (cold audiences beginning their search) — Customer → Communication → Convenience → Cost
- Consideration (engaged audiences ready to compare options) — Customer → Communication → Cost → Convenience
- Decision (audiences poised to buy) — Customer → Communication → Cost (with risk removal) → Convenience (with hard CTA)
After that, you’re ready to write. Here’s where the 4-Cs framework’s power really comes into focus, as you can quickly insert your agency’s information and fashion a strong marking message packed with value for your customers. Some “Awareness” copy might read like so:
“When you have a deal under contract, you need the title team that keeps things moving and gives you and your clients a straightforward, low stress closing experience.” (Customer)
“Agents choose us because our track record shows we keep buyers and sellers informed, head off issues early, and support the transaction with our strong underwriting partners.” (Communication)
“You get one dedicated contact who answers the phone, works the same hours you do, and keeps you updated without making you chase information.” (Convenience)
“And with deep local experience, we help you avoid slowdowns and the back-and-forth that burns time and puts deals at risk.” (Cost)
Perhaps the best part of the 4-C framework is that these messaging templates are portable across media and channels. So, no matter whether you are writing a social post, a Google ad or a drip email, you’ll always have sharp, snappy messaging ready to go.
Let’s hear it for shortcuts!
What this blog has hopefully shown is that the 4-C framework can help you quickly drill down on your agency’s key messages and develop copy for any stage of the buyer’s journey. Easy to implement, fast to deploy and reusable across channels, it’s a solid strategy that can radically improve your marketing without increasing the time or resources involved. And once you start seeing the results of using this framework, you’ll likely join me in seeing shortcuts as not so bad after all.
