How to Test Your Marketing – Part 3: Who Do You Think You’re Talking To?
This is how you speaking to your audience in ways they care about and connect to
This blog is the third in my 10-part series on the heuristics of marketing—core principles that help B2B marketers evaluate the strength and effectiveness of their campaigns. If you're only focusing on tactics like lead generation, emails, and ads, without understanding the foundational principles that drive action, you're likely leaving results on the table. These heuristics are here to change that.
Heuristic #3: People Value Emotional Well-being, Lifestyle, and Personal Status
People don’t just buy products—they buy what those products say about them. They’re not just purchasing a solution; they’re purchasing identity, aspiration, and status.
Your marketing must tap into:
How people want to feel (emotional well-being)
Who they want to become (lifestyle)
How they want to be seen (status)
The challenge? Most marketers only talk about features or benefits without tying those benefits to the emotional or social payoff the buyer is really after. Marketers often over-index on rational messaging—features, ROI, timelines, workflows. But those aren’t the things that close deals. It’s what your product or service allows someone to be: a more confident leader, a trusted advisor to their team, a hero in their organization.
Let’s break this down and make it actionable.
The Three Motivators You Must Tap Into
Emotional Well-being: How Will This Make Me Feel Better?
Humans make emotional decisions and justify them with logic. If your marketing doesn't tap into feelings—you're missing a critical opportunity to connect.
Real-world example: A cybersecurity solution isn’t just selling protection—it’s selling peace of mind. That CISO doesn’t just want to stop attacks; they want to sleep through the night.
Ask Yourself:
What positive emotion does your solution deliver? (Security, confidence, control, clarity, etc.)
What negative emotion does it eliminate? (Anxiety, confusion, frustration, fear of failure?)
Action Step: Interview current customers or analyze testimonials. Look for emotional language (e.g., "relieved," "less stressed," "more in control"). Use those words in your next campaign headline or case study lead.
Lifestyle: How Does This Improve My Daily Life or Reflect My Values?
People are motivated by convenience, success, efficiency, or alignment with personal values. Lifestyle-based messaging shows how your product fits into or elevates someone’s life.
Real-world example: A project management software isn’t just about organizing tasks—it’s about helping a product manager feel like a calm, confident leader in a fast-moving team.
Ask Yourself:
Who does my audience see themselves as? (Innovator? Trusted advisor? Strategic thinker?)
How does using my product reinforce or elevate that identity?
Action Step: Craft customer personas that go beyond demographics and job responsibilities. Include aspirational traits and lifestyle indicators. Use this persona in your ad targeting, webinar invitations, or LinkedIn content strategy.
Status: How Will This Make Me Look to Others?
Status is about how people want to be seen—by colleagues, peers, friends, or even competitors. In B2B, status could mean authority, recognition, or leadership.
Real-world example: A company offering analytics tools doesn’t just sell data—it helps marketing teams prove their value and get a seat at the leadership table.
Ask Yourself:
What prestige or recognition can my product help someone gain?
Can I position the product as the smart, elite, or forward-thinking choice?
Action Step: Incorporate social proof into your messaging: highlight the job titles, industries, or prestige of current customers. Use phrases like “join the leaders in [industry]” or “used by top-performing teams at…” to subtly imply status elevation.
Quick Test: Is Your Messaging Identity-Driven?
Run your next campaign or piece of content through this checklist:
Does it speak to a desired emotional state?
Does it reinforce the identity your buyer wants to have?
Does it help the buyer look good to their team, boss, or industry?
If you’re missing all three, you’re likely leaning too hard on features.
Final Thoughts
Identity, lifestyle, and status aren't just B2C tactics. They are human drivers. And your buyers—no matter how technical or logical—are still human.
The more your marketing reflects how your customer sees themselves (or wants to), the more likely they are to see you as the brand that gets them.
Your product solves a problem. But your marketing should make people feel seen, valued, and confident choosing you.
Next up in the series: Heuristic #4 – Does Your Message Answer "Why"
Follow Moni Oloyede at https://www.linkedin.com/in/moni-oloyede/