What is the Benefit Ladder framework?
TranscriptWe humans have brains that seek causal connections.
Perceiving causal connections is one of the things that helped us to survive on the Savanah. So, our brains crave seeing these causal connections.
As marketers and as business builders, we should be crystal clear about the causal connections related to our offering. Make clear what your offering promises – that’s the effect. And also make clear why your audience should believe in this promise – that’s the cause.
Our offering enables blank because blank. Our offering enables this promise because of this reason to believe.
This connecting of dots appeals to our audience’s neural circuitry. It makes it easy and natural for them to see you, like you, want what you have to offer, and to buy from you.
My favorite brand strategy technique for making explicit these causal connections is a framework called the Benefit Ladder.
The Benefit Ladder is a structure of cause and effect about your offering and your offering’s result. For example, Nike customers experience victory, because their shoes are fast. Your product’s role is to cause an effect that your target audience wants – that changes them for the better. This is why you’re in business, to change them for the better.
This benefit ladder coaxes a cause-and-effect structure for your promise with your reasons to believe. It makes it easy for the customer to see the causal connections they crave seeing.
Do you make it crystal clear the cause-and-effect of your offering in the life of your customer?
Remember, give your audience what they crave by using the Benefit Ladder framework to show the relationship between your brand and this person's story.