Why Your ‘Why’ Matters (Whatever Your Industry)
My obsession with getting to the heart of things has been lifelong. My mother reckons I came out of the womb crying ‘why’ and I cannot take anything at face value.
As a journalist, this was a superpower. But, in copywriting? Less so. Or - so I believed.
I used to quash my instinct to ask founders the big questions. Why did you start this business? What inspires you? What makes you proud?
Not relevant, I’d think. Let’s focus on product benefits. That’s all the customer cares about, right?
But I couldn’t help myself. I started asking anyway. Pure curiosity. I wanted to understand the person and the big picture.
And then I noticed something. These questions were eliciting the best answers. They got people emotional. Fired up. Their voices changed, and that auto-pilot reel with the glazed look completely stopped. They were giving me something true that only they could give me.
And I thought—hang on a wee minute. What if this material isn’t just padding? What if it’s core?
The Hard Facts: Purpose Boosts Profit
I know what you’re thinking. How can talking about me, my motivation, and my back story make me a profit?
Well, it can. And it does.
75 brands and 8,000 people from eight countries (including the UK, US, and Canada) took part in the Zeno Horizon Purpose study. The researchers found that when customers believe a brand has a strong purpose, they are:
4 times more likely to purchase from the company
4.5 times more likely to champion the company and recommend it to friends and family
4.1 times more likely to trust the company
And it’s not just them. Heavy-hitter Deloitte has published research on the commercial benefits of showing yourself to stand for something. You don’t have to choose between purpose and profitability. One leads to the other.
Think about your own experience. How many times have you bought from a company because you liked what they stand for?
How to Bring Your "Why" Into Your Messaging
Okay, so the numbers stack up. But how do you actually do this?
This isn’t about turning your homepage into a personal statement or a long biography. How you benefit your customers is—and always will be—Number One.
Instead, view your Why as the filter for how you do business. The trick is to take that beautiful seed—whether it's a formative encounter, a past career hurdle, or even the memory of the smell of your Nana’s fairy cakes—and turn the focus from you to the customer. Ask yourself: Why is my core motivation good news for them?
Say you’re an accountant. You benefit people by making sure their tax is filed on time. But your Why might be that you watched your own parents struggle with family business finances. So, now your deeper mission is to protect small businesses from those exact pitfalls.
Or, take me. I’m a copywriter. I help businesses clarify their message to attract customers. But my Why is that I spent years making myself small in employment. So, now I want to help business owners find the confidence to be completely authentic in their message and voice.
Purpose and Profit Go Hand-in-Hand
You don’t have to choose between purpose and profit. They’re both sides of the same coin.
Having a clear Why is a rapid way to differentiate yourself and build genuine trust. Especially right now, with so much generic, AI-generated content knocking around the internet. There’s never been a better time to show up with purpose.
Need a Hand Digging Your Story Out?
I can help you uncover the golden nuggets in your business and put it into website words that show you at your best.
Take a look at my Services or get in touch today for a chat.