Different Kinds Of Thinkers

How To Reach 4 Different Kinds Of Thinkers With Your Content

By lalit kushwah

This year, I’ve been lucky enough to be participate in a leadership program run by the Baton Rouge Area Chamber. We’re only two sessions in, but the experience is already changing my perspective about my role in our community. It has also changed the way I think about how to best create content that resonates with a variety of business leaders.

In one session, we took an Emergenetics assessment, which gave us insight into our preferred modes of thinking: conceptual, analytical, social and structural. As my classmates and I discussed our profiles, it occurred to me that the same structure could be applied to create more effective content marketing.

In fact, while reviewing my business’s most successful pieces, I realized they included elements that appealed to each of those four types of thinkers. We now assess all of our major projects based on how well they meet the needs of these different groups of readers. Here’s a brief breakdown of each type of thinking, along with advice on how to put it in action for your marketing.

Conceptual

These people love the big idea. So lay it out for them early on. You can’t possibly go over their heads — the headier and more philosophical, the better. They’re comfortable with innovation, so don’t be afraid to ask them to imagine something that doesn’t exist yet. Be warned, though: If you tout something as “thought leadership,” it better truly be groundbreaking. These people bore easily and will quickly move on.

Analytical

This group looks for context. Take that big idea and put it into perspective. Talk about historical trends. Give them hard data and detailed charts and graphics. Woe to you if you don’t cite your sources or disclose your methodology. Eighty-three percent will stop reading right then and there! (OK, I made that number up. But you get the idea.)

Social

These folks are all about the human connections. Lofty ideas and spreadsheets aren’t enough to grab their attention. You’ll need real-life stories and examples. People with this preference want to learn about people like themselves and those they admire. For example, when you write case studies, highlight the team of people who did the work, not just the bottom-line numbers. Note: Use caution when opening a piece with an anecdote, as I did in this article. For every social person whose attention you catch, you risk annoying an analytical type, who just wants you to get to the facts quickly.

Structural

These are the doers of the world. Anecdotes might hook them in, but they are quickly scanning for practical advice about how to put that big idea into action. If you want to connect with these people, offer tips and how-tos. A few ideas:

• Make the organization of the paper very clear, with a succinct table of contents.
• Use sidebars to highlight immediate action steps.
• Emphasize likely improvements in efficiency and productivity.

It’s not uncommon for people to have mixed preferences and thinking styles, so your best bet is to make sure your content contains elements that speak to each one.