Great marketers appeal to their demographic’s emotions by creating a clear and concise message. Feel like giving your marketing message more emotional appeal? Start here.
Your Marketing Message: The Head Vs. The Heart
You’re a logical consumer, right? You look for quality, you shop around, and you listen to recommendations from family and friends.
But even if you consider yourself pretty savvy when it comes to making big-ticket purchases, odds are the last time you bought something, it was based first on your emotional response to how that product was marketed.
Don’t believe me? Research shows that feelings have a bigger impact than rationality when it comes to making purchase decisions. According to this Psychology Today article, emotion plays a vital role in consumer behavior. They reported that “FMRI neuro-imagery shows that when evaluating brands, consumers primarily use emotions (personal feelings and experiences) rather than information (brand attributes, features, and facts).”
Before learning to solve problems through the logical thinking that comes with maturity, humans rely heavily on their emotions. My mother’s face makes me feel comforted, this sound is scary, and so on.
For whatever reason, when it comes to consumerism, people are considerably reliant on their own emotional response to a brand. In fact, research shows that adults still use their hearts before their heads in the marketplace without even realizing it.
Take a packet of seeds labeled “Grass Seed” compared to a packet of the same seeds at a higher price but sporting a “Lawn Seed” label and the depiction of a soft green lawn of a family home. Although the seeds are identical, consumers will choose the lawn seed packet at a rate of 4:1, regardless of the higher price. Why? Because it appeals to their emotional desire for an idealized sense of home.
Here’s how to create a marketing message that tugs on the heartstrings:
Empathetic Positioning: Before you sit down to write your marketing communication, think about the unique position of your brand among others. It’s important to consider the demographic of your target customers. Where would they place you compared to the other brands? What would this audience say are the differences between your product and that of your competitors?
Count The Ways: Make a list of the 3 top reasons customers choose your product over another, using what you know about your audience. Effective positioning requires finding a niche that is unoccupied in the customer’s mind. Then place your brand there.
Hint: If you are the only dentist in your area who offers the newest imaging technology, you are providing the unique value of being on the cutting edge in terms of imaging. If several of your competitors offer the same technology, you must find a way to position yourself as the practice offering the most or the best of these services by repositioning your competitor as inexperienced, overly expensive, or otherwise inferior. Put yourself in the consumer’s shoes to determine what niche they want and need you to fill. Then position your product in that space. Make a list of the top 3 reasons customers choose you over a competitor from most to least important.
Craft A Message: In just a few words, use the top reason on your list as inspiration to write a 1-sentence message that elicits an emotional response. Speak to your demographic by pulling on classic heartstrings. Consider hope, friendship, guilt, fear, humor, shock, transformation, and social identity.
Polish Your Weapon: Take your message and whittle it down to 7 words or less. This might seem difficult, but simplicity is key. Deliver a solid, clear, emotional message without the fluff.
Consider this sentence: “We have more experience utilizing the newest technology than our competitors.” Instead, your marketing message could be “We live and breathe tech.” The second sentence simply implies that the competition does not know the technology as well and can’t be trusted. Thus, customers are in more experienced hands if they choose your services.
Once you’ve crafted the perfect message (clear, concise, within your niche), triple check that your positioning and your message match your brand and the way you want to be portrayed.
Hoping to grow? Make sure there will be room for growth in the future and that your message will stand the test of time.
Most importantly, remember to look for an emotional response from your test audience before running your message. They should feel compelled to try your product based on how your short message makes them feel.
Remember, your marketing message is a vital organ. So craft it with heart, and let your customer’s emotions do the rest.
Recent Comments