June 18, 2015
Confused? Intrigued? Contemplative? The point of this article isn’t as much about what you feel as it is that you need to consider how your content makes people feel.
The idea of creating emotions through text isn’t a drastically new one, but it’s rarely considered as a marketing factor by some in the small business community. Traditional marketing methods would say you need to make sure your features and benefits are in order, and explain why your product or service is better than the competition. These are valid points and should be carefully thought through, but it doesn’t provide the whole picture.
People are searching for more information than ever before and when considering a purchase many will do their research beforehand to make sure they are getting the right product at the right price. With so much information available and more competitors popping up in seemingly every industry the difference between features and benefits has become almost microscopic.
What really makes a customer choose one thing over another?
The answer: Going with your gut.
In other words choosing what you trust and what makes you feel the most comfortable. These are two of the primary emotions businesses try to instill in their prospects. These emotions can be achieved with things like testimonials, recognizable logos, reviews, warranties and so forth.
Inside of trust we find elements of community or status. For example if XYZ person uses a specific camera and they are a professional with a great portfolio then I can potentially join that community of professionals if I buy that camera as well.
As another example let’s say you see a list of reputable businesses who all use a specific product or service. Your goal is to become more like these businesses on some level one day. You then consider how using the product or service can potentially help you achieve that goal down the road.
Essentially these elements help potential customers become their best self, or move towards their personal or business goals. These are strong motivating factors to make a purchase or conversion.
Why did I really want that specific brand?
A real world example of this I’ve encountered is with Apple products. A computer is a computer, it helps you go on the Internet, play games, watch movies, etcetera. It doesn’t matter what brand it is. The features and benefits are all similar with slight variations that help them be more specific to a particular customer type. You can buy an equivalent Apple computer in a Windows version for probably less money, yet there’s one big difference that Windows simply can’t overcome. An Apple computer makes you feel cool, creative, and a part of something bigger. Maybe you even believe it has the power to help you become your best self.
Those emotions drive people to spend more on a product that technically can be bought for less, maybe even a lot less. In my own life I own an Apple computer that I use for design and development, but also bought a desktop PC for games. I wanted to be a part of both of those communities, and at the time it was subconscious. At the time I didn’t know that was one of the major motivating factors behind those purchases, but it definitely was. If you look back at things you have purchased and analyze why, you might be able to find similar occurrences in your own life. Weird, isn’t it?
This is what you should remember
What you should take away from this is that you need to start considering how your customers want to feel, and come up with a strategy to achieve that. The idea is to know your customer as well as you can to make more informed decisions that will help your business grow. Lastly, remember selling anything is about meeting your customers goals and emotions first, our own opinions come after that.