Stand on any street in any major city and count the neon signs you can see, probably around 100, then close your eyes and maybe you can remember just one or two, Just an hour on the Internet and you will probably be subjected to over 200 sponsored messages, but we have more chance of a full house in Poker than clicking on a banner advertisement.

So how with all this noise and how consumers block it all out, can we, as marketers, get our messages across?

Bizfind blogs marketing noise

One way to capture consumer’s attention and it is now starting to gather momentum in the marketing world is to remember the old adage: People will most often forget what you did or what you sell but:

They will never forget how you made them feel.

The top marketing companies recognize that basic marketing of products is becoming less and less effective, unless of course you have built the most amazing new mousetrap that the world has ever seen.

People now buy into experiences, Starbucks Coffee is to me mediocre at best, however their use of Feng Shui to create an environment you will enjoy, is more their forte.

Combine this with timing your messages to the right people and your business will shine out like a beacon from all the neon haze and you will increase engagement for your business, convert leads and drive sales.

1 A deeper love and connectivity

The more mundane the product, the less creative marketers will concentrate on the features, and/or even the benefits. In fact the most popular way of advertising now is mini drama movie ads on YouTube.

Interestingly; the link between the emotional story and the product is tenuous at best. People love them, share them and they go Viral which can make a business overnight.

The top marketing people recognize that it is pointless to harbour on what say; an insurance life policy can do for you, it’s too bland, so they give you a free mini emotional roller coaster ride of a movie that is addictive viewing then wham , hit you with the oldest hypnotic trick in the book which is to indoctrinate you with the brand name whilst your mind is in a very trusting mode, maybe even in tears.

The advertisers know you will subconsciously form a mental hook between the emotion and the product, and you won’t forget.

The weepie movie, as some may call it, is an extremely powerful way to market products that are on the surface; unsexy. So market something that is universally interesting like; love, belonging, confidence, success etc. and just tag your product on the end, hey presto; success by association.

2. Pain and Pleasure

In Entrepreneurship we are told; to be successful quicker, you need to not concentrate on the negative and accentuate the positive, in other words never use pain to motivate people, use pleasure, don’t run from fear, but run towards your goal. The opposite however is true in advertising, top marketers use pain as an emotional trigger of pain to get you to buy.

Biz find blogs anxiety

The most effective pain triggers being;

Embarrassment; think acne commercials, deodorants, soaps, gyms, diets, and old mobile phones.

Anxiety; think loan companies and Insurance.

Loneliness; think dating sites and Elderly care.

Advertisers know that the general public are not entrepreneurs, and will avoid pain at all costs and relate strongly to the advertisers messages.

Solution based marketing comes with a clear caveat; be ethical in what you promise, even pre-adolescent girls can see Silicone, Botox and Photoshop being used by advertisers to the hilt to promise impossible figures and wrinkle free Octogenarians.

3. The illusion of choice

“Stack them high sell them low”

is an adage that harks back to the days of Supermarket selling, and worked well then, however recent Psychological studies have suggested that too much choice leads to anxiety and consumers are left dissatisfied.

You should consider whether your marketing message is leaving too much choice on the table.

In Sales the best performing sales close was always a choice between 2 or 3 products, which an experienced sales person will know which one the customer is going to choose because through subconscious priming the choice was made for them. But hey; the customer is always right!

Biz find blogs uncertainty

The paradox of choice suggests that narrowing down to one or two options will more likely drive more sales in the long term and decrease return rate.

4. What’s in it for me?

As a sales man for nearly 30 years I remember getting FAB (Features and Benefits) hammered into me, as in; tell them a feature but more over tell them what the benefits are.

Now however the top marketers are the ones who know their customers best and they know they must go a step further and really put themselves in their client’s shoes, and relate what the benefits mean for them. For example;

A standard marketer says:” Our dresses come in three colours”

A good marketer says: “Our dresses come in three colours that match most outfits”

An outstanding marketer says: ‘Our dresses come in three colours to mix and match for work and pleasure ad make you feel confident and sexy at all times.”

Biz find blogs Benefits

U.S.P.’s (Unique selling points) were the buzz phrase of the 2000;s and we all had to paraphrase what made us great, like anyone really cared about that, Great marketing is customer centric and relates how we can be of use for the customers touch points, and what dealing with us means for the customer.

Has Apple ever said how great they are? Or did they just tell you how great your life will be using their products?

Key takeaways:

You don’t even have to mention your product; capture an emotion; a simple universally accepted feeling and a mental hook to your company name and your campaign can be sublimely effective.

Punters are not entrepreneurs, they love avoiding pain, and when you are there with a solution, you will sell, consumers buy more Paracetamol than self- help books, so sell pain and then the solution.

Don’t overwhelm your potential clients with too much choice; they have enough remorse to deal with, let alone what they should have bought.

As great as you feel your company is, the general public doesn’t really care about your U.S.P.’s.  Be customer centric, what’s in it for them?

Netmedia are essentially a marketing company that run the Biz-find sites and we provide blogs, a free business directory, business leads, and company databases, so you can become successful, after all we cannot be successful without you now can we?

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