The number 1 rule in customer behavior: buying decisions are always 80% emotional and 20% intellectual. That rule should be reflected in all of your marketing copy. Unfortunately, most of us find it much easier to talk about “what we do” than “what you get.”
Here is a depressing reality; most people don’t give a damn what you do or sell. No matter how much you wish it were true, they don’t. However, they DO care immensely about the results of what you do or sell. So guess what you should focus on?
A few months ago my 3 year old laptop finally bit the dust (in computer years it must have died of old age) and I found myself in a “Big Box” store completely baffled by the options. A helpful young man came up to me and started asking me what kind of computer I needed. Good so far, right?
He was very bright and knowledgeable, pestering me with questions about RAM, CPU options, video threaders, etc. I stood up and nodded as if I understood what he was talking about and finally replied, “I always thought they put Keebler’s little elves in there somewhere and I make sure to sprinkle cookie crumbs on the keyboard to keep them fed and happy.” “.
I could tell from his eyes that I had just lost my provisional membership in the “Geeks-R-Us” club and had just become “One of Them”. Well, so be it.
The mistake this guy made is to assume that I had the same interest in technology that he did and naturally asked me the same questions that he would like answered.
Most of us make the same mistake, face to face and (more importantly) in our marketing copy. The secret is to focus almost exclusively on the “Pressure Points” of our clients. These are the emotional triggers that create tremendous motivation to act.
And luckily, there are only two main “pressure points”. Desire for gain and avoidance of pain…or more simply, “Greed and Fear”.
Furthermore, the best marketing combines both, creating a large perceived gap that prospects are powerfully motivated to bridge. As proof of this, the next time you’re stuck in line at the grocery store, flip through the National Enquirer and look at the ads.
You may think your offer is far more sophisticated than anything found on the Enquirer, but if you see an ad there more than twice; It is a sure money maker. That’s because the National Enquirer controls some of the most expensive advertising real estate available. Simply put, emotions are not sophisticated, but they are enormously powerful.
By tapping these “Pressure Points” you will be attracting people who are motivated to take action (resolve the emotional tension that has been created) rather than people who are looking for more information (intellectual curiosity).
Don’t forget that the purpose of any ad is (or should be) to motivate the customer to make a buying decision and act RIGHT NOW. That action will most likely include taking out a credit card, which is the ultimate measure of success for all your marketing.