Buying on Emotion
A while back I published a story about my view of marketing as a form of behavior modification, and that its main function is to inspire desired actions in the intended audiences. Since buying in some form (voting, donating, purchasing) is a behavior, we need to understand how people come to those decisions.
As Zig Ziglar, a legend in the advertising world, has said, “People buy on emotion and justify with logic.” Emotion plays a central role in making choices, and it kicks in way before logic. By the time our conscious minds are engaged, opinions have been formed and justification begins.
To reach the level of engagement where sales happen, we have to dig down to the emotions that drive buying behavior.
This is where design kicks in. Thoughtful, well-executed design creates reactions at the emotional level well before the words are read and sets up readers to respond in specific ways. Words supported by pictures will reinforce your verbal messages at your customers’ unconscious levels. That is why the effective integration of words and imagery is so important.
This approach explains your value in a way that is meaningful to your market. When marketing is done well, it helps make buyers aware of the best options for their lives and businesses. Marketing done poorly is pushy, dishonest and spammy. No one wants to buy when they feel manipulated and pressured, which are all negative emotions.
Other marketing gurus have weighed in this idea:
David Ogilvy - “The trouble with market research is that people don’t think what they feel, they don’t say what they think and they don’t do what they say.”
Steve Jobs - “It's really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them.”
Gerald Zaltman - “Ninety-five percent of thought, emotion, and learning occur in the unconscious mind - that is, without our awareness.”
And here’s the rationale for the above from behavioral economist Daniel Kahneman: “Thinking is to humans as swimming is to cats; they can do it but they’d prefer not to.”
To increase your chances of getting the buying decisions you want,
understanding what inspires your market to form positive emotional responses is vital. Based on that understanding, words and pictures designed together will result in message integration that gives you your best shot at generating the outcomes you want.
And that’s what I do for my clients.
If you need some input on a project you have in mind, take advantage of my free 30-minute consultation to discuss how I can help you make your case to your market. Contact me and let’s talk!
