understanding the human behavior

Branding takes place when people associate an emotion with a product.  Sometimes “brand marketing” like advertising, public relations, etc. has that impact… but the most important factor is still the PRODUCT or SERVICE.

The best one-two punch would be when your consumer emotionally connects to your brand and then you hit them with a direct response which prompts them to take an action.

Remember some years back when AT&T took a major hit after 9/11 when their service areas suffered greatly? Verizon quickly gained market share & rose up and passed them in the internet & phone race. As a result, AT&T’s brand suffered. Well… these past couple of years, AT&T rose from the ashes & became formidable again.  Their internet services now provide fiber. Not just fiber to the road & then coax to the home or business, like other services. No… they run it straight to into the home &/or business. Why? Because they listened to the needs of their consumer who now emotionally connect to them because they are doing what the consumer needs. They also greatly improved their service areas to once again go head-to-head with Verizon. Consumers wants brands that listen to them & serve their specific needs. Apple is still one of the top 5 brands in the world that accomplishes this daunting task again & again.

Now, because brand = emotional attachment to a product, there are some people who become so emotionally attached that they lose the ability to view it objectively.  However, if an organization keeps producing turkeys, over time even those people eventually defect.

What does this have to do with sales for a business, you might ask?  Everything.

Your ability to sell a product or service will always be limited by the emotions people have when they think about your product or service. Period.

What this emphasizes is that selling is ultimately all about emotion.  The brand sets the basic parameters of what you’ll be able to sell and who’s going to buy both the message and the offering.  If you don’t understand that, any attempt to sell will ultimately fall flat.

The 4 basic emotions to consider here are love, fear, anger & ambition.

Companies like jewelers, greeting cards… heck, even Disney uses “love” as their marketing hook to emotionally attract their consumer to the brand.

Companies using “fear” (or even anxiety or insecurity) are security companies, Cyber theft companies, insurance companies & even big pharma all use fear based marketing tactics. You get the idea, right?

Now consider what brands use “anger” or “ambition” as the emotional connection & you’re on your way to being a better marketer.  

Here’s a step in the right marketing direction…

Before spending money marketing your product or service, make certain what you have is spot on & can stand tall as today’s consumer pokes & prods at it.

The emotional aspect of marketing is only part of a larger equation to a successful campaign. Still… it is a large piece that drives behavior, behavioral change & buyers’ decisions. For this reason, I state to be sure to discern how to emotionally connect with your specific target market(s) before wasting precious marketing budgets by throwing darts.

We are in a business phase now where consumers are more demanding than ever & we are in an economy that even the best economists are scratching their heads a bit, while most financial advisors hide their heads in the sand… It is time to be intentional and laser focused when it comes to your marketing efforts in order for your business to thrive.