Sometimes we get too close to the bells and whistles of our products and services. When that happens, it can be helpful to step back and remember what is near and dear to the heart of your prospective customer. Push away bright-shiny features and techno-speak, and ask yourself if any of these 7 Feelings can open a new pathway for you to be invited inside your prospect’s emotions and mind.
This is the topic of my column at Target Marketing Magazine.
As marketers, we know there are many ways to persuade someone to read or listen to your sales message, such as money, success, respect, and influence.
But perhaps you need an emotional hook. With simplicity and emotion in mind, here are 7 Feelings where you can bring warmth and emotion to your copy and message.
1. Family. What more important value than the love a person has for family. Family-centered safety and warmth is a winner about every time it’s used. When most people think about what’s most important in their lives, it’s family.
2. Friends. Including friends into a sales message can free up the mind from the drudgery of day-to-day work. And most people associate friends with entertainment, time together, and sharing of personal relationships.
3. Fun. With our senses so often bombarded with negative news, a fun or playful spirit in your sales message can lighten the mental load. Most people would rather play than work. Fun invites involvement. Involvement invites response.
4. Food. This tasty four-letter F-word gets your attention, doesn’t it? Now that you’ve read it, you might be salivating. Just the word “food” can trigger basic human desire to eat (that snack or dessert sure you’re imagining tastes yummy, doesn’t it?).
5. Fashion. Deep down, we want to look good. And clothes and fashion help create a personal branding statement. Most people want to be attractive, and most people are attracted to others who look good.
6. Fitness. People have good intentions about being fit and healthy, even if they don’t want to hit the gym and know they could do better. So, get attention by conveying how you can contribute to someone’s improved health.
7. Fido/Felines. When was the last time you watched a video on social media featuring a cat or dog? You can admit it. We all do. So you can hardly go wrong when you introduce a lovable or quirky pet into your marketing message.
Simple emotions? Yes. Sometimes we all a little nudge to remind us it’s the small things that stir our feelings and emotions.