Most consumers studies have revealed that the whole “right brain, left brain” concept is much more complicated than previously believed. Especially when you’ve pledged your allegiance to the Creatives or the Logic Lovers based off a two-minute quiz you found online.
Research (by the brainiacs who study … well, brains) into the decision-making process reveals a much more definitive conclusion: when it comes to making a purchase, we lead with our hearts, not our heads.
Whoa. That’s some startling news for the super-sensible, pro-con listers among us. This information, though, is incredibly useful to marketers, proving that emotions factor into the buying behavior of even the most rational consumers.
3 Tips on Gaining Consumers
Armed with this knowledge, here are some best practices our team employs:
- Appeal to Buyers’ “Softer Side”
Despite the vast array of emotions that humans experience (sometimes on any given day – especially Mondays, in our non-scientific opinion), they can be traced back to four:
- Happy
- Sad
- Afraid/surprised
- Angry/disgusted
Tapping into these emotions gives brands an advantage in connecting with their audience. Especially when that audience is inundated by thousands of advertisements a day. That’s right, the average American is exposed to between 4,000 and 10,000 each day, up from 500 in the 1970s. Of the best-performing campaigns among these, 31% featured content that appealed to consumers’ emotions, while only 16% presented rational content.
- Sell Through Stories
Consumers favor storytelling over sales pitches – and who can blame them? The ability to weave the sale into an artfully-crafted storyline is evidence of a truly masterful marketer. Emotional highs and lows keep viewers engaged, whether it’s in a :30 TV commercial or a beloved movie or novel. Feelings like joy and surprise, in particular, serve as the glue that keeps consumers’ attention from wandering.
Depending on the brand and the campaign’s overall goal, different heart strings must be tugged. For instance, ads that include children or dogs often trigger an empathetic response that encourages viewers to build a personal connection with a brand. Ads based on creativity, however, inspire consumers to see the brand as innovative and progressive. These “out of the box” ads may employ humor, unique storylines and a memorable cast.
- Show Your Color Palette Some Love
Numerous studies have been conducted on the psychological effects of color in advertisements. One found that changing the color of a call to action (CTA) button on a landing page from light green to yellow was rewarded with 14.5% higher conversion rates. And adding a colored border to an image on Facebook doubled click-through rates!
Gaining Customers: Motivated Marketing Can Help!
At Motivated Marketing, we understand that consumers’ hearts often lead the charge when making a purchasing decision. And it doesn’t take a scientist to see that our work engages consumers’ emotions – and helps turn feelings into results for our clients!
If you’d like to learn more about psychology, we recommend a trip to the library. But if it’s awesome marketing you’re after, you’ve come to the right place! Our ad agency offers automotive advertising, healthcare advertising and legal industry advertising.
Just email info@motivatedmarketing.com or call 843.856.7322 to get in touch!