Marketing to the brain or to the heart?

As a business owner or marketer you want your current and future customers/clients to know what you do and that you’re good at it. While that is important, it’s not what the function of your advertising/marketing message should be. The function of your message is twofold: become known before you’re needed and to be the first option when their triggering event occurs. Two mistakes advertisers make are: 1) they talk about them-selves and; 2) their message is a laundry list of the products and/ or services they offer. Boring...and not what the consumer wants to know. Do you know what the consumer wants to know? “How are you Business X, going to make my life easier, more comfortable, less expensive, more enjoyable?” If you as a business can answer that question in your message, you’ve just increased your odds of getting a crack at their business.

                                  The function of your message is twofold: become known 
                                  before you’re needed and to be the first option when 
                                  their triggering event occurs.


Unfortunately, most messages—maybe even yours—go some-thing like this: “At Business X we’ve served this area for fifty years with quality products, great service, at fair prices. We’re conveniently located and we’re ready to help you. Please call us, email us, stop by, see us…” Ugh. Awful. Why? Because consumers don’t care about you and because, in most cases, buying is an emotional decision. Are you talking to your customers’ hearts or their brains. If it’s their brains, you’re in trouble.

Harley Davidson is a terrific example. They sell motorcycles, right? WRONG. Harley Davidson sells a lifestyle. In their marketing H-D talks about you being able to get some “wind therapy on their meditation machines.” It’s brilliant because Harley Davidson understands it’s not about motorcycles, it’s about the experience the people in the Harley Davidson family will have. How are you communicating the experience of your product or service to the end user? If you can do that, your message goes from boring to compelling. And if your message is compelling, chances are you are on a path to form a connection with those you wish to business with and on the path to turning a prospect into a customer.

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