People hate to be sold things, but they love to buy.
Outside of my CMO job, I do consulting for small businesses, mid-size companies, churches, and other non-profits. Most clients think marketing is just about awesome-looking ads and social media updates that merely let people know about a product. Their natural tendency is to bombard with predictable messages like, “Come to our event!” “Our product is the best!” “Buy now!” The problem with this approach is that it’s like yelling repeatedly in someone’s face and trying to shove something down their throat. It fails to take the power of the buyer’s psychology into account.
Let’s look at an example of successful marketing. Consider cosmetics giant L’Oreal. Their slogan?
“Because We’re Worth It.”
Wow. Now that is a brilliant slogan. Why is it so powerful? Because of the psychological effect it has on the buyer. I want to buy something and I’m not even a woman! This slogan makes me feel like I am the one deciding to purchase a product, not L’Oreal. It also appeals to my self-worth. Considering it’s cosmetics, this appeals to the vanity and self-image of the target audience.
Further, L’Oreal’s slogan addresses the unspoken question every consumer asks: “Why should I buy your product?” It answers this question before it’s even asked. Why buy? “Because you’re worth it! We’re worth it!”
Obviously it takes more than a great slogan to successfully market a product. And before you market, you’ve got to have a great product. “The Father of Advertising” David Ogilvy once said, “Great marketing only makes a bad product fail faster.” But a great product with poor marketing will have a “reverse priming” effect. You don’t want potential customers associating you with yelling and throat shoving.
After just 5 months at my current position as CMO, my company’s revenue this quarter has increased 200% compared to last year’s figures. Our client base has increased 50% and we are already over 70% towards hitting our next quarter’s sales goals two months ahead of schedule. Our marketing has been successful because I’ve been able to understand the psychology of our potential customers and craft our campaigns appropriately.
Question: What do you think your target customers are looking for?
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