Unlocking The Marketing Mystery

Unlocking The Marketing Mystery

by | Jul 21, 2020 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, Sound ADvice, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo

Have you ever thought about why your customers do the things they do and why they buy what they buy? 

How did they come to that conclusion?

When did they first hear of your business and when did they decide to consider doing business with you?

Subconsciously all of these questions are important and fall into what is known as the “Buying Cycle“ or the “Marketing Funnel”.  Buying decisions are influenced by two seemingly opposing forces: emotion, and logic.

The human brain is divided into two hemispheres, known as the right and left brain.  The right brain (emotional side) is the creative and exciting side; it focuses on feelings and imagination while the left brain (logical side) uses logic, statistics, and rules and is more practical and boring.

For your marketing strategies to be effective, you must understand why people do what they do and why they think the way they think.  Effecting and influencing both parts of your prospects’ brains through what is known as the “Marketing Funnel” will increase your chances of turning prospects into customers.

The purpose of the Marketing Funnel is to move your prospect from unawareness of you to awareness, then on to preference, need, search, and purchase.

All buying influences begin at the top of the Marketing Funnel with the right side of the brain, the subconscious and emotional side of the thought process.  This is the time when they start to create an emotional connection with you. It’s long before they want or need your product or service.

When actual purchases occur at the bottom of the Marketing Funnel, your prospect’s thought process has moved from the subconscious and emotional right side of the brain to the more analytical and logical left side of the brain.  This is when they do their research. Typically, they only research those that they already have a positive emotional connection with.

Emotions are the powerful, even though often unrecognized, beginning to your customers’ perception of you. Once a prospect has certain feelings or emotions about you or your competitor, it is difficult to logically change their preferences or prejudices.

The perfect marketing strategy reaches and influences your customers’ and prospects’ emotional right brains before they are in the market and before they have entrenched opinions about you and your competitors.  Getting people to think of you and feel good about you is what advertising is intended to do.

But this “perfect plan” also needs to appeal to the logical and analytical left brain to help your prospects rationalize and justify their heartfelt purchase from you.

Strategically targeting emotions at the beginning of the Marketing Funnel, and logic at the purchase end of the funnel is the perfect dual approach to reaching and influencing your customers.

To learn more about why and how consumers make purchasing decisions and to see a  Marketing Funnel, click here. To discuss how to create and implement the perfect media mix, contact me and I’ll connect you with a member of my team.  Drop me a an email to Scott@WOWO.com 

And to get more marketing tips and insights like this delivered to you inbox every week, sign up for my Sound ADvice newsletter in the box below.

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Facts or Stories?

Facts or Stories?

by | Jul 13, 2020 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, ScLoHo Sales Tips, Sound ADvice, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo

Is Advertising Rocket Science? 

You’ve heard the expression, “It’s not rocket science”, but when it comes to advertising is science a good thing or a bad thing? 

The word “Science” comes from the Latin word “Scientia” which means knowledge. 

If advertising was a science, you then would need to assume that you could sell your products or services by simply explaining the facts, figures, and specific evidence as to why your product or service was a better choice than your competitors’.

The truth is, nearly all purchasing decisions are made based on emotion, not logic or science. Note: Although few, there are exceptions to this rule.

In the 1980s, Apple’s advertising tried to persuade IT execs and big companies to switch to Macs by promoting and selling with facts and studies that proved the Mac was easier and less expensive to support. They failed. 

Apple turned the corner when they began to use the stories and testimonials from passionate IT “customers-turned-evangelists” to tell their stories of why they had switched to Apple.          

Humans are funny creatures. Our purchasing decisions are largely based on emotion and only rationalized with knowledge. Stubborn consumers who have preconceived notions about you or your competitors will ignore facts that are counter to their heartfelt beliefs and will seek facts that support their beliefs to justify their purchases.

Having one human tell others about the emotional experience of a certain product or company is far more powerful than stating facts! Humans respond positively to stories or testimonials from their peers who once felt the same as they do. 

Changing human minds is never an easy task. Over time, with a series of true and relevant testimonials from real customers, the perceptions non-customers have about your business can change, turning skeptics into loyal followers and even evangelists.

To receive the 14 Step Guide to Testimonial Advertising, click here and start converting non-believers into customers for your business.

And to get more Sound ADvice insight like this delivered to your inbox Wednesday mornings, fill out the Sound ADvice box below.

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Preachers, Teachers and Advertisers

Preachers, Teachers and Advertisers

by | Jun 30, 2020 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, Sound ADvice

Preachers, Teachers, and Advertising

The goal of every preacher, teacher, and advertiser is to grab the attention of the person they are speaking to and make sure that they not only hear the message but also understand and retain the message.

So, what can preachers and teachers teach advertisers about advertising? The answer is a lot if you pay attention to the formula preachers and teachers use to get the message across and make it stick!

Going back to the very early 1900s, though not taking credit for it, religious figure J. H. Jowett explained the process of preparing sermons, speaking to the crowd, and how to make sure the lesson was not only taught but understood. He said the three-part formula to help prepare sermons so the layperson could understand was this:

1. Tell them what you are going to tell them

2. Then tell them

3. Then tell them what you told them

Modern-day teachers have been taught and still use this same method. They know that if their students do not get the message in this fashion, three times in a seven-day window, they won’t retain what they’ve learned, and they’ll probably fail the test.

Research has proven that your advertising must follow a similar formula. If you want your customers and prospects to retain and remember your advertising message, they must hear your message three times in any given seven-day window. In advertising, this formula is known as a “frequency of three” and it’s one of the 6 Steps to Ads That Stick.

If you think about it, advertising really is a little bit of preaching and a little bit of teaching! Use this formula and your ads will have a better chance of sticking in the listener’s mind.

Click here to read the rest of the 6 Steps to Ads That Stick and make your ads stick in the minds of your prospects.
 
While this is generally true, and it’s a formula I have stuck with for years, when I joined WOWO radio in 2013, I discovered another factor in creating memorable advertising that has a real impact.  It has to do with some of the uniqueness of WOWO that I’ll share with you next time.
By the way, this weeks article is part of my weekly Sound ADvice business and marketing email newsletter than you can get free of charge when you fill out the box below.
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The Right Media Recipe

The Right Media Recipe

by | Jun 16, 2020 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, Sound ADvice, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo

The Right Media Ingredients

A little of this and a little of that can work when making cookies in the kitchen.  But when it comes to marketing your business, having the correct “Media Mix” is crucial to capturing your immediate sales, and more importantly, your future sales and market share.

Digital media has made it possible to narrowly target, locate, and reach those precise prospects who are “ready to buy” today, but many businesses have fallen victim to the pitfalls of micro-targeting.

The flawed “targeting” strategy suggests that advertising that reaches the broader market with mass media is a waste of time and money.  It claims that if they are not in the market to purchase today, they’re not worth talking to.

But here’s the thing…What if your competitor has been using mass media effectively to establish a brand and create a pre-need preference for their business over yours before the consumer is ready to buy? Waiting to reach your prospects until they are ready to buy can be too little too late.

The world’s largest advertiser, Proctor and Gamble, discovered this the hard way.  They learned that by targeting, or niche marketing, via digital and social platforms they were not reaching their potential future customers.  Therefore, they were actually losing brand identity and ultimately market share.  They quickly re-adjusted their media mix to include even more traditional media (Radio/TV) which turned the tide and grew their sales. (No pun intended as Tide Detergent is a P&G product!)

Human beings are stubborn animals. Reaching them when they are ready to buy is of little use, especially when they are biased towards your competitor or not familiar with you.

Conversely, if you have created a strong pre-need preference for your business, your competitors’ online and search efforts will be in vain.

Like cookies with added preservatives, the good ole’ traditional advertising (Radio/TV) is what makes your advertising investment last longer.  Of course, it’s not wrong to reach consumers when they are ready to buy, particularly if they are already familiar with you, trust you, and prefer you.

To see what the Advertising Research Foundation (a media-neutral organization) says about the right media ingredients, click here. If you would like to receive weekly marketing tips like this delivered to your inbox, fill out the Sound ADvice info in the box below.  My team at WOWO Radio have ways that you can create pre-need brand awareness and preference and also create a hot list of customers who want to hear from you now.  Contact me, Scott@WOWO.com for more information.

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Feelings First, Facts Second

Feelings First, Facts Second

by | Jun 9, 2020 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, Sound ADvice, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo

No matter what your personality make-up consists of, there’s a universal truth that you have to know:

Feelings First, Facts Second

This is how humans work.  Even those analytical engineering types, believe it or not.

Those engineers and scientists that rely only on facts… they use those facts to confirm how they feel about something, or if their research contradicts what they feel, then their feelings about the evidence will also change.  You just can’t completely separate facts and feelings if you are human.

How does this apply to the business world or the advertising and marketing world?  I’ll tell you a story about a client of mine who is fantastic at what he does and is also very analytical.  He tries to track all his marketing efforts and respond accordingly.

His ad campaign started in December and continued through May.  During the month of May, he was trying to decide if he should continue for another 6 months.  I am actually writing this on Friday morning May 29th which is the absolute deadline for making changes in his advertising starting Monday June 1st.

The facts alone point to a net loss on his advertising investment in dollars spent compared to income received that he has tracked.  If he was a robot, or some form of non-human, the data or facts would tell him to stop now and cut his losses.

But why has he struggled to say yes or no?

Simple answer.

He’s human and his feelings are overriding the simple facts of Return On Investment in his spreadsheet.

By the time this article and podcast goes live, he will have made a decision, based on his Feelings First and Facts Second.

His feelings are telling him that perhaps he is climbing a hill with his advertising investment and perhaps he is almost at the top.  If he stops now, then he rolls backwards and never seems a return on the 6 months of investment.

Or perhaps he is almost at the top of that hill and in a few more weeks he will starting seeing the payoff if he keeps moving forward.

On a side note, we did not remain stagnant during these last 6 months and we have fresh ideas for his summer campaign that he is contemplating.

Feelings First, Facts Second also applies to the way our businesses are coming back to life as I shared in a recent Sound ADvice newsletter. (You can get your own copy free in your inbox nearly every Wednesday by subscribing in the box below.)

Happy, Healthy, Wealthy & Wise…and Safe

Benjamin Franklin is most often credited with the quote, “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise”. One would assume that if you are healthy, wealthy, and wise, you would also be happy, right? But what about being safe?

When good ole Ben fashioned this statement in his Poor Richards Almanack in the mid-1700s, safety at work was not much of an issue.  Fast forward 270 years, add in a pandemic called COVID-19, and suddenly safety and health have become even greater factors in determining whether your employees are happy, which in turn is important in determining the wealth of your company.

Study after study has determined that employees who are motivated regularly are 43% more productive. A study conducted by Lockheed Martin concluded that developing a “safety culture” increased employee productivity by 24% and decreased factory costs by 20%.

As businesses begin to reopen and your employees return to work, how they “feel” will determine their level of productivity.  Taking for granted that everything will return to normal once you flip on the ‘We’re Open” sign will be a mistake.

The one common magnet that draws people to a business is not the product or service, but how the business made them FEEL!  Your employees will ultimately determine your customer satisfaction, but for them to make your customers feel good, they first must feel good.

Motivated employees that feel safe and valued can and will move mountains for a business.

In the 9 Rules to a Happy and Healthy Reopening, Rule #9 is “Be a Leader”. Leaders lead! There are few times in life when true leaders must stand up and lead. This is one of these moments.  Whether in war or business, nearly every soldier and employee want to be led by someone they respect and trust. By implementing the eight other rules to a Happy and Healthy Reopening, you will then confirm that you are the leader of your organization!

If you would like to see all 9 Rules to a Happy and Healthy Reopening, click here .

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More Than Price

More Than Price

by | Jun 2, 2020 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, Sound ADvice, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo

Breaking the Tie

Being different is sometimes all that is needed to break the tie.

In a retail world that’s changing faster than the speed of sound, it continues to be more difficult to stand out among the crowd. Regardless if you own a retail store or you have a business in a service or professional category, it’s imperative that you have a clear and compelling reason for consumers to choose you over your competitors. 

At this very moment, people have a need or a want to buy the products or services you sell. Their next decision is the all-important one. Where will they choose to buy and why?

First, let’s be honest.  For a certain percentage of people, price is all that matters, and you may or may not even be in the conversation.  But when price isn’t the only criteria, that’s when you have a shot.  Will it come down to a relationship, an emotional connection created from strong advertising, or a past experience, good or bad?

If you can’t compete on price, what platform or strategy can you compete on?

The key is getting people to know you and your business and know about your business BEFORE they need the products or services you sell.

Developing your tiebreaker, a consistent business strategy you can use to differentiate your business in your advertising and marketing, can be a challenging task but well worth the effort. 

Once you’ve clearly established your competitive difference (strategy), your challenge is to develop a unique and memorable way to consistently highlight that competitive tiebreaker.

If you would like help in creating your unique difference, click here to receive Ten Tiebreaking Strategies as thought-starters for this important exercise. If you would like additional help, contact me. 

What I just shared with you is from my Sound Advice Business and Marketing Tips newsletter that you can receive free in your email in-box nearly every Wednesday.  Just fill out the Sound Advice box below.

 

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