A marketing campaign that isn’t performing can feel incredibly frustrating. But to fix it, you have to start somewhere. That can be harder than it sounds. Or, it can be easier. Because over the decades, we have found that the main reason that a message doesn’t resonate with your audience boils down to one thing…
You didn’t appeal to their emotions. You appealed to their logic.
And here’s a spoiler alert: people do not buy based on logic.
Now, if you are one of those people who thinks of yourself as a logical person, you probably want to scream at your computer screen right now.
“That’s not true! I buy on logic!”
You think you do. But there’s been so much research proving otherwise.
In fact, according to one Harvard professor, 95% of purchases are based on emotions.
And if you are doing it, everyone else is too. That includes your customers. And to sell anything, you HAVE to know what those emotional motivators are.
Let’s dive in a bit deeper by exploring four of the most powerful emotional motivators.
4 Emotional Motivators To Use When People Just Aren’t Buying What You Sell
1. Pride
When people feel like something will make them look smarter, faster, richer, or prettier, they will be motivated to buy that product or service.
Just think for a minute: why does somebody buy a Mercedes? Are they buying it because of the actual engineering of the car? Or are they buying it because of the status that they gain from driving it?
You already know the answer to this question. It is most certainly the latter.
And just like a Mercedes, your products must tap into customer emotions. Create marketing messages that show how your product or service fulfills their deepest desires.
2. A sense of belonging.
People are born with an innate desire to be part of something bigger than themselves. Millions of dollars are spent every year by people from all walks of life who buy into something because it makes them feel like they belong.
For one person, this could be playing soccer with a local team. For someone else, it could be joining a high-end mastermind to be around other prominent thinkers in business.
Take ClickFunnel’s founder, Russell Brunson, for example. He formed something called the “Two Comma Club,” and all of his followers really want to be members. There’s a sense of belonging when you’re in the Two Comma Club. You get that warm, cozy feeling that you’ve “arrived.”
Here’s another example: I have a neighbor across the street who drives a classic car. He’s a member of this car club, and every Sunday, he and all the other classic car drivers in San Diego drive around. They show off their cars to each other (and the entire city) and talk about how much they love their cars. They have a connection, don’t they?
Here’s the thing. It doesn’t matter what form it takes. A sense of belonging is not just important; it’s ESSENTIAL. If you want to sell more, make sure that your marketing messages show people how they become part of something bigger than themselves when they buy your product or service.
3. A sense of security.
Now, this is one that you have to be really careful with. Manipulative marketing is a no-no, in my book. It’s necessary to do this kind of marketing right.
I think a product called “Hum,” by Verizon, does this very well. It’s something that you can put in your car, and it will sense if your vehicle gets into an accident. It will call 9-1-1 for you right away to get in touch with emergency personnel.
Now, as a mom of three teenagers, that’s something I am going to get interested in really fast. My kids are just learning how to drive, and they’re out on the road. Naturally, I’m worried.
So they’re marketing to people like me when they show examples of a young driver getting into the car, driving off, and getting into an accident. They are classy about it: you don’t see blood or gore. But you definitely see 9-1-1 being called and emergency help being sent to the scene. It isn’t manipulative in any way. It is tapping into a genuine emotional need that a lot of parents have about their young drivers.
Authenticity is key with these marketing strategies. Don’t create a false sense of fear.
4. Fear of missing out.
We are wired to dislike it when we feel fear of missing out (#FOMO). When you show your ideal customers that your product or service will help them obliterate their #FOMO, you are on the brink of something magnificent.
This has been used in so many ways. Airlines, for example, have recognized the value of exploiting FOMO and have begun offering deals that encourage customers to purchase tickets before they expire.
If you do live trainings or webinars of any kind, let people know you’re not going to be recording it, so they have to show up live if they want to get the information. That is all playing into FOMO.
Telling people, “Look, we only have four spots (or products) left,” and having that be absolutely true, is going to get people off the fence and get them to sign up.
Need More Marketing Help?
So that’s it, folks! Those are the four emotional motivators that make people want to buy. Which ones are you tapping into if you look at your marketing messages? Which ones are you not addressing?
Take this short quiz to find out which marketing initiatives you should focus on first.