Is it better marketing to emotions or intellect? 

A few years ago we explored this idea in our blog post Find the Right Balance of Emotional, Analytical Marketing and even today this topic is still relevant since so many organizations need to create content that connects consumers and businesses.

Consumers encounter over 5,000 advertisements per day. Out of the 5,000 ads, people may recall about 12 of those ads. (Ellens 2015) How are companies suppose to make a connection, so consumers and other businesses will use their products or services?

Organizations must make emotional connections with clients that also state the facts. Jeremy Ellens at Enteprenuer.com suggests showing the “benefits first” and explaining the “features second.” What does that mean? Show how the product or service can solve a problem for the potential client before you talk about the product or service itself. How will this product or service improve or help their lives at the end of the day? How well does the product satisfy that fundamental need?

However, as stated in our past article, marketers should use both facts and emotions to appeal to their target audience. “While some argue passionately for one or the other, the obvious reality is that different people are swayed by various arguments in different situations.There is no one-size-fits-all solution on one side or the other.” (Epp 2014)

It can be tough to know when and how to use both fact and emotion in your marketing strategy. Never fear, we have a few tips that will help you figure out how to balance both.

Identify your audience. Yes, we address this point very often in many of our posts. However, the point is stressed so often because understanding your ideal client or audience is vital to your marketing strategy. If you do not know your audience, you will not sell anything. Why would you market a baby toy to a single man with no children? That seems absurd and totally off the target market, right? That is why it is important to know.

Address your customer’s pain points or “psychological pain” and how you can fix it. Most people, naturally, hate pain and in most cases do almost anything to avoid it. No one is going to buy an item or service that makes them unhappy. Just take a look at a few 1-star customer reviews on your favorite online retailer or service review site, unhappy people either send the item back or tell other people about how terrible their experience was as to help others avoid unhappiness.

However, the same problems that cause unhappiness can be used to a marketer’s advantage and addressed on how to fix those “pains.” This idea is called “the psychology of pain.” How does your product or service address your ideal client’s pains? You can use these painful emotions and facts to fix these daily pains and in the end, make them happy with your services.

Limit the choices – the red pill or the blue pill. Too many choices can push people away from making any decisions. Choices are overwhelming and making the right choice is even more tedious. Think about the last time you and your friends or spouse wanted to try a new restaurant, but had no idea where to go. How many times have you pushed off the restaurant picking to your significant other, so you do not have to regret the decision if it was a terrible pick?

You get the point, too many choices lead to disappointment, also known as the “paradox of choice” coined by psychologist Barry Schwartz. The best way to avoid this is to limit your marketed services to one, and at most two items, so people do not feel overwhelmed and later regret their decision to work with you. 

“Marketing has many layers and levels, and a hybrid of emotional and analytical references may be optimal to your efforts. In many situations, there is a case to be made for initiating a discussion with an emotional trigger, then supporting it with facts and figures.” (Epp 2014)

Ellens, J. (2015, August 27). Effective Marketing Appeals to Emotions Instead of Reason. Retrieved February 15, 2017, from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/249121

Epp, L. (2014, June 5). Find the right balance of emotional, analytical marketing. Retrieved February 15, 2017, from https://www.plumbmarketing.com/blog/find-the-right-balance-of-emotional-analytical-marketing