As a coach, consultant, or author, it’s crucial that your marketing message resonates with your target audience. If you’re not sure how to do that, don’t worry! If you’re anything like me, resonating with your target market is a top priority. It’s not only important to understand who they are and what they want, but also to be able to communicate with them in a way that feels authentic and inspires action.
Fortunately, there are some simple things you can do to help make sure your marketing message hits its mark. Here are 9 powerful tips that will help get you started Resonating With Your Target Market. (And don’t worry – these aren’t the kind of tips that take years of practice to master!)
Happy resonating! 🙂
Contents
- 1 – The Power Of Credibility In Your Marketing Message
- 2 – Evoke The Senses In Your Marketing Message
- 3 – Using Exclusivity In Your Marketing Message
- 4 – Using Acknowledgement and Flattery In Your Marketing Message
- 5 – Using Specificity In Your Marketing Message
- 6 – Using Enthusiasm In Your Marketing Message
- 7 – Using Instant Gratification In Your Marketing Message
- 8 – Logic in Marketing
- 9 – A Truthful Marketing Message Resonates
- Conclusion
1 – The Power Of Credibility In Your Marketing Message
Thanks to decades over the top promises and out-and-out lies, marketers are selling products in “The Age of Skepticism.” Today’s consumer has gone from sceptical to suspicious, wanting to know the truth behind ad claims, warranties, brochures, and guarantees whether they’re buying a luxury sports car or a can of cola.
Most consumers don’t trust what you’re telling them because they’ve been burned so many times before. They are understandably mistrustful and think of buying and selling as an adversarial relationship where the seller is trying to take advantage of the buyer.
You will need to be proactive in overcoming this natural distrust to successfully make a sale from someone they barely know. You’re going to have to tear down walls of fear and scepticism before you can build up a relationship with a consumer).
One strategy is to provide factual information in an unbiased way that will allow a consumer to make his/her informed decision. A great way to do this is with information products or a “report.” When consumers feel you’re INFORMING them, they’ll respect you and thank you for your openness and honesty by purchasing from you.
Nothing sounds more authoritative than third-party facts and figures and quotes from trusted authorities like these
- Government agencies
- Noted authorities
- Editors of industry trade magazines
- Research groups
- Celebrities
- Satisfied customers
Are you wondering why a satisfied customer ranks as a trusted authority? Like celebrities who are trusted because of their fame rather than their expertise, your satisfied customers have “been there and done that.” Their experience qualifies them as authorities.
Food for Thought – Testimonials Can’t Be Beat
Research shows that testimonials build credibility more than any other strategy. After all it real people sharing their experience. (Never pay people for a testimonial as there are rules and laws around honest reviews and testimonials. You can find out more here)
2 – Evoke The Senses In Your Marketing Message
There’s a saying in marketing: Make them see it, feel it, and believe it…and they’ll buy it. If your sales copy can turn your prospects into “mental users” of your product or service — help them “see” themselves AFTER the sale — then you’re more than half-way towards turning your “mental cases” into real users.
Nothing beats a hands-on experience…a “test drive,” so to speak. In some instances, you can give your prospect something to feel, handle, manipulate, or examine. Do that and watch your prospect mentally take possession of your product or service almost instantly.
The next best way to get your prospect’s imagination going is with vivid storytelling. If you paint a picture that’s rich in descriptive detail, you’ll get the prospect to see themselves in the picture as the satisfied owner of your product.
Give consumers a 3D view of what you’re selling by appealing to their senses. Copywriting with the five senses in mind will pump up your copy for any product.
Effective descriptions should fill the gap of what customers would see, hear, smell, taste, or feel if they were standing in the presence of the product. Effective descriptions should draw customers in and create an actual event… as if they were able to be right there with you.
Tell Me A Story…About ME
We all love to hear about ourselves and to imagine ourselves happier, healthier, and wealthier. That’s why phrases with the word “you” in them are so appealing.
- This product will allow you to work less and spend more time traveling
- Our service means that you’ll never have to climb up on the roof again
A good example of this concept is the story of admen Bert and Ernie. Bert says to Ernie, “I’ll bet you $100 that I can get our boss, I.M. Impossible, to read a full-page ad without even trying.” Since I.M. was a notorious non-reader, Ernie figured he was a sure winner and was already dreaming of an expensive steak dinner paid for by Bert.
What Ernie didn’t figure on was Bert’s super-marketer skills understanding that Mr. Impossible was easily turned into Mr. E.Z. Sale with the right marketing approach. All Bert had to do was get the boss interested…to see himself in the picture.
How’d he do it? Bert simply put “This Is About Mr. Impossible,” as the headline at the top of the sales page.
For an good article on marketing to the senses, visit https://www.clickz.com/sensory-brand-management-it-makes-five-senses/80589/
3 – Using Exclusivity In Your Marketing Message
Have you ever walked into one of those trendy, high-end fashion boutiques? You know…the ones that have just three or four suites on display in an enormous space that could easily house a car showroom?
Ever wonder why the stock is so limited? It’s not because there’s no room for it or because the buyer couldn’t find more appealing products. It’s not because the store didn’t have enough money to stock up. The reason is exclusivity at work!
Limit Your Offer For Unlimited Appeal
Ladies’ clothing is mass-produced, so displaying only one dress at a time gives it an air of exclusivity. (Think of how that same dress would look in a store on a rack with a hundred dresses just like it in all the different sizes.)
In a world where mass-production is the name of the game, an offer of exclusivity is especially appealing. Ms. Shopper thinks to herself, “There’s no other person in the world like me and no other dress in the world like this one. I must have it.”
When your marketing says, “This product/service is a limited edition,” consumers hear this: “I’ll have something that other people won’t and they’ll envy me.” So, Ms. Shopper and her equally exclusive-minded companion Mr. Shopper are easily won over with marketing phrases like these:
- Limited edition
- Limited production
- Limited number available
Essentially exclusivity puts a buyer in a “one up” position from everyone else, providing a big boost to the ego along with “bragging rights.” It can be used to market all kinds of products and services, from fine art to French fries.
Now don’t kid yourself — the Shoppers aren’t idiots. They’re aware of the difference between ready-to-wear and custom-designed apparel.
Intellectually, they know that the few pieces on display represent dozens of other garments in the back room. But despite what the Shoppers know intellectually…it’s how the exclusive ambience of the store makes them feel emotionally — that will drive their purchases.
We already know that positive emotions are the “big dogs” when it comes to motivating people to make a purchase. An exclusive offer gives buyers a tremendous jolt of “feel good” by making them part of an inner circle.
Food for Thought: The concept of exclusivity is also extremely concrete. There’s no interpretation required, no need to figure out what it means. “Only 10 available” means exactly what it says.
However be authentic, if you genuinely only have 10 then stick to it, its not good when you say only 10 left and then you sell 100 and 2 weeks later a user sees you still have 10 left on your website for example , its not going to reflect good on you as it can then create distrust and loose you sales too.
4 – Using Acknowledgement and Flattery In Your Marketing Message
The need to be recognised and have our achievements applauded is universal. It’s a basic human need and an integral part of human nature.
In fact, millions of people around the world spend millions of dollars on psychotherapy seeking “acknowledgement” and “validation.”
If you make your customers feel good — about themselves as well as their purchase — they’ll want to continue to do business with you. When it comes to buying, consumers want to think and feel that they’re intelligent and savvy. So, when consumers make a ‘smart’ choice (buying from YOU!) – congratulate them on their wisdom!
A discount clothing store in the U.S., uses a slogan that says, “An Educated Consumer is Our Best Customer.” But what the consumer hears is:
“I’m educated, I’m smart, and THE MORE I BUY AT SYMS, THE SMARTER I MUST BE!!!
Only You
You can also acknowledge your customers with a “just for you” deal or discount or a Preferred Customers Only offer.
Who are your preferred customers? Anyone you want them to be. An old customer, a new customer, or anyone you want to target. What makes them feel preferred (aka “special”) is the offer you make:
- Come Back Again! — 50% off your next meal at xyz Pig-Out Cafe
- New members who join the xyz Rifle Club receive a free set of targets
The Sincerest Form of Flattery
Master marketer Joe Vitale uses flattery to best advantage on this website like this:
”You are really smart to be reading this. Few people are wise enough or aware enough to sign-up for a weekly ezine that will help them earn more money and lead happier lives. You’re the exception. You are probably a leading-edge thinker and more aware than any of your friends or peers.
Note how you felt when you began reading this week’s commentary.
Didn’t you feel good as you read “You are really smart to be reading this”? Didn’t you also feel good about ME for noting how smart you are? Everyone responds to flattery. You. Me. Everyone. It is a principle that—used with sincerity—can make you rich.”
Joe knows!
5 – Using Specificity In Your Marketing Message
The word Specific a bit of a tongue twister for me, I end up saying it a few times, my tongue doesn’t seem to want to bend in that way…
Words can be used to help create a picture which can stimulate strong emotions which is like having fertile soil for planting the “seeds” of making a buying decision.
However, while a picture in a museum or art gallery can be impressionistic, expressionistic, or cubist, the picture you “paint” with your marketing copy must be realistic…and, even more importantly, it must be specific.
“The surest way to arouse and hold the attention of the reader is by being specific, definite and concrete.” — William Strunk and E.B. White
Being specific is as a “word painter” is the difference between creating a vague image with copy like…
“XYZ’s Tomato-Field-in-a-Bucket – Helps You Grow Lots of Tasty Tomatoes at Home”
and the clear, emotionally compelling statement
“XYZ‘s Tomato-Field-in-a-Bucket – With soil, easy-to-use support sticks, and tomato seedlings that will produce pounds of ripe red fruit ready for the picking.
Specifics are more believable, compelling, and more likely to “close the deal”
The Numbers Game
Studies have shown that people rated copy as more believable when the numbers used were “non-round.” (You know what it means to round up and round down, right? 17 rounds up to 20, 42 rounds down to 40, etc.)
For example, if you listed “14 Super-Tricks for Losing 20 lbs.” it gives the impression that someone actually studied the process and identified the fourteen best ways to drop pounds. In contrast, “10 Super-Tricks …” sounds boring and somewhat pre-fab.
Kind of like “A dozen doughnuts” or ” a six-pack of soda.”
Food for Thought: Seven Heaven
In a study done by the Wall Street Journal, the number seven (7) has been found to be the number that most people respond to. Talk about lucky! So try to end your prices with a seven is what they say.
Winners and Losers
During a study for a hypothetical new brand of imported beer, it was noted that benefit statements such as these were unable to grab attention or interest:
- Our lager is a popular Bavarian beer
- Our beer has great taste
- This lager is affordable
But when the test marketers changed their statements from the general ones above to the specific ones below, they also changed consumers from extremely disinterested to positively captivated:
- Bavaria’s #1 selling beer since 1995
- Consumers preferred our lager 5-to-1 over American beers and leading imports
- Our Lager is affordably priced at $1.79 per six-pack of 12-oz. bottles
Make A Date…And Make It Specific
Don’t say “Ending Soon” say “Ending on Monday, June 19th at 5PM” when you have a sale or special offer.
Afraid that people will stop buying after June 19th when the ‘deal’ has ended? There’s an easy solution to that…
If you decide that your campaign offering “3 Months Service FREE when you purchase a Widget Lawn Rider by May 1st” was a winner, then just launch a new campaign for June, July, August, or any month when the grass is green!
The key to an expiration date is that it can (and should) continue to be changed as long as your marketing outreach is working.
Food for Thought: Don’t YOU Let the Offer Expire
A consumer who rushed to meet an expiration date won’t be angry that it was extended…if they even notice that it was. He/she will be too busy enjoying the benefits of the purchase to care.
But with anything form of marketing be authentic and genuine don’t use fake scarcity do actually come from a place of caring and sharing as it will serve you both in the long run.
6 – Using Enthusiasm In Your Marketing Message
There’s an anonymous quote I really like that goes like this:
Money buys, but enthusiasm sells.
If Daniel Webster had been in sales and marketing rather than the dictionary business, he’d have said that enthusiasm is the process of transferring your excitement for your services to your prospects and clients.
If you can get your prospects as enthusiastic as you are, they’ll be eager to buy.
In ancient Greece, smart people thought enthusiasm was a gift from the gods. And in today’s world, the same thing is true — people with enthusiasm have the special power to convince, motivate, and sell, sell…sell.
“One of the most distinctive features of a high producing club vs. a low producing club is the level of enthusiasm that the staff emits.” — Michael Fahey, Fitness Business Pro Magazine
Dale Carnegie — he’s the “power of positive thinking” guy — tells the story of a speaker who was promoting an idea that was absolutely and utterly ridiculous. Yet, at the end of the presentation, people were eager to “buy in” to what the speaker was selling. If the idea was absurd, what convinced the audience?
According to Carnegie: enthusiasm. The speaker was passionate and enthusiastic about his subject. As a result, more than half the audience never questioned his authority…they just bought his product.
Food for Thought: Enthusiasm is Contagious
If you’re not enthusiastic about what you’re selling, why should anyone else be? To the consumer, your enthusiasm reflects on your credibility.
Your enthusiasm is also a reflection of your passion for your product or service. When you’re genuinely excited about something, it comes across naturally because…well, because it IS natural — honest, authentic enthusiasm that comes from the heart.
The FREE BONUS of Enthusiasm
At the end of the day you’ll feel better selling something you believe in. So try to focus your work on products, services, and ideas you truly feel add value.
And try to sell and serve people who are very likely to get real benefit from what you sell, too. That way everyone is enthusiastic!
7 – Using Instant Gratification In Your Marketing Message
We like to feel good. So we do things that make us feel that way — from brushing our teeth with a toothpaste that we like or wear a t-shirt with the name of our favourite team or using a high-powered grass cutter to make my lawn look great. What ever it may be.
We then also try to avoid all the things that make us feel bad. I think most of us are the same way in this regard. We like to feel good and follow pathways that get us to a place where that need is satisfied.
If It Feels Good, Buy it NOW
The quest for “feeling good” is what makes us tick a lot of the time. We buy a vast range of products hoping they’ll improve the quality of our lives by helping us to feel better about ourselves or by making some tasks easier.
Wendy Liebmann, president of the consulting firm WSL Strategic Retail, told U.S. News and World Report. “For consumers, when it comes to buying luxury goods, special services, or even expand-your-horizons experiences, “don’t put off till tomorrow” has become more than a homespun aphorism; it’s become a way of life.”
Food For Thought: The Pleasure Principle
If consumers are oriented to feeling good, that’s what you should be selling — products and services that help them avoid pain and enjoy pleasure.
As the saying goes: Give the people what they want! Chapter – The Instant Gratification Button
In a lightening-fast world with everything happening at supersonic speed, consumers expect instant gratification in everything they do.
Blame it on technology, or the Internet, or even MTV. Blame it on 60-second sound bites, instant drink mixes, scratch-and-win lottery tickets, and microwave ovens. Blame it on whatever you wish, but there’s one thing that’s clear:
People are much more likely to BUY NOW if you can deliver instant gratification.
When the Consumer Says: I Have An Emergency!
There’s nothing like an urgent situation or pressing emergency to crank up the need for instant gratification. A teenager with a blemish on the night of the school prom can’t wait for a 7-day cure. A guy who wants to watch a pay-per-view boxing match can’t wait for a week for sky installation.
And in the past which Yellow Pages ad do you think would have appealed to a homeowner who has just lost his roof in a hurricane???
Brand X Roof Repair – We Repair Roofs Call 0121 555-xx12 for estimate
or
Widget Roof Repair is waiting for you at 0121 555-xx13 . Instant service for emergency roofing needs
Many companies would think that the Brand X ad is just fine. It gives the name of the company, contact information, and explains what the company does. Nothing in it says, “We understand your need and we can fulfill it.”
The Widget ad, on the other, is all about the consumer.
In the following example, instant gratification comes from the consumer’s ability to download a product from the Internet and get relief from a problem without having to wait.
When the Consumer Says: I Have No Patience
People will buy a product that can be delivered instantly over a product that will take time to deliver. This is why downloadable eBooks are such a hit. Click a button, enter your credit card number and in a matter of seconds, you’ve got what you ordered. There’s no worry and no waiting.
Food for Thought – Instant Credit
Credit cards feed instant gratification by allowing our needs to be attained instantly, even before we have the money to pay for it.
8 – Logic in Marketing
So in the last few posts, I spoke about the emotions behind consumer purchases, let’s move on to logic. A few posts ago, you learned an important sequence of facts:
BENEFITS appeal to EMOTIONS
FEATURES appeal to LOGIC
LOGIC JUSTIFIES EMOTION and EMOTIONS DRIVE SALES
Now it’s time to understand what kind of “logic” works best with consumers. The answer is a simple one: honesty.
Honesty is the Best Policy
In order to influence your customers, you need to present true, credible facts about your product or service. These facts will serve as the “logical justification” for the emotional purchase.
Car-Nation
The logic-emotion connection and the importance of credible facts can best be demonstrated with an example using cars.
The reasons consumers give out loud for their car purchase may be logical — they’re safer, you’re higher on the road, you can see better — but the REAL reason people buy their cars is often quite different.
The majority of people who buy sports cars like Ferrari and Porsche seldom have the opportunity to utilise their cars in high-performance mode. And many of the waves of SUV buyers will never take their car off-road.
So why are these vehicles in such demand?
It’s because they’re perceived as high-end luxury items, the envy of others, and Madison Avenue says owning one of these cars will immediately give you an “in” to all the same places that the ‘beautiful people’ go.
But all these reasons seem shallow…self-serving…self-indulgent… So consumers create a logical reason for satisfying an emotional need. The funny thing is that the same logic can justify many, many emotional purchases.
For example:
Some people want to feel safe, so they want a car that’s reliable. They justify their need for safety with the logic that a reliable car is a good investment because it will last a long time. These buyers can be “sold” with government and insurance company auto statistics.
Some drivers are thrill-seekers who want to feel like NASCAR drivers. They justify their need for speed with the logic that a high-performance car is a good investment because it will have a high resale value. Statistics from luxury car magazines are important facts to these buyers.
Still other drivers want to feel financially astute. They justify their need to feel smarter than the next guy with the logic that a car that gets good mileage is a good investment. They’ll be “sold” with facts from sources like Consumer Reports.
According to the dictionary, logic is the ability to use facts or rules to make an argument. So super-salesmanship is about providing the FACTS to support the logic.
But don’t forget, although there’s certainly a great deal of LOGIC to support a consumer’s decision to buy a car or truck, the purchase is actually about fulfilling an EMOTIONAL need.
9 – A Truthful Marketing Message Resonates
The 21st Century consumer has a very sensitive “B.S. Meter” when it comes to advertising claims and anything that is exaggerated will immediately send their arrow into the “red zone” that says, “Lies. Do not buy.”
Everyone loves a good story. Story-telling is part of effective marketing.
But it’s truth-telling that really connects with consumers. That’s why so many movies are promoted as “Based on a true story.”
Food for Thought: To Tell the Truth
Truth is not only stranger than fiction, it’s also more magnetic, more appealing, and more likely to stimulate a consumer to buy.
When a true story is done right, your essential marketing message — “This product works!” — is obvious and powerful, even though there’s nothing in the message that screams “HARD SELL” to a reader as it resonates with them, you build trust.
Just The Facts Ma’am
“Case Studies,” a good length about 300 to 400 words. Less than that and you won’t be able to get your marketing message across. Any longer and the reader may “bail out” before finishing the story. (The reader will want to hear more of the story where he/she has the starring role.)
Where do youR case histories come from? Why from real life, of course!
- Do you have a compelling customer success story you can use that demonstrates your company’s superiority? (Did your customer’s shoe sales quadruple after they put an advertisement in your health club’s newsletter, for example?)
- Do you have an engaging customer satisfaction story about your product’s efficacy? (Did your customer see her pregnancy stretch marks become less visible using your skin cream and go on to enter and win a mommies’ beauty pageant, for example?)
- Has one of your employees performed a heroic act on the part of a customer? (Did your claims adjuster move heaven and earth to reach a policyholder whose home was flooded?)
Leave out any “get rich quick” marketing hype.
Avoid anything that would strike the reader as simply a cheap ploy to advertise your business.
All you need is for human interest is a story about real people involved in real events that matter…that’s what makes your message interesting to your prospect.
Write a case studies that illustrate how your program, business, or product changed someone’s life — maybe even YOUR life — for the better.
Conclusion
These nine principles are a great place to start when it comes to crafting your marketing message. But don’t take our word for it – watch the expert videos we’ve included and see how they put these principles into action.
Once you have a strong understanding of how the human brain works, you can begin using this knowledge to create powerful marketing messages that resonate with your customers and drive sales.
What principle from these tips do you want to try first in your next marketing campaign?
To recap, using credibility, evoke the senses, exclusivity, acknowledgement and flattery, specificity, enthusiasm and instant gratification can help improve your marketing message. Applying logic is also important to create a truthful message that will resonate with your audience.
Finally, watch these expert videos for more in-depth information on how to apply deep rapport to your own marketing strategy. Thanks for reading!
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