Okay, be honest. At least once in your life you made a purchase you weren’t planning to make. Am I right? Maybe it was a late night infomercial that got you or perhaps you were online where you read, scrolled, clicked and bought. Just like that. Don’t worry. It happens. But how? Why?
The short answer is someone likely tapped into your emotions.
Like the FBI, a marketer did extensive research on you. We’re talking research at the government clearance background checking level. They found out what you like, don’t like, what you want to accomplish, what frustrates you, what makes you happy, and more.
What keeps your target market up at night? What is their number one desire? Once you know enough about your market, you can use the words they use coupled with emotional words to persuade them to take action. Here’s a great list of emotional words.
Fear is a powerful emotion. People are afraid of a variety of things. There’s fear of public speaking, fear of death, fear of living alone, fear of being left behind and fear of missing out, to name a few. Headlines and marketing messages often tap into fear and you can use that strategy too. For example, Samsung really tapped into the fear of missing out and being left behind with its Next Big Thing campaign. Kendall Summerhawk in a recent eblast wrote: “This October is the LAST TIME I’m delivering my Feminine Money Mastery training, and tickets are disappearing rapidly at the Early Bird savings.” Last time? You mean if I don’t sign up now I’ll miss out?
When writing copy you can also inspire hope. People naturally want better. They hope for a better life, a better body, a better way of doing things. Effective emotional copy can inspire “hope” by activating the prospects’ imagination so they envision “better.” For example, a landing page that starts with “Imagine what it would be like to work only two days a week” would get attention. In another example, real website copy for the P90X3 workout program says: “Got 30 minutes a day? I’ll get you ripped.” This inspires people who are low on time but want to be muscular. The P90X3 program suddenly gives them hope.
Buying decisions are based 80% on emotions and 20% logic. Yet, when writing copy many people focus on features and logical benefits. We say things like a product is affordable and makes sense. But how will a product or service make me feel? What are the rewards for buying the product/service? That’s where emotional benefits come in. Examples of emotional benefits are freedom to make your own schedule, confidence to wear a mini skirt, and relief knowing your family is protected.
Storytelling is a great marketing tactic that works! One of the best ways to evoke emotion is with a good story. Think about the stories that get us to donate. They often share a sad story that pulls at our heart strings.
Other stories that are effective are those which we can relate to. When writing copy you want prospects nodding their heads, feeling what you are saying. Maybe if you’re a mompreneur who’s targeting other mompreneurs you share a story of challenges you faced while juggling it all and secrets to how you overcame.
Remember, studies show 80% of purchases are emotion-based. Evoke emotions and sell like crazy!