- Marketing
Elementary marketing will voice advertising like this: ‘My product is better than its competitor because…’, or ‘Buy my product because it does this and that.’ Although a list of value props has its place, companies tread a futile path when they solely market a product by making it all about the company and not about the customer.
When it comes to connecting with your market, the goal is to alleviate their pain point. So what are their problems? It boils down to the two basic reasons why people will use a product–for pleasure or for pain. So where does your product fit in? Is your product a need–something that customers must use regularly or they’ll suffer? Or is it a want–a product that they can live without but will make their lives much better?
Apple gets an A++ for emotional marketing and it’s reflected in their sales.
To be successful, marketers must get into the customer’s mind. Marketing from the customer’s point of view is called emotional marketing. Companies that can emotionally connect to their customers create new value, which in turn, accelerates sales and growth. Humans differ from other species because of our emotions, so it takes more than just logic and instincts to make a decision. By psychological default, most decisions we make are based on emotions, even unconscious ones.
In the early days, founders of global conglomerate companies sold their products from their car trunks. They interacted with the people they wanted to sell to and made improvements to their products based on feedback. They took a hands-on approach to understanding their customers. On the other hand, a company that doesn’t interact with its target market shows this by producing material based on the matter, or the product itself–showing that they really don’t know their customers.
When a company can emotionally connect to its customers, understand and empathize with their pain, they will also motivate them. Emotions such as loyalty, trust, and confidence will then be planted in their minds. This doesn’t come by accident. This comes when your marketing prioritizes the mind over matter.
