The internet has changed rapidly in recent years and has had a huge impact on everyone’s daily lives. Social media is booming with short-form content, attention spans are shrinking, and app algorithms are designed to only show content that is relevant to you in order to increase your dwell time. You could even go as far as to say that a competition for your attention has begun and to compete and succeed in today’s economy, effective online marketing is essential. How do you gain attention?
Fractions of a second...
On the internet, we often only have a fraction of a second to attract the attention of our customers. Every word and every other visual element counts, otherwise the target person will simply keep scrolling. We have to appeal to people’s interests and expose their deepest emotions without being manipulative or fake. Why do people buy? In this blog post, you will learn the psychological basics of sales and how the deepest primitive emotions of logical and rational thinkers dominate purchasing decisions.
Emotional shopping - Maslow's hierarchy of needs
Why do people buy sports cars and expensive watches? First of all, of course, because they have enough money, but what makes them spend it on that and not on other things?
You may be familiar with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a scientific model that presents human needs in five successive stages:
Physiological needs
This base of the pyramid includes basic physical needs such as food, water, sleep and breathing.
Security requirements
As soon as physiological needs are met, people strive for security and stability. This includes needs such as security of the body, employment, resources, morals, family, health and property.
Social needs
This stage includes the need for belonging and love. People strive for social relationships, friendship, intimacy and family belonging.
Appreciation needs
This level deals with the need for recognition and respect. This includes self-worth, self-confidence, achievement, respect from others and respect towards others.
Self-realization
The highest level of the pyramid represents the need to reach one’s full potential and to realize oneself in creativity, problem solving and the fulfillment of personal goals and ideals.
Understanding which of these five stages prospects are at is essential for any form of marketing. Many successful companies usually already know this subconsciously and implement it without the model.
Every single level is associated with emotions. So why do people buy expensive sports cars and watches? A large part of it is probably due to the need for recognition. Nobody buys an expensive watch to tell the time. It is a symbol of status and a sign of self-respect. However, no one would buy an expensive watch if he or she could not afford food, for example. On the other hand, a cheap watch does not advertise a certain image and respect, but usefulness and price performance, which seems to fulfill more security needs.
➤ Step 1: Identify the dominant desire and the dominant emotions that a person must have in order to want to buy your product or service. Build your marketing and your story on this.
Emotional reactions and their influence on purchasing behavior
Psychology identifies several basic emotions that shape our behavior: Joy, fear, surprise, sadness, disgust, anger and curiosity. Each of these emotions can influence our purchasing behavior in a specific way.
Specific examples of how each emotion can influence purchasing decisions:
Joy: Products that promise happiness or pleasure, such as vacation trips or consumer electronics, sell well because they evoke positive emotions.
Fear: Insurance companies and security products often use fear to emphasize the need for protection and security.
Surprise: Surprising or unexpected advertising can increase attention and strengthen the memory of a product.
Sadness: Appeals for donations often use sad images or stories to arouse compassion and thus the willingness to donate.
Disgust: Cleaning and hygiene products sometimes show unpleasant scenarios to emphasize the necessity of their use.
Anger: Political campaigns or social movements can use anger to mobilize commitment and support.
Curiosity: Innovative or unique products arouse interest and curiosity, which can lead to purchases.
➤ Step 2: Make sure that your advertisements trigger an emotional response. Be careful here, though, because you don’t want to come across as too negative. Try not to create too much fear, anger and sadness. As far as online marketing in particular is concerned, curiosity and surprise are very effective elements.
The primitive nature of man and purchasing decisions
Evolutionary psychology teaches us that many of our current behaviors are rooted in the early days of humanity. Our shopping behavior is no exception. Instinctive reactions that were once essential for survival still influence our decisions today – even when shopping.
Examples of evolutionary preferences and aversions:
We are naturally programmed to value things that suggest rarity more highly – a remnant from times when resources were scarce. This explains why we are so attracted to “limited editions” or “products that are only available for a short time”. On the other hand, we instinctively avoid what seems uncertain or unknown, which explains the challenge for new brands to gain trust and customer loyalty.
➤ Step 3: Use the feeling of rarity and time limitation.
➤ Step 4: Conduct transparent marketing. Every purchase step should be simple and clear for your customers.
Linguistic design
Appropriate language is important in almost every form of advertising. However, we can’t teach you emotional copywriting in a blog post – that takes a lot of experience and market-specific understanding. Nevertheless, we can give you a few linguistic tools and general pointers along the way.
Storytelling
Stories are a powerful tool in marketing. They allow us to convey complex ideas in a simple way and create an emotional connection with the audience. Storytelling allows brands to embed their messages in memorable, real-life contexts that resonate with audiences. You can find out more about how to do this here.
Conceivability
Use as few abstractions as possible. Try to transform content that is too abstract into something tangible that everyone can relate to.
Example: Instead of “This product gives you energy and makes you feel better”, write “This product helps you think faster and stay focused on mental tasks longer without feeling stressed”
Use of metaphors and analogies
Metaphors and analogies are powerful linguistic tools for making abstract concepts tangible and understandable.
Example: “Our team is like an orchestra in which everyone contributes their unique note to create a harmonious and impressive symphony.”
Sensory writing
Sensory descriptions include words that appeal to the senses. The inclusion of sensory descriptions in texts can engage readers emotionally.
Example: “The sound of the sea”, “the first bite of the chocolate cake was an explosion of rich cocoa notes and sweet cream”, “the perfume carried the sweet note of jasmine mixed with a hint of vanilla”.
Emotional choice of words
Selecting words that evoke strong emotional associations can significantly increase the impact of a message.
➤ Step 5: Try to use language to express a real story that everyone can imagine in their head.
Conclusion
As you now know, people often make emotional purchases. But it’s different when you sell to companies, where pure usefulness and meaningfulness are more important than with a product for the masses. Here is a summary of the steps.
Identify the dominant desire and the dominant emotions that a person must have in order to want to buy your product or service.
➤ 2. make sure that your advertisements trigger emotional reactions.
➤ 3. use the feeling of rarity and time limitation
4. operate transparent marketing. Every purchase step should be simple and clear for your customers.
➤ 5. try to use language to express a real story that everyone can imagine in their head.
