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We are all irrational.

If you already understand this, click here to learn how we can use emotional marketing.

If not, read on.

People Don’t Buy on Logic

If we were really logically, would you be with your current romantic partner? Probably not because you would have married the lawyer who has never had a parking ticket and saved 10% of his/her income ever since he was 18 making him/her a millionaire by the time thirty rolled around.

This person “checked all your boxes” but something was missing…

People Also Don’t Buy On Emotion

According to Harvard Business School professor Gerald Zaltman, 95% of the buying process is actually driven subconsciously.

In his book, “How Customers Think: Essential Insights into the Mind of the Market,” Zaltman shares that our subconscious/intuitive decision to buy is then communicated to the conscious mind via an emotion.

We then justify our emotional signals to buy with logical reasons making the circle complete.

So, the good marketer needs to talk to M/rs. Intuitive and M/rs. Rational. Not just one.

We All Tell Stories (Even To Ourselves)

Start with this article about Michael Schrage’s insight about changing your customers

Understand the stories and feelings someone experiences are real. Watch this video.

Take a few minutes to think about Simon Sinek’s Why challenge

Please watch this 2 minute summary of Marketing myopia

Read this interview with George Lakoff about worldviews.

Assigning Meaning To These Feelings

Luxury goods target our feelings of self-worth, acceptance, and status in the world.

Communication devices excite us by offering a connection to friends, family, and a broader network of people.

Athletic brands inspire by offering adventure and glory through the act of competition

“Sell the sizzle, not the steak.”

How To Use Emotional Marketing

Emotional marketing starts with asking the following questions about your customer:

What is your marketing hearing?

What is your marketing thinking?

What is your marketing seeing?

What is your marketing saying/doing?

What is their hell?

What is their heaven?

These are some of the most important questions you will answer and they don’t need to be perfect. The goal is to resist the urge to skip it…

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Other Helpful Questions

What is she saying to herself in her head? What specific words and phrases is she using? What story is she telling herself?

What do you secretly fear may be true about your situation?

What do you worry about? What keeps you up at night?

What do you not look at because it triggers too much fear?

What’s the worst case scenario?

What’s a worst case scenario that’s FAR worse than your current worst-case scenario?

How do you fear others (close friends, family, spouse, clients) would react if they found out about your situation?

What do you fear might fail in your life if your situation continues or if it gets worse?

Where will you lose power, influence and control in your life if things don’t change or if they get worse?

What do you secretly wish was true about your situation?

What do you hope is actually true about your situation?

What are you betting on being true about your situation?

What’s the OMG, I can’t believe that exists “dream solution” that you’d pay almost anything for?

If it could happen perfectly, how would that story go?

How will others respond to you if get this situation fixed in an ideal way?

What will you be able to do, get or achieve if your fantasy situation comes true?

Where will you be more powerful and influential in your life if your fantasy situation comes true?

Suggestion for further reading

  1. https://www.inc.com/logan-chierotti/harvard-professor-says-95-of-purchasing-decisions-are-subconscious.html
  2. https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/the-subconscious-mind-of-the-consumer-and-how-to-reach-it
  3. https://medium.com/@salesforce/neuroscience-proves-we-buy-on-emotion-and-justify-with-logic-but-with-a-twist-4ff965cdeed8