In today’s digital age marketers can get bogged down with data and analytics, and they sometimes forget the importance of the human aspect of their marketing messages. In fact, 95% of human thinking takes place within the unconscious mind. This strongly influences the way audiences consume marketing messages and ultimately make their purchase decisions. Therefore, a basic understanding of the inner workings of the human brain and how neuroscience applies to marketing will only enhance a marketer’s ability to optimize their campaigns.
Essentially, doing this means that marketers must seek to establish a greater emotional connection with their target audience.
A brand should seek to form an identity that speaks to the humanness of their target audience. If done properly, the marketing messages they put out will be able to tap into the audience’s subconscious mind.
I try to apply these ideas to my content marketing by attempting to appeal to greater themes which call to something within the human spirit. For example, my most recent marketing piece for my personal brand states, “I’m a marketer on a mission,” in bold letters. The phrase “on a mission,” instantly evokes an emotional reaction from the audience as they can relate to something greater in the meaning of that phrase. The human yearning to apply meaning to their life.
I also use this for the company brands that I market for. I have been the head of marketing at a Florida real estate brokerage, EXIT 1 Stop Realty for four years. At EXIT 1 Stop Realty we use the word “family” and other phrases that appeal to the deeper emotional connections the audience has with those words.
It is also important to note that the images marketers choose for their content matter in this respect just as much as the verbiage. In fact, they may matter more. For my personal brand my target audience is other marketers, so I try to use images which appeal to their deeper desires and emotions. These are images that reflect creativity, and inspiration. I use visuals that my audience can relate to on an emotional level.
EXIT 1 Stop Realty is a real estate company, so I use images which show happy families enjoying their home in various ways. These images automatically appeal to our audience’s subconscious happy memories of time spent at home with their families. These visual cues attempt to establish an emotional connection with our brand and the warmth of home and family.
Another target audience for EXIT 1 Stop is potential real estate agent recruits. In marketing towards this goal, I always use images that depict a vibrant work environment, and show a team of attractive, happy employees. These types of images speak to our audience’s inner desire to be part of a successful, winning team.
As I see it, the best way that marketers can utilize neuroscience as a foundation in their marketing is through seeking to establish a greater and deeper emotional connection with their audience. Brands who successfully appeal to consumers’ subconscious thinking will benefit greatly by capitalizing on the emotional way their customers make their purchase decisions.
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