Time to Get Psycho with Your Online Marketing

The most effective way to conduct online marketing for a product or service is to appeal to a readers interests & emotions. Studies show that you have less than 3 seconds to make a impression! That is not enough time to make a case using logic or reason. Yet, you CAN appeal to one’s emotion in that time with just a few short words. But, how do you know which string to pull? How can you make this work for your business? Let’s dig in and find out how right now.

The three modes of persuasion & advertising

Ethos, Pathos, and Logos; No, this is not the law firm that will get you the settlement you deserve! These are the three “modes of persuasion” as defined by the Greek philosopher Aristotle. Here’s a quick look at how each of these modes applies to marketing products or services online.

Ethos is used to persuade an audience that someone is credible. Advertisers do this when they hire reputable actors to endorse their product (implied trust). Pathos is an appeal to one’s emotions (your family won’t be safe unless …). Finally, logos appeals to one’s logic and reason (doesn’t it just make sense to …). Of these three, pathos (appealing to a feeling) always works best; and here is why it works!

When something appeals to our emotions, we are more likely to take action before thinking (click, buy, contribute). This is because for primitive reasons, emotion often trumps reason & logic. Think about some of the impulse purchases you have made as a result of online marketing. I am sure it seemed “logical” at the moment. Maybe just the right ad showed up at some unguarded moment. It’s like they know what you were thinking, right? Stay tuned, this is where things start to get psycho!

How to use psychographic data to drive your online marketing sales

Demographic, Geographic, and Psychographic data help define and segment our target markets. Demographics give us information about a person’s age, income level, etc. Geographic data lets us know where a person lives and works. But, the most important insight comes from any psychographic data we collect (psycho, get it now?). This kind of information tells us about a person’s values, interests, attitudes, and lifestyle. In other words, we end up the key on how to appeal to their emotions (what matters to them). Scary, huh!

Large advertisers have been collecting and using this information for years. But, for some reason small business owners have not. Instead, business owners who do online marketing choose to appeal to logic and reason. Stop it! It’s time to get psycho with your marketing!

How to collect & use psychographic data right away!

Okay, so you are convinced that appealing to the emotion of your market is important. But, how do you collect these kind of details from people? The answer is simpler than you think. Use social media, promotions, and Google Analytics to start collecting information. You can use polls, offer discounts if someone answers a few simple questions, etc. Be creative, but make sure you track the details in your mailing list database.

Once you have the details, segment your mailing list based on interests. Then, send out “special” newsletters and offers to each of those groups based on what you know about them. You can also create social media posts that take advantage of the details you have gathered. The more you know, the more focused your marketing can be!

Take advantage of these tips before you plan your next online marketing campaign. When it’s a smashing success and someone asks you how you did it, just tell them you decided to get psycho!

If you enjoyed this post, there are more scary useful small business online marketing tips coming your way. Follow me on Twitter @realtimewebmrktg or subscribe to my monthly Small Business Web Marketing newsletter below

NOTE: This article was rewritten on 6-8-2016. It originally appeared on 10-15-15.