People are more Emotional than Logical When Buying

Why your branding and packaging will decide the sale

We live in a world where people want to believe they are intellectual thinkers. After all, who wants to admit they do things on a whim, with little to no thought? And if you ask anyone, most would say, “Yes, I consider myself an intellectual. I like to know what’s going on and make sound decisions.” But what if the opposite were true? What if people were more emotional rather than rational, even to a fault? What would that mean for your marketing, branding and packaging?

Malcolm Gladwell, in his new book Blink, says people will make up their mind in an instant once they’ve seen the product or website that speaks to them. They may go through the motions of looking further, but will return to the one that made them blink.

Therefore, the question is, does your branding, packaging and marketing material make someone blink, or is it a “me too” looking experience? If you were to put your website next to the brand you aspire to be, would someone take notice or would they immediately gravitate toward your competition?

So what can you do to tip the scale in your favor?

There is too much noise on the Internet and social media to settle for just good enough. If you want to win, you need to make engaging your brand a fabulous experience! It’s all about user experience. So how can you make sure your site is ready to make someone blink?

Color has Meaning

color Color has emotion. Ever hear, “My favorite color is…?” When you find the right mix of colors, the experience is soothing. Color is SO important, it can decide whether a design lets you breathe and feels comfortable, or whether it constrains and feels claustrophobic.

Moreover, color has emotion and meaning. For example, bright greens, light blues, oranges and yellow give a sense of joy and happiness. Blue means loyalty, integrity and trustworthiness. Purple means royalty and brown means commitment. Grays and blacks mean authority and power. Choosing the colors that not only supports your message, but also makes the visitor WANT to be there is not an easy task – but a crucial one.

A Picture’s Worth 1,000 Words!

The images you use will determine a bland or powerful experience. You want to choose your images for impact. Decide what your message is and then find or create visuals that says it with authority. Don’t settle for weak, free images because you don’t want to spend money. Ask yourself, what’s my product or service worth? How much will it earn me? Is this worth spending $2 to $10 dollars to achieve? If it’s not, you are in the wrong business! You need to think like a businessperson and not like a hobbyist.

Words Can Move Mountains!

words have power How you say what you say is more important. If someone doesn’t think, “Hmmm, this sounds good, let me see what else they have to say…” you said too much. Not only can you say too much for your own good, you can make it sound boring. Remember, you are selling a dream! You are selling the peace of mind your prospect seeks. If you don’t know how to put that dream to words, then you need to find someone who can.

If branding and packaging hit a homerun, then your message (if done correctly) will satisfy their self-serving biases and help them justify the purchase. In other words, even though they’ve subconsciously made the decision that your product wins, how you say what you say will support their decision.

As Dale Carnegie says:

In persuasion, your message has to focus on emotions, all the while maintaining a balance between logic and feelings. Logic and emotion are the two elements that make for perfect persuasion. We can be persuasive using only logic or only emotion, but the effect will be short-term and unbalanced.

So, while making sure you don’t forget to appeal to logic, make sure your website smacks your visitor between the eyes and makes him or her say, “WOW! This looks awesome!” Appeal to their sense of emotional taste. Nudge them to choose you at first glance – then tell them why it’s the best choice!

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Eddie Velez

CEO and Founder at Success by Design

Eddie Velez is a marketing professional, designer and author. He has contributed to many portals like "Media Connections," "The 5 Minute Business Mind" and others. He has also contributed the chapter on the Internet and Websites for "Secrets of Successful Inventing: Sixteen Experts Spill the Beans." Eddie writes on many topics and has been a ghost writer and editor for authors and consultants. If you want Eddie Velez to contribute to your business content, portal or blog, contact him to discuss your particular needs.

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