The University of Southern California defines consumer psychology as the study of how consumers are influenced by their environment about how they think, feel, reason and select between different brands, products and retailers. It’s humbling to think that emotions are the driving force behind sales instead of logic, but study after study shows spending happens more in a state of euphoria.
But it can be difficult to find the emotional heartstrings to pull when you’re selling a product that might be considered boring. Here are four ways to get your customer more emotionally involved in your business, not by tricking them or bribing them, but communicating with them in a more emotional way.
Understand the Customer’s Belief System
In order to tap into their emotions, you must first learn what they care about. This may sounds simple, but it’s easier said than done. Business owners are often so immersed in the day to day workings of the business that it’s hard for them to interact with customers on a daily basis and assess their changing needs.
Do your due diligence and take any and all opportunities to get feedback from competitors, colleagues and most importantly customers. An email blast offering customers a percentage off their next purchase in exchange for feedback about their wants costs you nothing, might spark some repeat sales, while also giving you a wealth knowledge about what is important to your customer and how you can give them exactly what they want.
Make It Tangible
Real-world application of a product takes it from something the consumer is evaluating logically and turns it into something the consumer is imagining using. AppleRubber.com has a great example of this on their blog, where they take an obscure concept like additive manufacturing and apply it to industries that customers can get excited about, such as sportswear, aerospace and healthcare. Manufacturing isn’t all that exciting, but when it applies to specific things that consumers encounter every day, it suddenly becomes relevant to them.
Make it Helpful
Consumers have a heart. And they want to use it. Partnering with non-profit organizations is one of the smartest things a business owner can do. You get increased exposure, so does the organization, and you can work together to benefit a worthy cause.
But be careful. Your customer’s intuition is surprisingly sophisticated. If you partner with a cause just because it is popular or convenient, you’re much less likely to get the results you’re looking for.
Talk to your employees, colleagues, and review your mission statement to help you choose an organization that shares your mission and needs your help. Don’t look for press or endless gratitude. Make your goal to help and nothing more, and your customers will feel grateful and loyal to your brand.
Make it Social
Everyone is passionate about their friends and family. So that’s exactly where you want consumers to hear about your product, from their friends and family. Testimonials about your product, no matter how mundane that product is, builds trust in the consumer like no other form of advertising can.
So dig into social media, encourage customers to engage with you and reward them when they do. Also incorporating testimonials on your website, especially video testimonials, can go a long way in developing a relationship with your customer that’s about more than sales.