Have you been swayed to purchase an item just because it appealed to your emotions through one of your senses?  Think about it…..

My mother wanted to sell her house.  After she put the house on the market, a young couple that were expecting their first baby came to visit.  My mother had ensured that she was in the process of baking her  best apple pie (this time with double cinnamon sprinkles) when the couple viewed the house.  They did not buy the house and my mother eventually decided to utilize a local realtor.   Within a few weeks, the Realtor called to say that she had a buyer for the house; they did not need to see the house again.  It was the same couple who had viewed the house earlier.  I guess that smell of apple pie and cinnamon was enough make that house a home for what ...

When you encounter a new product you wish to purchase on the internet, your first consideration is to determine whether you have located a trusted or credible source.

Marketing to a new audience starts with gaining immediate credibility.  A first-time customer may want to trust you but feels uncomfortable about trusting an unknown source.   You will want your product and website to quickly create a good first impression. 

1.       Start with a professionally designed website.  A well layed out, clear and easy to navigate website is essential.

2.      Introduce yourself and let people know about your product.  Add your unique and/or specifically targeted and relevant information that clarifies exactly what you are selling.

3.      Add customer testimonials.  If you have an endorsement from a celebrity that is terrific.  Most of us are not so well connected and therefore you want to include customer testimonials where ...

We are living through unprecedented and unpredictable times.  Unexpected events from natural disasters to economic crises have left us feeling vulnerable and uncertain about our futures.  What will happen with our jobs, the economy or what will Mother Nature throw at us next? 

In these times, a product or service that fills the need for emotional security by using the angle of selling security, stability or permanence is popular.  Maybe it’s the retirement planning program that promises to show you the way to a secure financial future.  It could be the online course that provides details on how to stay current in your job and therefore offers job security. It can be the self improvement message to lose weight on this program or the course that makes you a better public speaker and therefore more marketable.  Or what about purchasing a manual and learning more about emotional advertising ...

As an entrepreneur, you are in the business of persuading a targeted audience to take a certain action.  The action can be to purchase your product or click on a specific link.  What do you need to know about your audience and what is the best way to market or connect to this group?

What is your target audience?  What standard demographic features such as age, income, gender, occupation, location or shared experiences are you focusing on? 

One of my clients is a Reunion Consultant.  Her targeted audience includes clubs, schools and universities that would ideally utilize her services.  The shared experience she promotes in her marketing includes the memories of living on campus.  The recollections of burning the midnight oil to complete the term paper, hours spent in the library cubicles, the last minute cramming for exams, the celebrations after the term ended.  Once she has ...

Emotional Advertising works on even those of us that are in the inner circle. I had a $2500 budget to do something with the overgrown and uncared for back yard.  Near the cedar trees that hug the fence line, the few blades of grass that had struggled to the surface were pretty lonesome.  To avoid a muddy mess and with the anticipation of the arrival of our new puppy in the next few weeks something had to be done.  The landscape designer arrived with sketchpad and pen.  Under her arm was an encyclopedia of native plants.  She would be able to fit this project in next week but after that she was booked for the foreseeable future.  After the regular questions about functionality, privacy, sun versus shade, favourite plants etc. she was off to write up a quote.  When the price of $5000 was received I gasped, reviewed the breakdown ...