No Room for Emotion in the Marketing Space but Emotion Sells
That sounds counter, intuitive, as we know one of the prime drivers of sales is emotion.
We are all consumers and with the uptake of mobile technology reaching saturation we are all able to research on the go, find information, the best deals and ultimately fill all the gaps in our knowledge so that we can make the most informed decision, in the selling fields like never before.
We invest emotion in every purchase.
The most valuable currency in this world is attention.
Marketers reach out, with emotion to grab and hold onto our attention.
The money and reward is in the attention span.
Successful marketers realize that and do their utmost not to buy into the emotion but rather get along with the emotion, the tasks at hand and use the emotion to promote and sell and to elevate their position.
So why is there no space for emotion?
To be successful we need to control that energy and realize that folks are onto it, we as consumers see through it, we are switched on more so than any other time in history.
It is said " ignorance is a choice in these times " and it is true.
The realization needs to be made that we are different, step across that soft border and you are creating a new normal.
Your new normal.
That transition from the buyer to the seller mindset may take time, it does happen.
The thing is that you can not have a foot in both camps if you want to succeed.
" I am a marketer ".
Claim the mantle, start each day proclaiming it.
When we start out it may feel foreign, the quicker we can shed our old skin and grow into our new skin, the quicker the fog clears.
If you want to be a creative marketer better to follow down the positive path, that said, negative marketing may bring attention in the short term.
One is legitimate and sustainable one is a slow burn and unsustainable.
Alex
Recent Comments
27
Hey Alex,
An interesting irony . I am a marketer but I’m also a consumer of other markers products.
So that means I need to be in a constant state of balance between the 2 roles
Wear my marketing hat, perform my role, step aside , remove that hat ,wear the consumer hat and so on.
Can I intelligently wear both hats , be 2 people at the same time but still ensure one does not trip the other 🤔 ?
Or am I completely lost!?
Hi Jane, thank you for your response when we come to the marketing world we are constantly in a state of flux. that is until we cross that soft border that separates buyers from sellers.
One of the hardest things from observation and folks asking is making that transition from one state to the other. Once we make that transition one can move effortlessly between the two.
For a while, we can get stuck between the two, ask someone what they do in the early phases of their journey and that will stumble in their answer.
Ask someone that has crossed the border and their answer will be concise and to the point, it is that familiarity where that emotive energy is in balance we can then start to focus and achieve.
Hopefully, we can reach that point where our consumer self and our marketing self can become one in the same.
The quickest way to do that is to claim our marketing side, and in doing so hopefully, we don't get lost on the way but can use the buying and selling emotions to our advantage.
Alex
Great article. What brings to my mind is that marketing/selling is a transfer of feeling. What we see and read stirs the emotional response you feel to make a decision that draws you in to buy. If the seller is motivated by ethical principles, they have the potential of making a lot of money when they master the art of transferring feeling to the buyer to want to buy. Unfortunately, it is also true to make lots of money those not motivated by morality.
Hi Judson, thank you for chiming in with your thoughts.
I really like how you have expressed that selling is that transfer of feeling, that is a very empowering statement.
There is always a flip side and that usually brings out some of our not so impressive human qualities.
If we can, master the emotion involved in selling we can indeed, find ways to create that mutual benefit.
Alex
Hi Alex, I enjoyed reading your very interesting post.
Emotion is a big one!
Way back in the day, as is sometimes said, emotion was a no-no. Stiff upper lip and all that stuff!
Then, one day I woke up to the fact that emotion is real. And the realization came through the wonderful world of modern television, where so often there is no holding back.
However, when it comes to business - this is where it gets tricky. Of course, there will always be a level of emotion, but what I've learned, and it was a hard learn when I had my own secretarial business - successful business people keep emotion out of the equation. I'm not saying I wasn't successful but it is so easy when working on one's own to waiver costs.
Does that happen in larger business? No, there is more power in a larger business. And there can be similar power in small business. For instance - I made an appointment for next week with a work from home, I'm guessing, Podiatrist. She told me on the phone exactly what her terms are and I admire her for an emotion free conversation. I know exactly what her terms are, with the upside being that I'm not left guessing about costs. This woman also has great professionalism in her manner of speaking.
As marketers, we do have the ability to portray similar professionalism to what I've just described. I don't say it is easy to do that on a website post, but it's something to work at developing.
What you say about claiming and proclaiming the mantel is great advice, Alex. I absolutely agree.
Thanks for a great post.
Valerie
Hi, Valerie thank you for your thoughtful response.
I think that you have expressed it very well, in all things there are emotions involved and perhaps it is a modern thing but they are expressed more openly than in past days.
The realization is that we can take time to transition to a point where we are comfortable being that seller where we have both confidence in the product and confidence in our own abilities to ably promote products and services.
On our side, we have to understand emotion as it relates to the sales cycle, and also we need to be aware that we need to conduct business and ourselves in an almost detached way.
We all need to learn how to control our emotional exposure.
In that clinical way, business is business and we need to keep that line and keep it in balance.
I guess until we can do that then we can be challenged.
I like how you expressed your encounter with the Podiatrist, it is a process, when we are selling we need to develop that same process, it makes for better business.
In the online world, it can be easy to get drawn into the emotional flow of things and that can be detrimental, finding that balance can take time.
When we work out where we are and that we are in fact marketers the quicker we claim that and make it part of us the quicker we can get on with the job and the quicker we start making a success of it.
Alex
Absolutely, Alex. I agree with all you say.
And, thanks for your initial introduction to the subject of emotion in business, through your post. It definitely is an important aspect of developing a successful business, be it online or brick and mortar.
Valerie
Hi Alex,
That was a really great post. Thanks for sharing. I am on the same page as you are. Our emotions ,I believe are the core of what we often do. Marketing included. Well spoken,or written, as always.
Take care,
Tina Louise
Hi Tina Louise, thank you for stopping by when we strip it away emotions can be a driver for just about all of our interactions.
Some emotions are positive and creative and some not so, recognizing that and keeping not so good emotions in check can make for calm and successful journeys.
I see that you joined back in 2013 are you just reconnecting.
Alex
Hi Robert, thanks for stopping by we are on the same page.
Emotions are at the core of much that we do, especially the case when it comes to marketing.
We all need to understand how we tick tock and especially how our audience relates to what we are putting out there.
Have a productive week.
Alex
Very true Alex and I am constantly fighting that battle in my head as I write my contents on a daily basis :) great post.
Hi Snazzy, IIaisaane,
I think that is a battle that we all face, we come to online marketing when starting out it is like something that we almost mention under our breaths or in a really quiet voice.
I guess that is one of the powerful things about WA the whole vibe and energy of the place can help us to make that transition almost seamlessly.
When we can arrive at that point where the whole marketing gig becomes part of us, that is that day where we can move on unencumbered.
Have a productive week.
Writing content daily will really accelerate your progress.
Best wishes.
Alex
I am indeed Roger, have been trying to take some photos of trout swimming in pools at the river for use online.
We have a phone and we are all photographers, I must say that I need to put in some work to create something that is halfway good, at this stage.
A real work in progress.
Thank you for your kind wishes.
Alex
I 'm with you Alex.
It's better to be legitimate and sustainable than illegitimate and unsustainable.
You have always been ethical and I admire you immensely for that.
Onwards and Upwards.
Make it a great year!
Blessings always
Maxine
Hi Maxine, Good to see you.
The thing with WA we have the opportunity to create a legitimate and sustainable online footprint by using the knowledge, training, and resources that we are provided with, via our membership.
It is going to be a great year for many I suspect, how is your road Vegas adventure shaping up.
Best wishes to you.
Alex
Hey Alex,
It's shaping! lol.
To matter what, I'm moving forward!
Here's to making it a great year
Blessings always
Maxine :-))
See more comments
I like how you said, this, Alex, "Get along with the emotion, the tasks at hand and use the emotion to promote and sell and to elevate their position."
To me this means that we want to predict our readers emotions. Their feelings. If we can predict that and understand that, then we can "solve" their challenge.
I definitely agree - follow the positive path and avoid negative marketing.
Hi Sondra, thank you for your thoughtful comment, your response sums it up in a nutshell, it can be all about reaching out and communicating on the same page as they say.
Emotions are involved in every purchase and in a sense as marketers we need to feel the emotion but yet stay removed observers if you like.
It can be so easy to get dragged into negative sentiments and in the world of marketing, it doesn't make for good results. As with content creation, negative emotion creates results, in turn, those results can create negative writers it can be a fine line from observation.
Always better to tread the positive path as you say.
I appreciate your comment, Sondra.
Alex
Thank you Alex.
I hope that both of us can avoid negativity in our lives as much as possible.
Sondra