Want to grab the consumer's attention?

It's Not About You, It's About Them

The link above is a wonderful article about connecting with people you are marketing to. Show how your product/service will fit into/impact their lives. The article goes on to compare advertising content with dating. If you go on a date and talk only about yourself, it's a complete turn-off (trust me on this one). Advertising is the same, if you only talk about yourself, the consumers will just roll their eyes and say "who cares?".

To take the dating theme further, you need to create some mystery with your marketing. This came up in a client meeting when we were discussing whether to put "0% Available" or just put the payment it would generate on a vehicle. Which would engage a consumer more?

Disclaimer: First I would rather find a way to show the consumer what they could do with the money 0% would save them, but that's not always what the client orders.

That said, I think the "0% Available" message would engage better. It creates mystery. When a consumer sees 0% financing, it may click in there mind, "hey, maybe I can afford that new truck at 0%."

Or, you can put $399 per month. That allows the consumer to make a snap judgment. Either I can or can't afford that price. If the answer is yes, you might get the call. If the answer is no, your ad has served no purpose other than to tell them they can't afford what they want. It has instantly turned them off to buying without giving your sales force a chance to work with them. Ads can't overcome objections in people's minds like a live human being can. Look through your ads before they run. Make sure you aren't giving people a reason to dismiss you.

Courtship is about mystery. It's about slowly getting to know a person inside and out. If you sleep with someone on the first date, there is no mystery and you can't build a lasting relationship based on that. Marketing is no different. You can't start any kind of effective, lasting relationship based on the power of $399 per month. 0% available creates some mystery which might lead to a phone call. Then you have a human connection, and human connections are something you can base a lasting relationship on.

Of course, if relationships are too much trouble, knock yourself out with $399 per month. You'll probably find a few people looking for a one-night-stand that will respond to the ad.

Original article via the always thoughtful Nick Rice