Why People Buy as a Result of Content Marketing

content marketing
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The idea that people buy your products and/or services as an emotional reaction is not exactly true. To say that people will not buy anything from anyone if they are not touched in some way emotionally is true. However, at the end of the day, when it comes to the decision to actually purchase, it is rarely a purely emotional decision.

How it aligns with content marketing

When it comes to using content marketing to reach you target audience on an emotional level, it is extremely important to understand the impact that your words have on your audience and to understand clearly exactly how the mix between emotions and logic figure into your relationship with those clients and prospective clients. That is not to say that you, as a business owner, should completely forget about the emotional element in the relationship/selling process. It certainly does carry a great deal of weight. However, it is also very important for you to give credit to your customers where credit is due. They are not purely emotional beings. They also have the ability to think and make decisions logically.

You must prevent your clients from feeling manipulated

If you have any doubt whatsoever that the possibility exists that your target audience may feel manipulated if you try to reach them solely on an emotional level, think twice. If you discount the idea that they are not logical, thinking beings, you will be shooting yourself in the foot. It is critical to your professional success that you understand how important it is to include both the emotional and the logical aspects of the person in your consideration.

Gearing your content marketing to include logic and emotion

Once you understand that your content marketing materials must include both the logical and emotional aspects of your target audience, you will be able to write extremely powerful content marketing materials that will positively affect your audience and cause them to want to interact with you. You will be on your way to building a fortified relationship that will stand the test of time. Once you have been able to grasp that concept, you will be able to structure your content marketing materials so precisely that they will produce amazing results.

The impact of content marketing

Content marketing is very different than other forms of marketing and in certain respects, it is more powerful. You can take your content marketing and you can send it to the right people. There is no limit to the number of people to whom you send your materials either. Because of the nature of the Internet and the way that you transmit information, your business can essentially sell your offerings around the clock (24/7). That is especially effective if you are marketing on an international level. In that situation, the time differences around the world are irrelevant.

The possibilities are endless

One of the many reasons why content marketing is so important and so powerful for business is because people will always be driven to learn about another person’s products and/or services and they will never actually come to that business owner to obtain the information. They will always ask other people or do the research in some other indirect manner. Of course, one of the big challenges is getting those people in touch with the information that you want them to have. Once you have managed to achieve that, it will be time to take the logic and the emotion of the other person into consideration all at once. You must engage them. As always, it will be a matter of being able to solve their problems. The WIIFM (What’s In It For Me?) concept will be just as important as it always was. It can never be about how great you as the business owner are. It can only be about your ability to solve the other person’s problems. If you are not able to do that, they will undoubtedly turn to someone else who can. There are several steps about which you should be aware when it comes to this process.

  • Awareness: Before you can have any chance to do business with the other person, you must make them fully aware of your offerings. This will elicit and emotional reaction in the other person. The person will read your content marketing materials and they will feel something. It is important for you to understand how your audience will feel (or at least have some idea) as a result of the materials that you share with them.

  • Making a connection: Once you have made your target audience aware of your brand and all that you can do for them, you will need to connect with them on a deeper level. That connection will carry on in your relationship and it will grow stronger over time. It is very important to connect with the other person on a human level. It is critical that you share your story with them. They will be able to relate to that personally.

  • Building your relationship: You will continue to build your relationship and you will establish credibility and trust. That relationship will be built using a combination of logic and emotion. You will be able to leverage both aspects of the situation.

Conclusion

As a business owner, it is extremely important to consider the logical and the emotional aspects of you target audience. It is also critical that you speak to both of those aspects and respect your target audience enough to understand that they are capable of making sound, rational decisions that are well thought out and appropriate. Often, if content marketing materials cause a business to fail, it is because one or the other is lacking. Hard work and dedication are certainly part of the mix but your thinking must include logic and emotion as well.

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Author

  • Carolyn Cohn

    Carolyn Cohn is the Co-Founder & Chief Creative Services of CompuKol Communications. Carolyn manages CompuKol’s creative and editorial department, which consists of writers and editors. Her weekly blogs are syndicated globally. She has decades of editorial experience in online editing, and editing books, journal articles, abstracts, and promotional and educational materials. Carolyn earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo.

5 Responses

  1. Jacquelyn Lynn says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: Business Writers of America
    Discussion: How Do You Use Content Marketing in Your Sale Process?

    Used properly and strategically, content marketing is one of the strongest tools a salesperson has. Good piece, Carolyn.
    By Jacquelyn Lynn

  2. Christopher Orandello says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: Business Development – The Missing Link between Marketing & Sales Discussion: How Do You Use Content Marketing in Your Sale Process?

    Nice article. Emotion is a big part in the decision process.
    By Christopher Orandello

  3. Samuel says:

    Via Social Media Today

    I agree with you that both emotions and logic are used in purchase decisions. Everyone uses a fair amount of both, though many use one more than the other. Even in an imaginary scenario where some customers base their decisions soley on emotions, while others on pure logic, it still wouldn’t be wise to focus on only one.

    Another point that stood out for me is the point on feeling manipulated. That’s one of the worse things that could happen, and is pretty much irreversible if a customer ever gets that impression. Many of the better brands out there strive on setting a casual and personal tone in their marketing collateral, and come across as being genuine in their intentions to help customers.

    Thanks for writing this!
    By Samuel

  4. Jonathan Hogan says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: Entrepreneurs in Social Media
    Discussion: How Do You Use Content Marketing in Your Sale Process?

    This is a great post! At my business, we staff content writers because we fully recognize the value they bring to social media and blog accounts for businesses. Social media accounts can be so boring when it is just one “services” post after another.
    By Jonathan Hogan

  5. Tyson Downs says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: Networking for Business Professionals & Doctors
    Discussion: How Do You Use Content Marketing in Your Sale Process?

    I understand the importance of it and will be including it in my marketing strategy as soon as possible. I definitely agree that it is a necessity and all your points in this article are spot on. Thanks for sharing.
    By Tyson Downs