A civilization which leaves so large a number of its participants unsatisfied and drives them into revolt neither has nor deserves the prospect of a lasting existence.
—Sigmund Freud
Marketing is the art of creating a civilization (advertising campaign) that taps into the minds of its participants (target market) to fulfill needs and wants. If you as a merchant do not gratify and satisfy (get your mind out of the Freud gutter), you will perish.
The human mind has been formally studied since the 17th century, and while we have learned a lot, the psychology of mankind is constantly emerging…and so is the psychology of the online consumer.
Let us now jump off the counselor’s couch and into the mind of the customer.
What is the customer buying, and what is the buying cycle for that item?
According to Kevin Lee of The Clickz Network, the consumer buying cycle can be broken down into four key chronological steps: Attention, Interest, Desire and Action. (easily remembered by the acronym “AIDA”) The amount of time spent in each of these stages depends upon the consumer and the product being sold.
For example, the research and decision process to purchase a dishwasher is much different than the research and decision process for a t-shirt. In the former case, the research stage typically lasts much longer than in the latter situation. Multiple people may be involved in the decision process for a dishwasher, while it is likely only one person is making the decision for a t-shirt purchase. Since the dishwasher will likely last a lot longer than the t-shirt, and since the price is reflective of such, the decision process will also differ quite a bit.
Another factor to consider is: At what stage in the buying cycle is the consumer? If the individual is in the early stages (research), you first need to attract attention and then continue the momentum to generate interest. If the individual is at the end of the buying stage (purchase), you need to cultivate the desire enough to precipitate action and convert the sale.
Your marketing message should be tailored to suit your target market. It must also speak to the stage at which the consumer exists in the buying cycle. Value propositions are often used in marketing; a value proposition is some sort of persuasive promotion such as a free shipping offer, a discount, a free item, etc. However, if you have a great value proposition, but the prospect is not yet ready to buy, your message is falling upon deaf ears. On the other hand, if you have a marketing message with a goal of simply attracting attention and your prospect is ready to buy, you may miss the sale because you were sending the wrong message.
Once the purchase has been made, consider the loyalty factor of the customer.
Lee also provides the following sequential stages of the Customer Life Cycle: Reach, Acquisition, Conversion, Retention, Loyalty.
Ask yourself the following key questions to determine the likely repeat order rate of the customer:
• Will the purchase be a one-time occurrence?
• Will the customer return again and again?
• Will the individual refer friends and family?
• Is the customer an influencer?
• What is the “lifetime value” of the customer?
Once again, we need to take into consideration the nature of the product. If your store sells wedding dresses, it is likely that customers will not return to the site very often. But, if the bride-to-be purchases her wedding gown (conversion) from your site and e-mails her friends about it, you are gaining free traffic through viral marketing, which is the online equivalent of word-of-mouth marketing.
Now, if our bride-to-be purchases shoes for her wedding (conversion) from your online shoe store and is pleased with her purchase, it is likely that she will not only tell friends and family about her experience, but will return to the site in the future (retention) to make other shoe purchases. In fact, eventually, she may shop exclusively (loyalty) at your store for shoes.
Be sure to leverage your value propositions and advertising messages based upon the following:
Who is the shopper?
Consider demographics. Are you speaking to a female who may respond to messaging centered around emotion? Are you speaking to a blue collar worker who is primarily interested in low prices? Is your customer a business rather than an individual? Keywords, diction and messaging must appeal to your target market.
What is the item or product category?
Be sure your message tone is appropriate for what you are selling. Are you selling sports merchandise? Ads and promotions may have a fun, upbeat feel to them. What if you offer high-end cosmetics? Advertising should reflect a classy, refined message. Do you sell adult entertainment items? Advertising will convey…well…let’s leave that to Freud!
When does the shopper need the item?
Is your prospect still researching options? General keywords and messages tend to capture traffic that is not yet ready to convert. For example, if you sell televisions, a consumer in the early stages of the buying cycle may search a term such as LCD TV’s. However, a consumer near the later stages of the buying cycle may search a term such as Sony 40” LCD HDTV.
I’m sure Freud wasn’t referring to marketing in the opening quote of this article, but if you employ some of the tips discussed, you’ll have a better chance at that “lasting existence” to which he referred rather than the slips (and I’m not talking about the Freudian variety) many advertisers experience!
