Neuromarketing is the study of marketing through neuroscience. It helps brands understand consumer behavior and how they can apply that knowledge to improve their marketing efforts.
Here at Content Marketing Institute, we’ve been studying how neuroscience applies to content marketing for years now and I’m excited to share some of our findings with you today!
As a brand, neuromarketing can help you understand why people do or don’t engage with your content.
It can help you see which types of messages resonate best with your audience and even tell you what type of messaging makes people feel differently about your brand or product than others do.
Neuromarketing is here to stay and will only become more important in the years ahead as technology advances and we continue our quest for a better understanding of what makes people tick (or not).
| Takeaways |
|---|
| 1. Understand the Power of Cognitive Biases |
| 2. Utilize TEDx Talks for Effective Product Promotion |
| 3. Leverage Insights from Rocket Scientists |
| 4. Read Prospects’ Minds to Tailor Marketing Messages |
| 5. Create Strong Initial Impressions with Neuroscience |
Keep Your Brain In Mind
It’s a fact that readers’ attention spans are getting shorter. We’re all so busy and distracted, so when we sit down to read an article or blog post, we have limited time and energy on our hands. This means that you need to make the most of whatever time your audience has available.
You can do this by keeping your message short and sweet: use short sentences, paragraphs, and bullet points; use white space; write in colorful language;
Use persuasive words/phrases/sentences/paragraphs etc.; keep it positive; write using emotional vocabulary (e.g., “you”, “me”, “I”).
Exploring the world of cognitive biases is fascinating and can provide valuable insights into consumer behavior. Discover 19 Ways We Can Learn from Cognitive Biases to understand how these biases influence decision-making.
Use Positive Language
If you want your audience to be receptive to your message, positive language is the way to go.
Negative words are more persuasive than positive words and can help get a point across faster, but they don’t have the lasting power that positive language does.
Positive language is more memorable and shareable than negative language as well.
Be Concise, But Not Too Concise
A concise writing style is more effective at capturing your reader’s attention and making you memorable. It’s also easier to read, so people don’t lose interest as quickly when they’re reading what you have to say.
And because it’s easier for people to digest, your message will be better received and remembered in the long run.
If you can keep your sentences short, clear, and easy to understand (without being too simplistic), then this will help increase the odds of someone sharing your content on social media.
Ready to sell your products and services online? Learn from an expert’s experience with their TEDx talk on How to Sell Products and Services Online and discover strategies to effectively reach your audience.
Avoid Common Grammar And Spelling Mistakes
If you make a mistake in grammar or spelling, it’s easy for readers to lose interest. If you want your readers to continue reading your content, then avoid making mistakes by using a spell checker and reading through the text out loud before publishing it.
You should also use a grammar checker or dictionary if you get stuck with some words that can be confused easily.
If you want to go above and beyond in terms of editing and proofreading, then consider learning the rules of grammar so that you don’t have any questions about how things should be written down on paper in future posts.
If this sounds daunting at first glance but worth pursuing if done right, then try getting yourself a good book on English usage such as The Elements Of Style by Strunk & White (or even better: Strunk & White Online!).
Write With A Clear Structure And Hierarchy
Writing for the web isn’t a skill that comes naturally to everyone. But if you’re going to write on the internet, you need to get used to writing with a clear structure and hierarchy.
This means using headings and subheadings to break up your text into easily digestible sections, using short sentences and paragraphs, incorporating lists and bullets (rather than just paragraphs of text), bolding or italicizing key points, and so on.
Here are some examples of how I’ve done this in my posts:
I use headings like [The Top 5 Tips] or [7 Ways To Do Something]. These make it easy for readers who want just their favorite tips/ways can skim-read them all quickly without needing to read through everything else first
I break down longer articles into sections that each have their subheadings (e.g., “Section 1: The First Few Words”). This allows readers who want more detail about a specific topic and don’t care about reading other sections to skip ahead if they want
Tell Stories — Real Ones — About Why You Do What You Do
Communicating your message and engaging with customers is more effective when you tell stories.
People remember stories long after they’ve forgotten facts and figures. They also find it easier to relate to a person, which makes them more likely to buy from that person, rather than a faceless company.
Stories can be used in many ways:
- To illustrate the benefits of your product or service by showing how someone else benefited from using it.
- To show yourself as an expert (or not so expert) in your field; shows that you’re human and can make mistakes like everyone else, but also demonstrates knowledge and expertise within the industry.
Neuromarketing insights go beyond conventional marketing strategies. Uncover 15 Things We Learned from a Rocket Scientist About Neuromarketing to see how scientific expertise can enhance your marketing approach.
Create Eye-Catching Headlines
Headlines are important because they are the first thing people see. You need to make sure that yours stand out from the rest, and a great way to do this is by making them short and snappy.
The longer it takes you to write your headline, the less likely it will be read by anyone other than yourself.
People tend to click on headlines that pique their interest right away, so try using words like: “How,” “Can” or “What.”
These can help draw people in who want answers to questions they have about something very specific that relates to what your business does or sells. If you’re having trouble coming up with ideas for effective titles, here’s a list of some popular ones used by BuzzFeed:
- 15 Amazing Things You Have To Know About [insert topic here]
- 10 Ways To Do [insert action here]
- [Insert type of product/service] For Beginners
Use Persuasive Images Effectively
Images are a powerful way to connect with customers, but they can also be distracting. If you’re using an image to communicate a message and it isn’t relevant or appropriate to your audience, it will likely distract them rather than persuade them.
Make sure that the images you use are relevant to the topic and content of what you’re writing and keep in mind that there’s no point in using an image if all it does is tell people what they already know!
Avoid Information Overload
When it comes to content, marketers often fall into the trap of writing too much. They try to cram everything they know and every point they want to make into a single blog post or email — and end up overwhelming their audience.
This is a problem on many levels: first, people don’t read long emails (or full-length articles). Second, when you’re trying so hard to get your message across in one place, there’s no room for serendipity or discovery.
And third, when there’s so much information packed into one piece of writing, readers can feel overwhelmed by all the sensory stimuli competing for their attention — which leads them right back out of your site again!
So how do we avoid this information overload? By keeping things brief and simple. It sounds obvious but sometimes we forget how powerful brevity is!
When writing copy for marketing purposes (and especially when creating headlines), keep everything short…and leave the reader wanting more!
Understanding your prospects’ thought processes is crucial in marketing. Learn how to gain insights and “read the minds” of your potential customers with How to Read the Minds of Your Prospects to tailor your messaging effectively.
Include Numbers And Statistics When Possible
The right numbers and statistics can make your message more persuasive, memorable, and credible. Here are a few ways that you can use them:
Numbers can back up claims. If you’re trying to sell something whether it’s your product or an idea you need to be able to show how it works and why people should care about it. The easiest way to do this is with numbers that prove what you’re saying is true.
For example, if a customer asks if the product works as advertised, provide him with some evidence from a third-party study or study of his own that shows how effective the product is compared with other similar products on the market.
Or if he’s concerned about getting results fast enough for his busy schedule: show him research showing how long customers typically wait before they see results when using similar products or services in general (and then tell him yours will be faster).
Statistics are more persuasive than words alone because they give us insight into trends based on hard data rather than just guesses based on personal experience (or someone else’s).
For example: “A recent poll showed that 61% of men prefer blue jeans over khakis when shopping for pants.”
This sentence tells us something specific; whereas if we just wrote “Most men like wearing blue jeans over khakis,” then we’d still have no idea what percentage preferred one type versus another — only that SOME PEOPLE PREFERRED ONE OVER ANOTHER!
Make Lists, But Not Too Many Of Them (And Not Too Long)
When you’re trying to get your message across, it’s tempting to create a long list of everything that you could say. This is especially true if you have a lot of information or are speaking with someone who is not familiar with what it is that you do.
However, having too many things on your mind can make it hard to concentrate or remember everything that’s being said. The same goes for writing emails: If the sentences are too long and there are too many points on the page, people will lose interest in reading them.
The solution? Break up any lists into smaller chunks by creating sub-lists within each point.
For example: “We’ll clean your room and do all of the chores around the house while also making sure everyone has enough food to eat!” becomes: 1) Clean room 2) Do chores 3) Make sure everyone has food
Have A Conversation With The Reader
When you write your copy, try to have a conversation with the reader. Instead of talking about features and functions, focus on what will help them in their daily lives and make sure you use personal pronouns like “you” and “your.”
Ask questions. The most powerful way to engage someone is by using an active voice, which makes it easier for the reader to follow along and understand what is happening. For example: “You know how annoying it is when…” or “Have you ever been in this situation?”
Use contractions (e.g., “I’m not” instead of “I am not”) because they’re more conversational; also consider slang words that reflect your brand’s personality.
Emojis are another great way to keep things casual and fun! Use humor whenever possible but avoid goofy jokes at all costs this isn’t a Comedy Central show;
Stay away from anything political as well unless it relates directly back to some aspect of your product/service offering that helps meet customer needs (that is itself funny).
Or just go ahead and do some research into 10th anniversary gifts if nothing else has come up yet…but no matter what type of anniversary gift ideas people look up online today we still recommend buying them something nice instead 🙂
Use Quotes To Add Authority To Your Words
In addition to using quotes in social media posts and blog posts, you can also use them in emails. Quotes are a great way to add authority and credibility to your words. They can be used to create interest, emotion, or even just as a nice break from the body of your message.
Here’s an example of how I’ve used quotes:
In this email, we’re writing about product features and benefits, but we’re doing so to educate our customers rather than simply selling them something. We want them to feel like they’re making an educated decision when they purchase our products.
So we try not only to tell them why the product works so well but also why it’s worth their time and money (which is where these quotes come in).
Don’t Lead With The Negative, But Don’t Shy Away From It, Either
Don’t lead with the negative, but don’t shy away from it, either. Research shows that when you start with a negative statement about your product or service (like “we’re not perfect”), people are more likely to believe it and internalize that negative association.
But if you lead off with a positive statement (like “we’re the best at what we do”), people will be more skeptical of that claim.
That said, don’t be afraid to talk about the problems you’re trying to solve if they come up naturally in conversation people love talking about their problems!
First impressions matter, especially in marketing. Delve into the science behind how the brain forms preferences with How Your Brain Decides to Like a Product from First Sight and discover ways to create compelling initial connections.
Use Shorter Paragraphs And Lots Of White Space To Improve Readability
When it comes to neuromarketing, you can’t afford to be long-winded. Your readers will have a tough time processing your message if you’re using too many words and paragraphs, too much white space, images, links, and quotes.
In other words: anything that makes reading more difficult.
According to OptimalNerve.com (a leading neuromarketing site), the optimal length for a paragraph is between four and seven sentences;
Each sentence should be between 20 and 30 words long; each word should contain no more than three syllables; there should be no more than 25% white space on any page (and preferably less).
It doesn’t matter how interesting your content is if people don’t finish reading it!
Conclusion
Now that you’ve read through the 26 tips, you can see how important it is to understand your consumers. The more you know about them and their behavior patterns, the better equipped you are to make decisions that will improve your business.
As we mentioned before, this isn’t just a list of helpful tips it’s also an introduction to what neuromarketing can do for your business!
Take some time now to evaluate how each one of these tips could apply specifically to your own company so that when we start exploring different marketing strategies later on in this course, they will be easier to implement successfully. In particular:
Further Reading
Here are some additional resources to deepen your understanding of neuromarketing:
Neuromarketing Examples: Explore real-world examples of how neuromarketing techniques are employed to enhance marketing strategies.
The Power of Neuromarketing: Discover the impact of neuromarketing on consumer behavior and how it can be leveraged to create more effective campaigns.
Neuromarketing Strategies for Marketers: Learn practical strategies that marketers can implement using neuromarketing principles to achieve better results.
FAQs
How does neuromarketing influence consumer decision-making?
Neuromarketing taps into the subconscious mind, affecting emotions and perceptions that drive consumers’ decisions, often without their awareness.
What are some common techniques used in neuromarketing?
Neuromarketing employs techniques such as eye-tracking, EEG measurements, and fMRI scans to analyze brain responses and understand consumer reactions to stimuli.
Can neuromarketing be applied to online marketing?
Yes, neuromarketing principles can be adapted to online marketing by considering factors like website design, color psychology, and crafting persuasive content.
How does storytelling relate to neuromarketing?
Storytelling engages the brain’s narrative processing centers, making it an effective tool in neuromarketing for creating memorable and relatable brand messages.
What ethical considerations are associated with neuromarketing?
Ethical concerns in neuromarketing involve issues of consent, privacy, and potential manipulation of consumers based on subconscious responses.
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.
