Your brain can do loads of awesome stuff. On a daily basis, it analyzes tons of visual audial and verbal information that the world pours out on you. The human brain is a very complicated mechanism. It stores knowledge from thousands of years of evolution and is still not entirely understood by scientists.
Nevertheless, even those limited knowledge of the human brain that we have are very helpful when it comes to marketing and sales. Knowing basic facts about how we perceive things can convert your leads into sales. Here are some of these facts.
1. More Visuals, Less Text
Up to 90% of the information received by your brain is visual. We are able to process visual data 60.000 times faster than text. Visuals are also more effective in forming an emotional connection between a customer and a brand. That’s why high-quality images, videos, and other visual materials are vital for making your marketing communication effective.
2. Clear And Simple
Your brain is probably the world’s fastest multitasker. It does not like long and confusing messages, they take too much energy and focus on process. That’s why the simpler the marketing message, the better. This is the main reason why the best brands always explain difficult concepts with simple words. Consider for instance Nike, with its timeless - «Just do it».
3. A touch of danger
Your brain activity increases immensely when you face a dangerous situation. That’s why we enjoy dynamic and aggressive advertising so much. Such ads impact our brain in the same way as if we were in a real danger, helping us to create stronger emotional bonds with a brand. So, next time when developing a marketing campaign, don’t forget to add a touch of a thrill to it.
4. We Like Faces
We evolved as social creatures, so we feel more comfortable when interacting with other human beings (or at least pictures of their faces). Research shows that using faces in marketing campaigns attracts more attention from consumers. Faces “humanize” your marketing messages and generate more empathy among customers, compared to the ‘faceless’ image.
5. 8 Seconds Rule
8 seconds – that’s the average time span you have to catch customers’ attention. The average also means that depending on your target audience, you might even have less than that. If you missed those 8 seconds, don’t expect further interaction with your marketing materials and products. That’s why it’s crucial to use only high-end visual materials in your marketing campaigns. Only imagine, in social media photos are liked twice as frequently as texts and videos are liked 12 times as often!
6. The Color
The color is the most accessible and efficient tool in any marketing campaign but at the same time the most complicated one. Studies show that we better perceive bright colors. For instance, the perception of technical information (for example safety warning) improves by up to 82% if it’s printed on a bright background. The reason we are so responsive to bright colors is because in the natural environment we associate them with pleasant things (clear blue sky – good weather, red apple – tasty food, etc). That is why many well-recognized companies use blue and yellow as their brand colors.
7. The Power of a Story
When we talk to each other we share stories, not facts. It allows us to exchange our experiences, which from an evolutionary point of view was always more important than facts. That’s why customers are more engaged by marketing campaigns where other people share their stories about the brand, about their interaction with the product, etc. Real-life stories have the highest impact in this regard. The best way to create a strong personal connection between customers and the brand is to tell a good story.
8. Leave Some Room For Creativity
All of us like to invent things. The best way to make people reflect on your marketing message, no matter whether it’s delivered through a text or a visual, is to let them relate to what they see or read through their own thoughts and ideas. It’s very important not to impose meanings but encourage customers to develop their own, personal attitudes towards your brand.
9. We Want to Touch Not Just Watch
The perception of the text when it is on the screen differs tremendously from when it is printed on a paper. Customer experience would be different for these two means of communication, as they engage different parts of the brain. So, when developing a marketing campaign always consider providing offline user experience to consumers.
10. Metaphors!
The most successful ad campaigns are delivered through metaphors. When your brain encounters a metaphor it assigns numerous meanings to it, creating strong, emotional bonds. It also associates this metaphor with your personal experience. That’s why a good metaphor in the marketing campaign is far more effective than long explanations and complicated messages.
11. Humor
Humor is one of the easiest ways to activate emotional part of the brain and facilitate perception of marketing messages by customers.
That’s how our perception works and these are things that our brain likes. So, don’t hesitate to take advantage of thousands of years of human evolution in order make the life of your consumers better!