Thanks to the 2009 presidential race, online business owners can use a clever and highly effective marketing technique to boost sales. I call it the "Palin effect:" an instant, passionate, emotional connection not based on reason or logic.
You'd probably like to think that someone purchasing your product or service is making the decision based on logical reasons such as price, the selection, the warranty, or the testimonials from satisfied customers. Unfortunately, you'd probably be wrong.
Why people buy is largely an unknown factor because it's often a personal decision that's usually based more on emotion than facts. Good advertising campaigns are specifically set-up to play on people's emotions. It's not the facts that are important, it's how you make people feel that matters.
2009 Presidential Election Campaign
A good example of this is what we are seeing with the 2009 U.S. presidential election campaign. When Republican presidential candidate John McCain selected "hockey-mom" Sarah Palin as his running mate, he saw a huge boost in the polls. In fact, according to Newsweek magazine, "With Palin on the ticket, 71% of McCain voters now say they support the ticket strongly, up from 39% before the convention."
So how did Palin cause this big jump in the polls? Simple – she touched an emotional button with the American people. As Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama says, "Palin is a great story."
According to historian Michael Beschloss, "A good part of Sarah Palin's appeal is her life history, the choices she made, things that let voters form a bond." She comes across as an average mom, a working woman who just happens to be governor of Alaska
and now the Republican Vice President nominee. People identify with her story and it makes them feel good.
In this election year, Americans seem to be making decisions based on emotion, rather than reason and knowledge. The election campaigns are the same as a well-planned sales campaign using emotion as the hook that persuades consumers to make a purchase. But what really is predominant in this election campaign is the use of "the story" to make the emotional connection with the buyer.
Use Your Story
As an online business owner, you can also use "your story" to boost your sales. Especially if you are an information marketer, your story is gold; this is how you can stand out from the crowd and make that emotional connection with your buyer.
Two good examples of highly successful online business owners who have a great story to tell are Alexandria Brown and David Neagle. Both these multimillionaires have a rag to riches story that is memorable and persuasive. When they tell their story, they come across as personable, truthful and most of all – convincing.
Conclusion
Everyone has a story to tell. What is yours? Take a look at how other successful marketers are using their story and put your own story together. Use it as part of your sales campaign and make that emotional connection to increase your sales.
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