Marketing is all about sending the right message. In this article, we’ll show you some of the ways to trigger unconscious emotional responses in your audience’s minds to really get your message across.
Whether you’re new to content marketing or a seasoned veteran, writing ad copy will always present new challenges. On the surface, it looks straightforward. Write down something catchy that people will get people to buy your product. However, there’s a lot that goes into understanding what makes people buy products, and there’s a lot of competition making it harder to get your message heard.
In order to ensure that you get your message heard, you need to have a good grasp of either SEO if you’re trying to drive organic traffic, or a decent budget if you’re using paid. Even then, if your message isn’t strong enough, then people still won’t get it. That’s where subliminal messaging comes in.
Subliminal messaging hasn’t gained the best reputation over the years and lies in an ethical grey area. For many, it conjures up notions of brainwashing by big brands, and there are countless examples of companies using subliminal messaging for unethical reasons. However, despite the unethical side of subliminal messaging, there are some key subliminal tools and techniques that you can and should be using.
Brand Marketing and Awareness
There are two key types of marketing all marketers need to understand: Brand Marketing and Direct Marketing. Brand Marketing is all about positioning a brand in consumers minds and is almost entirely comprised of creating subliminal messages.
The aim of brand marketing is to make people aware that your brand exists. If you can present your brand to people and associate a positive message with it then, when people are presented with a choice between your product and your competitors, they will be more likely to buy yours.
In the world of brand marketing and awareness, positive associations to brand identity are the keys to success. However, they are not the only weapon that will win the war in consumer confidence. The fight really comes down to your direct marketing.
Subliminal Messaging and Direct Marketing
Direct marketing is where you convince people to buy your product. If your brand marketing has done a good job, then you should already have the upper hand. However, in affiliate marketing, brand awareness is often not considered, especially since affiliates don’t advertise brands on behalf of advertisers. Therefore, affiliates have to rely almost exclusively on direct marketing.
Competing with companies who have pumped millions of dollars into brand awareness campaigns might seem like an impossible task but it is possible. However, while it’s certainly not easy, it definitely is possible. Here are some subliminal techniques you can implement in your campaigns:
Urgency
Creating a sense of urgency in your campaigns will help to charge your audience with FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). Countdown clocks or seasonal specials are a great way to get people excited about buying your products. That being said, it’s important not to create false urgency. For example, you should only tell people that a price reduction is limited if it really is limited.
Colour Choice
Choosing the right colours for your ad is important. People have associations linked to certain colours. For example, blue suggests security, red suggests danger or warning etc. The images you use should incorporate colours that match the message you are sending.
Images
The images you use have a big effect on how people will respond to your ads. Regardless of messaging, you need your image to stand out. Stock images rarely work well in campaigns. This is because they lack originality and authenticity.
Images that present people with a true reflection of life often tend to work better, especially on social media. People need to be able to relate to your images in order to see themselves in them. High-resolution, glossy images remove reality and, while they may seem aspirational on the surface, they don’t inspire people to part with their money.
KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid)
Sometimes the best messages are the most simple. Instead of trying to persuade people to buy your product by persuading them of the benefits, simply present them with their problem and your solution. For example, Hungry? Eat this!
The effect of keeping it simple is that many advertisers don’t, therefore, when people are presented with a short sharp message, it can have a big impact.