By David LaBonte, Author of Shiny Objects Marketing: Using Simple Human Instincts to Make Your Brand Irresistible
Social media marketing is a sexy new addition to traditional marketing formats. It bridges the gap from broadcast or print to broadband, introducing fresh access to market share. But the secret of success in this brave new world still rests on your target fingerprint. You must know what makes your product, brand, or service irresistible before social media marketing can work.
Irresistible attraction is the physiological, instinctual, or psychological appeal generated between your product and the consumer. It makes your product into a shiny object that sparkles, eliciting a spark like an arc of electricity. Subconsciously, your prospect feels that they must grab it and hold onto it; it’s just too shiny to pass by.
So how do you make your product, brand, or service irresistible? The key notion is that you are looking for your customer’s shiny object, not yours. In all my years of advertising and marketing, this is the single hardest concept to grasp. Executives have trouble putting themselves in their customer’s shoes. That’s why advertising agencies exist outside of the corporate culture. They ask the dumb questions that lead to revelations.
Three simple steps will lead you to a clear definition of your customer’s shiny objects, the source of irresistible attraction.
- First, list your customer’s shiny objects. What attracts them? What are the “must haves” that are irresistible? Be thorough during this step. It is critical to get every shiny object onto the whiteboard. There is often a hidden gem that, if overlooked, can leave a black hole in your marketing efforts.
- Second, divide these shiny objects into features, benefits, and needs. This makes it easier to determine what motivates your prospects to reach into their pockets and exchange money for product.
- Third, determine factors that fuel desire. Usually, they fall into one of five categories: critical to sustaining life, vital to my protection, important to my being accepted, crucial for my self esteem, and important to make life rewarding.
Finally, compare the shiny objects of your customers to your product, brand, or service. What fits? Where does your brand, product, or service dovetail with their wants and needs? How can you generate an irresistible attraction? Apply what you have learned and voila, your product is now their shiny object.
And remember, simply finding your customers’ shiny object isn’t enough to make them a committed client. You need to apply what I call the “Five Facets of a Shiny Object:”
- Grab attention
- Create a driving curiosity
- Stimulate an irrepressible urge to touch
- Activate an emotion
- Demand ownership
Basing your marketing on irresistible attraction doesn’t mean that people are mindless sheep. On the contrary, it means that although they can’t control what shiny object inspires irresistible attraction, they do control which shiny objects they grab and hold onto. Be ethical. Be honest. Be creative. Make your product into your customer’s shiny object, and irresistible attraction will sell truckloads!
