Words like creativity, imagination, and fascination do not come to mind when we think about B2B marketing. We leave those words to fancy agencies and big brands like Nike and Disney. We play it safe and that is a mistake. Today more than ever, it is easy for your advertisement to get lost among the thousands of other companies trying to grab attention from the viewer. When you play it safe, you blend into the noise.
So how can you be memorable and leave an impact?
Companies who get the most attention from their prospective customers are those who fascinate. Sally Hogshead, the author of “Fascinate: Your 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation”, says, “Fascination is the most powerful way to influence decision-making”.
Before you dismiss this as fluff, remember every day, intentionally or not, we are all using fascination triggers to persuade people at work and our prospective clients. Whether you’re pitching a new client, creating a new marketing message to sell a new or an existing product, you’re using triggers to elicit a certain response. Each trigger leads to a different style of communication and a different type of relationship. The more accurately B2B marketers identify their audience’s personality triggers, the more influential their message becomes. There are seven types of triggers that Sally defines in her book. We’ve found a few that can be used pretty effectively for B2B marketing. Power, alarm, trust and prestige.
These triggers, when understood and used correctly in marketing campaigns, can help marketers create compelling messages to persuade their audience to take a desired action.
Here are a few questions that marketers can ask themselves when they are developing new campaigns and ready to create something that will generate them the leads they need.
How would I fascinate my audience to influence them to take action?
Pick the trigger that you think your audience will be influenced most with. Here at ActiveConversion, we recently used the message: “OUTSELL & OUTMARKET your larger competitors”. This call to action to outsell your competitor used “POWER” and the “ALARM” trigger by defining a consequence where specific demands cause more specific actions.
How can I relate to my audience at a personal level?
What trigger would it take for YOU to take that specific action? Put yourself in their shoes and visualize the impact that you want to create. For instance, if you serve small businesses and are targeting other small businesses, talk to your audience in their language. Use the persuading power by triggering the sense of “TRUST”. For example, messages that emphasize how you know their business and how you have helped other similar businesses get value with a minimal budget. – “Do more with your budget. Let us show you how.” Using other companies as a reference and relevant case studies will leave the feeling of trust and motivate your audience to take the desired action.
The above few pointers will hopefully encourage you to explore other triggers that will let you harness the power of your creativity in order to be fascinating when you are marketing. In summary – be fascinating to be inspiring!
