Small Business & Video Marketing » Psychology - Small Business & Video Marketing

PET Design Leverages the Science of Persuasion, Emotion, and Trust

Aug 162011

What is PET Design?

Thanks to Sherryl Perry of Keep Up The Web for sharing a video on PET Design that I immediately jumped on because of my interest and background in Psychology, human behavior, and how it relates to business.

So what is PET Design? “Rooted in psychology, PET design uses research-based techniques to leverage the science of Persuasion, Emotion, and Trust to make websites more engaging, compelling, and effective. This innovative methodology complements classic usability, empowering companies to achieve their business goals.” (Source)

Designing around the user-experience just makes sense. After all, your end-user is your target market. It is well known that Emotions Drive Buying Decisions. How your target reacts to your content/messages has a direct effect on your bottom line. Will they make a purchase or not?

People like to do business with people they know, like, and trust. This is whole rationale behind relationship building, reputation management, and social media. So doesn’t it make sense to design your websites, marketing materials, advertisements, etc. around the user-experience to be persuasive, leverage emotion, and to increase your credibility by gaining your target market’s trust and loyalty?

PET Design is a scientific, research-based process that is beyond the scope and pocket books of many small business owners. BUT, the concept is in perfect alignment with what we, as small business owners, must be sure to do and that is establish relationships through social media, build trust by being transparent, interactive, and engaging, and Don’t Underestimate the Value of a Relationship.

Below is a video about PET design. It is on the long side, but because I am interested in the topic, it held my attention – a perfect example of the “end-user experience”. What I find interesting and what holds my attention, might not be the same content that holds your attention. Now over to you. Do you agree that businesses need to take the end-user experience into account?

LAUGH Gosh Darn It!

16 Responses »

Jul 282011

Make Them Laugh and They Will Listen

I have always been a firm believer in using humor in all aspects of life, including business. After all, if we don’t laugh at some things, we will cry, right? The Social Media Examiner agrees with me. Check out: 5 Tips for Using Humor in Your Social Media Activities and watch their videos – they are really funny.

What is it about laughing that makes it “work”?

Laughter releases a chemical called serotonin into our brains. This is often called the ‘feel good’ hormone because that is the effect it has on our feelings.
Laughter eases stress and helps relax us. You can’t be tense and stressed while laughing. Try it and see for yourself.
Researchers have found that laughter can also help our immune system work better – a pretty good side-effect.

Many of you know that I create videos with goofy images flying in and out. Imagine my surprise when I got a call from a gentleman working in a global investment firm. The company he works for is running a video contest for its 8000 employees to see who can come up with the best video about the advantages this firm offers. He told me he found my videos on Youtube and wanted one just like that. I asked him if he was sure he wanted something that wacky LOL – after all, financial firms are usually a tad more conservative. He assured me that this is what he wanted – something different, something unique, something to stand out. So that is what he got and is quite pleased with his video. The contest winner will be announced next month. How neat would it be it he won? So without further ado, I present to you, a generic version of his video, minus some neat animations I used for him but am unable to share because he does not own the company and can’t use their logo and branding. But before I do, you better laugh or that lady up there will hit you with her cane

Did You Make Someone Feel Special Today?

11 Responses »

Nov 052010

Do You Appreciate Your Customers? How Do They Know That?

I am always touting the benefits of customer satisfaction/service, reputation management, and relationship building because I truly believe in their importance in business and life in general.

We live in a crazy world today with most markets saturated and serious information overload and oftentimes find ourselves running around like chickens without heads trying to keep up online, offline, wherever. This is why sometimes even the simplest gesture from someone reminding us that we are actually "here" can make a world of difference.

My doorbell rang today and when I opened it I saw a box by the door. Everyone is in such a hurry these days that even the postman doesn't wait until doors are answered before running off to his next stop. I didn't order anything and neither did my boyfriend so our first reaction was "another delivery to the wrong address". Just last week I had to wear my postman hat and deliver a package to the RIGHT person down the street as the mailman left THEIR package at MY door. I love doing other people's jobs for them – not!
No problem though – I have nothing else to do right? Wrong! LOL

So, we look at the package and it says it is from EzineArticles. My first thoughts were "Oh no, did I for some reason give them my credit card and inadvertently order something?” Nope I know I didn't do that. My next thought was "Are they pulling one of those stunts where they send you something and you have to send it back if you are not interested in continuing to receive more?" As you can see I am not very trusting – but then again – aren't most of us skeptical these days? My boyfriend was holding the package in his hands, mentioned that it was heavy, and asked if he should open it. I don't know what we expected but in hindsight I realize how ludicrous we were behaving – almost like we were afraid to open it!

Inside the box was a lovely mug and coaster with a card that said "Congratulations! You're now an EzineArticles Platinum Level Expert Author!” Now I am sure you are a like me and have SO many mugs already that they don't all fit into your kitchen cabinet so the mug itself isn't what made the difference. I am also not naive enough to believe that I am the ONLY one who received such a gift; I am sure there are tens of thousands of EzineArticle Experts and recipients of the very same card and gift. HOWEVER, this little effort from EzineArticles to ME made me feel "special" and appreciated. Way to go EzineArticles!

You can be sure that when I am deciding where to submit my future articles, I won't forget about EzineArticles.

Don't Underestimate the Value of a Relationship

8 Responses »

Aug 272010

As consumers we are continually bombarded by ads, emails, mailers, and phone calls about the latest and greatest. How do we decide which ones to pay attention to and which ones to ignore?

In the same vein, how can the small business owner expect his/her marketing message and value proposition to stand out amongst the masses? The answer lies in using effective marketing techniques and differentiators in order to be as unique as possible. The higher the competition of a particular industry, the more difficult this becomes. One would be hard pressed to find many industries that are not saturated these days, unless it is a very unique and highly targeted business.

In addition to using creative and innovative messaging, small business owners should keep in mind the value of the relationships they build. The Internet and the use of social media have created a totally transparent society in that what one does and says is more often than not, broadcasted across the World Wide Web – especially if it is something negative. As the old adage states: “Bad news travels fast”. Reputation management has become an increasingly important area of concern for business owners – as it should be.

It is pretty much accepted by all that people like to do business with people they know. Think about it. How often do you ask people you know to refer you to a doctor, hair dresser, painter, or landscaper? How often do you hire someone to perform a service you need because you either know that person or know someone else who knows that person?

So, in the end, who gets the business? The person you know – either directly or through someone else. If you ask many self-employed folk how they found their first customers, you will find that most of them are from people they know.

Even in a world where technology is advancing at a rate close to the speed of light, basic principles of human nature and business prevail. Reputation and relationships matter.

Make Sure the Shoe Fits....

7 Responses »

Aug 082010

Do you want more customers/clients? The obvious answer is a resounding "YES" – why else would you be in business?

There are a multitude of options available both online and offline to use as part of your marketing strategy, but if you, as a small business owner, can't put yourself in the shoes of your potential target, your marketing message will fall on deaf ears.

Even if you are doing everything "right" – if you do not look are your company offerings from the eye of your target audience, you might just be missing the boat.

I was recently editing an email blast for a client that exemplifies this concept.

The client was producing an email blast in the hopes of receiving donations for a private school to help get them out of financial debt. Her concern was valid – she didn't want the first response of the reader to be "Ugh! Another appeal for money". Unfortunately, we are all bombarded on a daily basis with TONS of emails, letters, phone calls, etc. either asking for money, asking for business, promising instant wealth, etc. This is part of the territory of doing business or trying to remain afloat in today's world.

So what can we do? We have no choice but to try even harder to make our message stand out in the crowd, we better make darn sure that our message is perceived in the way it was intended to be perceived, and we MUST be sure we are delivering value to our target market. We have to change our thinking from "me, me, me" to "you, you, you"!

So what are some ways to get your message read? Your message must be compelling enough to the reader to make them want to read on. In the case of an email blast, the subject is your first line of attack. In the case of this client, our subject read: "Don't let this happen to your children". Because our children are so precious to us, we want to read more to see "what" we don't want to happen to our children.

The next step is to find the right hook that will compel the reader to keep reading. Do they really care about a school they might not know anything about? Probably not. But, they do care about their own children. The approach we took was to find a recent story in the news about children who have gotten into serious legal trouble – sadly, this is not difficult to find. The email began with a brief summary (and link to the article) about a particular story and included quotes from the police chief giving his opinion about why certain young people today get into trouble, including not being raised with the values and morals necessary to develop into conscientious and responsible members of their community. Then came the plea for financial support….

Is this type of tactic immoral and trying to capitalize on the misfortune of others? No – because my client truly believes in the value of her school and is genuinely interested in providing the children with the right training so that they will NOT end up like the children in the news.

How do you make your marketing message stand out?

Be Authentic, Be Congruent, Be Successful

5 Responses »

Aug 032010

We are all human. We all behave according to some psychological theory or cause and effect relationship in our personal lives. These same influences are carried over to our professional lives. Many people speak about business issues, sales, management styles, decision-making, and other business-related topics in isolation. The reality is, we are who we are and no matter how we try to disguise our true self to the betterment of our occupation, at some point, the real you is going to show through and if you are not being authentic in your professional life, this incongruous behavior will be noticed.

So what is your best chance of being perceived as real? Be real! Be yourself. If there are improvements to be made in your professional life – which I am sure there will be because everyone can use improvement in some area (some more than others); make those improvements in your personal life by way of personal growth. Your journey towards becoming a better person will naturally carry over to your professional life. This concept is demonstrated in many personal coaching programs.

Being congruent is especially important in fields such as sales where what you are, what you say, how you say it, and what you look like are of vital importance. If you are telling a prospect how your product or service can help them solve a problem and you are dressed in an unprofessional outfit, your speech will more than likely not be as effective as if you were dressed more appropriately. If you are speaking with a prospect but your heart isn't really in it and you have a sour expression on your face, what you look like will not be congruent with what you are saying and your message will be lost.

Paul Castain is a sales guru. He is a genuine, down-to-earth, direct, insightful, and funny sales professional. He offers valuable advice and real-life witty examples of how to be the best sales person you can be. In his post and podcast The 6 Judgments of Rapport! Paul clearly and cleverly talks about how to be genuine in the rapport you are trying to create with your potential customers. He talks about trying to establish rapport with a prospect by making lame comments about photos on the person's desk as a poor attempt at establishing a true connection. What if the office you are sitting in doesn't actually belong to the person you are speaking with? It is not uncommon for professionals and even physicians to meet in an office that is not their own. Read Paul's blog and listen to his podcast. You will not disappointed.

As a small business owner, you want to display the best possible "you" to both your current and potential customers or clients. Your number one priority is to increase your bottom line and learning to become a better person which will naturally make you a better sales person is a step in the right direction

"A man should not strive to eliminate his complexes but to get into accord with them: they are legitimately what directs his conduct in the world." – Sigmund Freud