Biznik - Business Networking

Contact Us


Duct Tape Marketing

Duct Tape Book

Free Social Media for Business ebook

Social Media for Small Business
John Jantsch Marketing Coach
About John Jantsch

Recent Posts

Entire Archive

  • Categories

  • Categories
  • What Have the Senses Got To Do With Marketing?

    Emotional connection to something is translated by the senses. With marketing one of the goals for many companies is to create and deepen the emotional connection clients and prospects develop with a product, company or service. This is what creates unshakable loyalty, unsolicited referrals, and viral word or mouth.

    For most humans these connections involve how they see, hear, smell, taste and touch the experience they participate in. There is an Emily Dickinson poem that starts – “the ear can break a human heart more quickly than a spear.” While I doubt your company aims to break too many hearts, the message is clear. Our impression and emotional connection with people and things is formed by our senses.

    Are there sights, sounds, smells and tastes that immediately take you to another place and time, somewhere deep in your memory. Just smelling hyacinths each spring brings back fond memories of my mother working in the garden.

    What sensory elements have you built into the overall experience of your brand? To some degree, how far you carry this is dictated by your business, but every business sends brand messages through the colors they choose, style they choose, even the fonts they choose to use in the most basic marketing materials. Yes, your website design can say we’re fun, we’re serious, we’re trustworthy. Look at my friends the Sloan Brothers site at StartUpNation, that design says fun and approachable to me.

    Your office can say a lot. What does it look like, feel like, smell like? Does your store play music associated with your brand, does your dental office bake cookies, do you send flowers to reward referrals. Go beyond the obvious and look for ways to associate your brand with positive sensory elements that can become a unique signature for your business.

    Tell me how your firm or firms you do business with use this strategy.

    Like this post? Share it with others
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • del.icio.us
    • Sphinn
    • Google Bookmarks
    • StumbleUpon
    • Digg

    Posted by: John Jantsch on Mar 25, 07 | 5:05 pm
    Category: Graphic Design | Tags:

    Comments
    • One of the strenghts of using stories in marketing is that well-told stories set off the internal sensory apparatus.
    • JG
      I totally agree.

      As a Cornish company competing in a National / International market, we send Pasty's to help build a relationship with clients. They are always well received.

      This spring I have also sent Daffodils from the Isles of Scilly to customers.
    • Business 2.0 has an article this month about using smell to enhance traditional marketing efforts: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/busine... (Gas Pumps that Smell Like Coffee)

      I think it would be very effective (if it can be done without offending...). Smell is supposed to be the sense with the most powerful connection to recall and emotion--two of the most effective and challenging appeals for marketers to make.
    • John Jantsch
      Amy,

      I agree - oatmeal cookies with almond extract!
    • Appealing to the senses is truly a strategy that should be incorporated in any marketing plan if it is to be successful.
    • facts tell, stories sell.... stories, good stories, fulfill emotions. people buy on emotions, never on facts. great post.
    blog comments powered by Disqus


    Popular Searches


    Small Business Marketing Magazines


    Free - No strings attached - Business and Marketing Magazine Subscriptions

    Target Marketing
    CRM
    Internet Retailer
    eWeek
    Electronic Publisher
    Print Media and more


    Creative Commons License
    This work is licensed under a Creative Commons
    Attribution-NonCommercial
    -NoDerivs 2.5 License
    .
    Subscribe



    Subscribe to the Duct Tape Podcast
    subscribe via iTunes

    Duct Tape Marketing System

    Duct Tape Marketing System

    Duct Tape System - Complete small business marketing system in 14 workbooks and 4 audio CDs.


    Marketing Plan Pro powered by Duct Tape Marketing

    Marketing Plan Pro

    The Duct Tape Marketing System now comes as Marketing Planning Software. We teamed up with Palo Alto Software, the makers of Business Plan Pro, to bring you the most powerful small business marketing plan tool going. More info here . . .


    Referral Flood by John Jantsch

    Referral Flood by John Jantsch

    Referral Flood - How to create a flood of new business without spending one dime on advertising - by John Jantsch

    Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

    First Name * Last Name * Email *

    Connect Socially