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Emotion moves people. Rational thinking usually doesn’t. That’s because for most of us, our knowledge of the problem is so much greater than our knowledge of the solution. We feel our problem. We know it exists. And we want to know it can be solved. We don't initially care so much how.
Why Your Prospects Really Buy Your Products and Services
If you’re in the market for a family size van, you want to shop for a van that is safe. That’s because you love your kids and you’re insecure about their safety in a smaller car. Love and insecurity are emotions. They are what’s driving you to shop for a larger, safer van.
Therefore, the car dealership isn’t selling just a car. In your eyes, they’re selling a very tangible expression of your love for you kids. Businesses need to take advantage of this reality in their website pages.
This is why it’s a bad idea to start off a page by telling your visitors about the particulars of your product. The first thing you must do to engage them is to satisfy their emotional need to fix whatever problem is bothering them. In the case of the van, it’s safety and insecurity.
First Engage Website Visitors then Get Them Hooked on Your Solution
Making an emotional connection is even more important online. Remember, you’re “in front” of your prospects on the page, not in person.
I just finished a Sales Page for a client’s website for one of his products, hair restoration. It’s a comprehensive system of hair growth based on laser treatments and various nutrient rich applications to the scalp.
But I started the page out by appealing to the website visitor’s frustration with other hair restoration solutions. Besides frustration with cumbersome and ineffective remedies, I also (obviously) appealed to their sense of vanity.
There will be plenty of time on the page, or in my client’s case as a separate Information Page, to describe the multi-therapeutic combination of treatments that grows hair back. For now, the emotional connection that I hope I’ve made early on in the page will get my client’s prospect to keep reading.
And then, most importantly, to get them to say “Yes” to setting up a consultation for a hair loss treatment program.
Most of your visitors have a problem they want solved based on a very strong feeling or emotion. Rambling on about the mechanics of the solution right off the bat just turns them off.
And don’t think that if you are a Business to Business (B2B) firm and your product is technically complicated that this doesn’t apply. Your buyers may be scientists or engineers but they’re people, too. They want to make the right purchasing decision to look good for their boss (pride), keep their job (insecurity), or get a product that works for them without breaking down (annoyance).
If you can appeal to their emotions--pride, insecurity, and annoyance--you’ll have a huge leg up on your competition.
Until next time,
Nick
PS. Some other emotions you might use to engage website visitors: curiosity, fear, optimism, pessimism, anger, pride, desperation, envy, sympathy, embarrassment, guilt, fear, greed.
Nick Burns is an SEO web writer specializing in persuasive copywriting and content marketing. He provides clients a winning content strategy plus the special web writing to make it work. You can contact Nick here.
