Consumers fall into two basic groups; optimists and pessimists. And while most people will tell you they’re optimists, very often it’s their wishful thinking talking and not reality.
Your marketing message – and especially your slogan – can have a profound effect on your prospect’s receptivity to your product. And if that message or slogan doesn’t match their mindset, you’ve likely lost the sale or will have to work much harder to get the sale.
So how do you market specifically to optimists or pessimists? By tailoring your message to suit the way they think.
For example, if your product is toothpaste and the bulk of your customers are optimists, your tagline might be – “Whiter teeth and fresher breath.” But if your customers are pessimists, you’ll want something completely different, such as – “Prevents cavities and gingivitis.”
Do you see the difference? With optimists, you’re extolling the positive benefits. With pessimists, you’re showing them how to prevent negative consequences.
Often you’ll be dealing with both types of customers, but if you can find a way to segment them, your marketing will convert at a higher rate. The source of your traffic can determine the type of headline and approach you use. If the traffic is coming from a positive, benefit-oriented advertisement, then assume the majority of them are optimists. If the traffic is originating from a prevention point of view, you’ll want to stay on that track but alter your marketing message to suit your customers viewpoint.
For example, if the originating advertisement states, “Click here to send massive targeted traffic to your website,” then you’ll want to continue with the big traffic theme. If the originating ad states, “Click here to prevent your website from haemorrhaging money,” then that’s the theme you’ll continue with, even though both ads are for the same traffic generation product or service.
Sometimes you can segment your prospects by group. If you’re offering a business opportunity to younger people, you would want to stress the strong earning potential of the business, whereas for older customers you might emphasize how safe and steady the business is. This doesn’t make the younger people optimistic and the older ones pessimistic so much as it acknowledges different thinking patterns at different stages in life. Young people aren’t worried about the future so much as wanting to see large returns now. More mature people want something they’re confident will perform and are willing to sacrifice the potential of a high, fast return for safety and longevity.
Think about your customers and which group they’re likely to fall into and then market to them accordingly. You might even write slightly different sales pages for each of the two groups, and then place the appropriate links on your website directing them to the sales pages.