Inside the minds of consumers: What is neuromarketing?

The hardest part of building a business is understanding what the client wants. So, to understand this, we must first know how they think. After all, the mind is one of the main factors when deciding. Learn what is neuromarketing?

Here, we will help you get into people’s minds. This way, you will be able to position your brand or product in their subconscious. In this sense, neuromarketing is something that you must know very well to achieve it. This is because it links marketing strategies with the deepest desires of your consumers. Thus, if you can reach them from this point, it will be easier to make a real connection.

What is neuromarketing?

Let’s start by explaining what neuromarketing is. This is the union of science and marketing techniques.

It aims to measure the neurobiological effects that a brand’s activities have on people. For this, it studies brain processes and how they trigger certain behaviors.

In short, neuromarketing is neuroscience for marketing. With it, brands try to understand how their clients behave when buying a product. The reason behind this is that they link these behaviors are to neuronal activity.

What’s great about this is that you can use it in different aspects of marketing.

From testing a product to creating successful pricing strategies. Not only that, but you can also use it for advertising pieces. This before you release them to the public.

Besides, this can also work as an alternative method for finding out what users think. This is because many factors influence the response of people. What is neuromarketing? However, the subconscious doesn’t lie. That’s why this is the most powerful force since it dominates the way we act.

Some studies even claim that around 95% of purchase decisions are made without thinking and take around 2.5 seconds. This means that our brain doesn’t make decisions rationally. Well, at least not completely.

The main objectives of the neuromarketing study are:

1. Identify if people accept or reject the actions of a brand or even the brand itself. For example, the design of the packaging, the products, online platforms, and many other aspects.
2. It also helps to expect consumer behavior in purchasing processes.

Neuromarketing uses many types of indicators for its studies. These are neurological, psychological, and physiological.

These, in turn, can go from the electrical activity of the brain to the movement of the muscles of the face. Not only that, but it also considers many other physical factors. For example, sweat, body language, and heartbeat.

Origins of neuromarketing

In 1990, marketers and scientists did research together. The aim of this was to use technology and biometrics for market research. However, this wasn’t just any kind of technology as neuroscientists were the ones who came up with it.

In this same year, Coca-Cola hired different research centers. Their job was to carry out different studies. So, even if they never published the results, these were scientific investigations.

Years later, in 2002, the first neuromarketing company called SalesBrian appeared. Their first academic study was “Neural correlates of behavioral preference for culturally familiar drinks”.

In this study, they asked subjects to drink Coca-Cola or Pepsi. While they did this, scientists monitored their brains with a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) machine. What is neuromarketing? Here, they could see which parts of the brain were activated. However, this depended on whether the subject knew or didn’t know which one they were drinking.

Along with the first studies, there were also arguments against them. Not only that, but there were a lot of controversies around it. Because of this, the Nature Neuroscience journal was the one who used the term “brain scam” for the first time.

What’s worse, after these investigations, the idea of cracking the code to control the minds of customers raised red flags in the minds of people. Because of this, ethics and the use of its findings brought some questions.

Neuromarketing and the consumer mind

In the mind of the consumer, neuromarketing will bring new emotions to companies. This is a strategy that will add value to each of your products. What’s more, this will help you get more loyal clients.

What is neuromarketing? With it, you will delve into the cerebral reaction of clients. So, when a buyer is in front of an advertising campaign they usually feel many kinds of sensations through different products or services. All of them will go through a study of four factors from the human mind.

• Emotions.
• The impact of the message on the consumer’s brain.
• Memories.
• The motivations. What leads them to buy the products?

What are the elements of neuromarketing?

Here are 7 relevant discoveries that are important in creating marketing strategies.

The look

What is neuromarketing? Eye contact is one of the oldest elements that people use in advertisements. So, if brands use images of people staring at the customer, this will make them focus on the ad. Thus, grabbing the attention of the customer.

Neuromarketing recommends the use of images with people looking at a point of interest. This way, you will create ensure that your ads can attract people. Thus, making the consumer focus on the objective of the campaign: the product.

Colors

Colors directly influence the way a person feels about a product.

This is because we associate each color with emotion. Thus, they set a specific tone based on the ad and what you want to achieve.

Knowing how to use color can be a powerful marketing tool. Because of this, neuromarketing experts divided the colors into subgroups. This way, brands can know how they can use them for the best results.

Speed, What is neuromarketing?​

The sense of speed attracts customers and that’s a fact.

So, while feeling secure and stable is also important, what attracts the public is the speed with which you solve their issues.

Thus, this makes it an ideal marketing strategy for any sector.

Tell stories

Storytelling is one of the most important techniques for advertising or marketing campaigns.

This comprises the creation of stories to build a connection with the consumer. In this sense, neuromarketing studies ensure that this technique is very effective. This is because it can get any kind of emotion from the consumer. Thus, allowing them to engage with the brand.

So, as you can see, investing in a good script can allow your clients to identify with you. Not only that, but thanks to it, they can also build a sense of loyalty to you.

Pricing

Perhaps this strategy is one of the best known to you. Who is not attracted to a sale or a bargain?

That is why you can apply the strategy “$ 9.99 is more attractive than $ 10”.

However, prices made up of decimals are more effective with the logical decisions of the brain.

For round numbers, they are ideal for emotional decisions.

The title, What is neuromarketing?

Titles are one of the first items the customer sees. So obviously they need to stand out and be noticed. As a result, a neuromarketing investigation called “Hippocampus Headlines” was created.

Those responsible for this were researchers from University College London.

They discovered that when a familiar phrase is slightly altered, our hippocampus is activated, and our attention is awakened.

The pay

Another fact that neuromarketing studies have shown is that the act of buying something makes people anxious.

Thus, we recommend using CTA’s such as “take me home” or “Add to cart”.

There are more friendly and cause a sense of calmness in people.

So, try to avoid as much as you can the word “purchase” or “buy”.

Techniques to apply neuromarketing in your company

Use the psychology of colors

We have the habit of associating certain colors with feelings.

So it makes sense to study well what each tone means and use it according to your objective for the page or material in question.

What is neuromarketing?

The big brands carefully study the effect of each color on their packaging, promotional materials, etc. That’s why it’s worth doing the same in your business.

Do A / B tests

The goal of A / B testing is to create different versions of the same page with minimal changes and see which one brings better results.

For example, you can change the background image of a landing page or the color of a CTA button.

The audience will be automatically divided between the two versions and, in the end, the one that generates better results will remain.

Apply the price anchor

Our brain has great difficulty thinking about the price based on the isolated value of a product.

Thus, it’s easier to take prices for similar products as a basis and see if the offer in question is expensive or cheap.

The most famous example of this is given with the famous “2 for 1” and “5 for 3”. In many cases, the consumer doesn’t need the 3 products but considers this to be cheaper than paying for them separately.

Offer value before placing an order

Inbound marketing practices explain to us that we must first help others before selling. This means that instead of reaching out to push your product or service to anyone who shows the least amount of interest, be ready to help them.

Clarify each of their doubts and offer them practical advice to make your product work better. Do that even if it isn’t the best for you or that the product in question isn’t part of your catalog.

Once you do this, people will trust your brand, and the principle of reciprocity will kick in. The customer will be more likely to return the help by buying from you.

Master the art of storytelling

The art of engaging storytelling is an important element in marketing.

Everyone likes to be entertained with quality content. As a result, these contents create a closer relationship between your company and the public.

Besides, well-produced content is more persuasive. Not only that, but it has a powerful effect on generating conversions.

Either when subscribing to a simple newsletter or buying the solution that your business offers.

Repeat ideas and concepts strategically

Strategically repeating ideas and concepts makes your message more powerful and persuasive.

Over time, even someone who is radically opposed to your ideas can change their minds if they listen to them long enough.

Work on the design

Every design must be impeccable when presented in the strategies. This means that they must be linked to easily highlighted principles such as the website or product packaging.

The better the design, the more people will be drawn to your brand.

Plus, this helps increase their confidence in your ability to deliver expected value. Remember, a nice, easy-to-understand design is, without a doubt, superior to one without form and function.

Examples of Neuromarketing

Prices ending at .99, What is neuromarketing?

We talked about this before. Isn’t 0.99 the same as 1?

Yes, but products with finished prices, 99 give the feeling of being cheaper and end up selling better.

Messy shops, What is neuromarketing?

This is another example of neuromarketing that contributes to the feeling of an inexpensive product.

An example of them is messy clothes in the stores.

These are associated with sales, which encourages the consumer to buy.

Olfactory marketing: smells, What is neuromarketing?

Smells are one of the great elements of neuromarketing for what they make us feel.

An example is the smell of freshly baked bread from bakeries.

That smell that comes out on the street invites everyone who passes by to visits the business.

What’s more, this is a strategy that you can apply to any type of premises. You just have to find the scent that matches what you offer.

Examples of olfactory marketing strategies

When buying an accessory or article of clothing through the mail is a good example.

Imagine that once you receive the package you open it immediately. Then, when you open the box, you get hit with a mild and peculiar aroma.

The moment you experience this, you will start to associate such an aroma with the brand itself.

Thus, this is something that you should consider if you want to offer a more complete service and improve branding.

Aromatization in local stores

When entering any of its stores, it envelops consumers with a peculiar aroma.

This is a perfect strategy that attracts more consumers and increases the stay in the store since the consumer feels comfortable in it.

Products at the back of the store

The necessities will go to the back of the store. If you do this, consumers will have to go all the way to the back of the store to find them.

Thus, they will pass many other aisles filled with interesting products that they might want to buy. It doesn’t matter that they weren’t looking for them in the first place, they will get the urge to buy them anyway.

Take advantage and place the most expensive and quality products in these aisles through which your consumer must pass and above all, at their eye level.

The goal is for them to see these products easily and get their attention.

Music

So if you want customers to take their time in the store, you should put on some quiet and slow music. If it’s a busy venue and you want people to rush shopping, you might be better off opting for something faster.

It will also depend on the nature of your business and the image you want to give of your brand.

Besides, the music must be selected according to the segment you want to attract. What is neuromarketing? If your target audience is young people, it would be ideal to place pop. On the other hand, if it is for an older adult, soft jazz is perfect.

Color

As we have already said before, each color is associated with different emotions. For example, red is related to passion and blue to calmness.

That’s why colors have a great effect on the corporate image of a brand. They change the impression that a business produces on the consumer.

Thus, the use of colors is perhaps the clearest and most well-known neuromarketing strategy.

Lighting in the premises

Shining the light onto the product is one way to attract consumers to them.

This is one of the very effective neuromarketing strategies that you can use.

Emotions in advertising

Ideally, appeal to consumer sentiments through media ads.

Many campaigns appeal to nostalgia and happiness.

It’s a way of doing neuromarketing that is very present today.

This is because it serves to associate the brand with a certain type of emotion.

Types of Neuromarketing

Neuromarketing is divided into three main types:

• Visual neuromarketing

It’s based on how we perceive our surroundings with our eyes.

This is because with this sense we can easily grasp many things.

Several techniques are used to make the consumer perceive something much more interesting. One of the examples is with the known one, .99, making our brain perceive that this price is lower than another.

The words that refer to the sale are other sales techniques to attract attention. It has been proven that an image always reaches the brain much faster. This means that the effectiveness of the message you want to convey is also way more ensured.

• Auditory neuromarketing

This is based on everything that we can perceive with the sense of hearing. It is estimated that the human ear is capable of differentiating about 30,000 different frequencies.

Every one of us is more sensitive to music or other sounds, even silence.

That’s why in shopping malls or supermarkets, music can influence purchasing decisions. Hearing also allows us to be aware of our movements or our sense of balance. Thus, you must take care of each one of the sounds that you place, whether in your store or our contents.

Let’s not forget that our sense of hearing has auditory memory. This memory is what stores information about our experiences throughout our lives.

• Kinesthetic neuromarketing

This third type of neuromarketing is based on what we perceive with the sense of touch, smell, and taste. So while not many use it, this isn’t any less important than the other two. On the other hand, it’s one of the most difficult to perform, but one of the most effective if done well.

Examples of this are product tastings and presentations where consumers and the public can smell, touch, and taste. Besides, it’s also important to know who we are addressing. For example, women are more likely to touch than men.

The brain collects all the information of taste, touch, and smell to determine if this product is necessary or not.

Final Words

As you can see, you must know the difference between each of the three types of neuromarketing. This will help you to know which one is the best for your business. Remember, through them, consumers will determine in their subconscious whether these products will go home with them or not.

The job of brands is to persuade and motivate the purchase of products and services. However, it’s important to remember that a non-existent need shouldn’t be created for our consumers. Marketing helps satisfy needs or desires, but if it’s a non-existent need, it would be going against marketing.

Remember, neuromarketing will help you to know the emotions of consumers. Thus, as you can see, this is an essential part of a strategy to increase sales. 

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