If you’ve ever watched television, you’ve probably seen that Sarah McLachlan commercial to get ASPCA more donations. The one with the heartbreaking song, can you hear it now? “In the arms of an angel, fly away from here…” Then the commercial proceeds to showing us pictures of tortured animals… Sarah proceeds to sell us with the line “please say you’ll be the answer for an innocent animal…” If this, or anything like it, has ever convinced you to even consider donating, it did its job. And it did so using emotional persuasion.
At its core, advertising is an attempt to persuade people. And it’s scientifically proven that people make decisions with their heart before their head. A big part of marketing is copywriting, and as much as any other medium, words can evoke emotion.
Why it Works
When you’re using emotional persuasion in your copywriting, nothing works better than storytelling. In a study performed by a marketing professor, only 5% of her students remembered statistics in a series of speeches, while a whopping 63% could remember the stories they were told.
Brains are wired to enjoy stories. It’s science. And from a marketing perspective, these stories can make your buyer feel an emotional connection with you and your product. The emotional connection brings us back to the fact that purchases are often made with the heart, not the mind. So you’ve come full circle, and now your audience buys your product because they’re emotionally invested.
How it Works
Let’s say you were looking to buy a pack of straws. They’re both marketed as environmentally-friendly. One of them has a passionate story about all the dolphins you’ll save. The other says 95% of the materials used are recyclable. If the research is right, most buyers will be drawn to pack that tells them they’ll be personally saving 3 sea turtles with their purchase.
These are some insider secrets, proven over and over to work. In fact, this very blog used emotional persuasion to convince you that emotional persuasion is important. See how that works? Our copywriters at Wolf & Key are always keeping up with new trends and certifications, like inbound marketing. So we know what we’re doing. If you or anyone you know needs digital marketing services like copywriting, head over to our application page.
