4 Types of Customer Motivation That Your Team Needs to Understand
In today's marketing landscape, converting a casual browser into an engaged and delighted customer is harder than ever. There are classrooms full of hundreds of students working on how to make this happen at universities all throughout the world. Advertising and marketing is a tricky game, and it gets even thornier when you realize that so much of what makes a person decide to make a purchase comes down to their personal psychology.
At Talk Shoppe, we've learned that if you can tap into what motivates people, you can build strategies that persuade and motivate consumers to buy! From a hilarious video that starts a social media trend to very serious commentary about the safety features of a product, we have seen a lot of different approaches work depending on the product.
The trick is to learn what those motivating factors are and how to use them. We want to take a look at some customer motivation factors that we've seen in our research over the years and break them down for you.
Safety and Security
Humans have a survival and safety instinct that is part of us from the moment that we are born. Companies think about this as they pitch the virtues of their products. Take this example from Kommand.me about the car industry:
By using shocking images or statistics you can stir a feeling of fear in your customers. The car industry does this particularly well, often highlighting safety features and how these can protect loved ones, however, the technique used in a range of industries from security (alarms and locks) to beauty (SPF preventing sun cream, anti-wrinkle creams preventing aging).
The auto industry knows that one feature that can distinguish one vehicle from another is how safe it is. Promoting safety features in their marketing materials is an excellent way to show consumers that they care about what they value in a vehicle. Safety features may not be the most exciting thing to talk about, but those features help the industry sell more vehicles than it otherwise would.
To Connect with a Celebrity They Admire
Plenty of people look up to celebrities, and some of those celebrities often make a statement about themselves based on the products that they endorse. In some cases, celebrities have promoted a brand so well that they become a cultural phenomenon in and of themselves. Take the example of the Ocean Spray collaboration with a previously unknown TikTok creator using a Fleetwood Mac song that then spun up into a sensation.
The celebrity, in that case, was Fleetwood Mac in the beginning, but the TikTok user who created the video using the band’s song found celebrity in his own right. His TikTok video was even shown in a commercial aired during a Major League Baseball game! If you feel your mouth watering for some Ocean Spray cranberry juice now, then you must realize how effective their marketing has truly been.
To Signal Something About Their Status or Class
Consumer purchases can say something about what our station in life is. This is true both for expensive luxury items as well as for novelty items that signal something about who a person is in life. For example, someone may purchase a car decal or a t-shirt that shows off the fact that they are a proud parent or that they served in the military. These are signals to the outside public about who they are as a person.
It's not just large categories of people that are open to buying something that says something about their identity. Niche communities want their own merchandise to show off who they are as well. Take the Reddit group known as r/Wallstreetbets for example. This group made unusual phrases like "stonks" and "chicken tendies" popular vernacular within the group. Now, there are many places where you can buy anything from t-shirts to coffee mugs with their slogans on them. Some might say that this is just a company jumping on a trend, but it has been a significant moneymaker for some.
The psychology behind why people feel that they need to let others know about their situation in life is complicated, but we know that it plays a role in their decisions.
Companies have found niches that they can serve in the:
Gamer community
Senior-citizen age group
Religious communities
Sports fans
And many more
If there is a group of people with a shared identity, they probably want others to know about that identity. So, creating or marketing products that speak to these subcultures is a surefire way to inspire purchase. One of the best ways to explore this is through focus groups with people who identify with those groups to learn about their interests.
To Feel Better
This is huge when it comes to customer motivation. There are a variety of situations when one may find themselves wanting to make a purchase just to feel better about their day. This could include both negative and positive events, such as:
Immediately following a breakup
After learning that they are getting a promotion
After coming into unexpected money
After anything sad happens in their life
The concept of "retail therapy" exists for a reason, and people often engage in it when they are working through particularly strong emotions (of any kind). Companies should be aware of this and try to make their product something that helps people feel even better, no matter the emotional state they are currently in.
There are a myriad of motivations and forces that go into a customer's decision to make a purchase or not. Don't overthink it, but also don't assume that you have your customers completely figured out at all times. Talking to your target audience regularly through market research and taking into account their motivations for decision-making can help you create strategies that meet your customers where they are. And we’re here to help. If you have a great marketing tactic that you want to test with consumers- let’s talk!