Brand ambassadors are old school.
There is now a new influential group of consumers who data scientists say are more persuasive and can increase sales for your brands. When reached effectively, this group of consumers can also increase your holiday sales.
Data scientists with the consumer intelligence firm, Motista, have labeled this consumer group, “emotional motivators” because — like the name — they essentially motivate other consumers to buy products via emotional urges.
Researchers with Motista have identified 10 emotional “urges” that drive consumers to make purchases. They include: a desire to stand out from the crowd, a desire to fit in, a desire to feel secure, a need to succeed in life and a desire for freedom are the major emotional that drive purchases, according to their research.
Business owners might not realize it, but emotional motivators are also a subconscious factor behind many news stories. And when played effectively, these emotional motivators can be influenced directly through PR.
For example, if you are a money manager, you probably need to find new investors. A targeted financial PR campaign can introduce your fund or financial firm directly to these investors by appealing to their desire for security or their need for security in life.
Or, if you are a fashion designer, your PR campaign can appeal to a consumer’s desire to fit in, or stand out, by communicating why your fashion label is more unique.
Ironically, “emotional motivators” are a leading factor in news editorial decision-making. During my time as an Executive Producer with NBC in New York, I approved every story idea that came out of our Special Projects unit, which included consumer, medical, health and features stories. Publicists, reporters and producers all pitched me stories, and an emotional connection with the story was typically a driving factor in deciding which stories went on TV.
Motista researchers may have just identified a new ROI factor for PR — the emotional connection a brand or company makes from a news story.
This ROI measurement might be a harder sell to any analytics driven CMO, but Motista actually applied big data in measuring how these “emotional motivators” increased sales. Their report cited a credit card launch that connected emotionally with Millennials. Credit card sales grew by 40 percent and usage increased by 70 percent with those consumers, according to the Motista report.
As the owner of the top-rated PR firm, Macias PR, I want to hear more about how I can use this big data to grow my public relations firm. As an entrepreneur, I want to share this information with other entrepreneurs, which is what I am doing through this article. According to Motista researchers, this behavior would classify me as a “fully connected” consumer because their brand inspired me to inspire others.
Now, that is not only the power of a “fully connected” consumer, but it is also the power of PR.
