The human brain functions on three basic levels: Instinct, Emotion, and Reason. This is the final post in a 3-part series on how to appeal to each of these in your copywriting.
Part 1: Copywriting Psychology: Appealing To Your Customer’s Animal Instincts
Part 2: Copywriting Psychology: Pulling Their Heartstrings
Twice yesterday, I drove past a car dealership with the new Bentley Continental GT smiling at me from the showroom floor. I want that Bentley. I can see myself cruising down the highway with a mysterious and beautiful woman in the passenger seat while jealous eyes from other cars follow my taillights as I rip by them going dangerously fast…
I will never own that Bentley. First of all, I can’t buy that Bentley in my current financial situation. No bank will approve a $200,000 loan for me to buy a car (oh, but it’s so much more than a car).
Second, I see that price tag and even if I had a million dollars sitting around I don’t think I’d be able to drop the cost of two Ivey League Bachelors degrees on something I might wrap around a telephone pole. I want it, but it’s not a logical purchase.
Bentley is ok with that. They don’t want me dirtying up their classy cars anyway. Bentley only sells at or around 10,000 cars a year world-wide (which nets over $2 billion) and they like it that way.
So there’s no logical reason to buy a Bentley, right?
For the average person, no. But if you’re a copywriter trying to sell a $200,000 car, you’re not writing to the average person… you’re writing to the ultra rich playboy and the Queen of England. In their situation the logic changes. Image is everything. In their minds, letting the world know that $200K is a trivial purchase is very important.
If you make money on your reputation like many celebrities do, you may get your money’s worth in tabloid publicity. You may land that next $4 million dollar movie role because a producer knows that you’re still thriving in the public’s eyes.
Spend $200K to make $4 million. It’s a very logical and even a very smart purchase… sort of.
The Real Reason
That’s the reason a new Bentley owner may be repeating over and over to himself as he signs the check, but it’s not the real reason he’s buying that car.
He’s buying it because his subconscious mind is telling him that this car will make him more sexually appealing (instinct) and he’ll be happier with himself when he owns it (emotion).
But those are two irrational reasons. The logical part of his brain won’t allow him to take out his checkbook without a more substantial, logical reason. The money he’ll make is the logical reason that he can use to satisfy the other two desires.
For copywriters, showing logic behind every purchase is like turning the final key that unlocks the brain. If the emotions and instincts are there, his mind is excited and ready to take action. But he can’t take action on those excited desires if there’s no justification. If you don’t supply the logic, you’ve just pissed him off.
And I mean that. He’s mad and he’s mad at you. You’ve created a desire but haven’t supplied him with a reason to satisfy it.
He’ll do one of two things.
- He’ll rationalize a reason to buy the product
- He’ll rationalize a reason why you’re wrong and then be mad because, in his mind, you lied to him.
Unfortunately, it’s usually option 2. Buying something represents change and change is dangerous (going back to the instinct for self-preservation). So don’t give him the chance to rationalize why you’re wrong. Supply the logical reasons why your product is right for him or risk losing him forever.
That’s the end of the series on Copywriting Psychology. Now it’s your turn to chime in. Do you think you can appeal to all three parts of the brain in your copywriting? How do you do it?
Leave your comments below. If you want more tips on marketing and copywriting, grab a copy of my free report, Internet Marketing Basics.
