Connect. Once Again. With Feelings.

At least once a week I go to the local diner and eat breakfast. Sometimes I see the same faces and sometimes I don’t, but I always bring a newspaper so I can read while I am eating. (I still like the feel of a newspaper).

The other day I forgot my paper. When I climbed up on the stool I noticed that no one, I mean NO ONE, had a paper. Instead, they all had their smart phones on and if they weren’t looking at the morning’s news, they were certainly trying To Connect with Someone or Something.

It is a cliché to say, as we approach the second decade of the 21st century, “that we all want to be connected.” 

But it is true!

We want places to go that we like and people to see that we know or even kind of know. Mostly we want places to be where we feel comfortable, confident and easily belong.

Perhaps that’s why the phrase in the TV series “Cheers”….we all want to be in “a place where everybody knows your name” still resonates so well some 26 years after the show went off the air.

The “Cheers” bar was the kind of place where so many different characters went to feel welcomed, to josh around with friends, to feel smart or to be funny. And to be liked and accepted.

Before there was a “Cheers” or maybe concurrently, the places we felt these kinds of things were in our homes with our families, at our regular meals at 6pm when Dad came home, Sunday dinners with Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Grandparents, Friday Night Lights and football Sundays.  What was better than that?

People still want these feelings. And always will.

Yes I’m all plugged into digital marketing and I believe that it is what contemporary communications are all about; our ability to slice dice and personalize messages almost on an individual basis as easily as when we did “old school media.”

But I am even more plugged into what I believe marketing has always been about, regardless of the era. To market something – whether it is a product or a service – you and I must always first think how the person who buys our product or service WANTS TO FEEL when they visit our center or store and make a purchase.

What Do We Know About What They Want To Feel? 

Here are the 10 feelings I believe every customer wants to feel to some degree, albeit in different priorities, depending on the product or service they are buying:

  1. To be recognized, welcomed and feel special.
  2. To have fun, a good time and great memories – however they define it.
  3. To feel like they belong (it’s “their” place too) in your establishment.
  4. To feel, safe and secure in a clean environment.
  5. To feel part of a group – regardless of the size.
  6. To engage in happy conversation and laugh.
  7. To feel a sense of accomplishment.
  8. To be part of a team.
  9. To feel like they have received a good value.
  10. To feel a sense of “escape” from the routines of their life.

Your marketing, whether it be digital or old school or a combination of both, regardless of how sophisticated or not it may be needs to include one of these psychological calls to action.

Perhaps you can add other feelings to this list and then add specific feelings to specific target markets and then you can have a marketing guide that works specifically for what you believe…and what your customers believe and feel. 

And if you don’t know, buy ‘em a beer and ask!

Just sayin’ 

p.s. Give me a buzz if I can help or answer a question. 516 359 4874

About Fred Kaplowitz
Marketing is in my DNA. I love to solve problems and meet challenges head on and I have successfully produced results for hundreds of clients. I love what I do and love helping to make my clients more successful and happier. I am a husband and father, consultant, a coach, a teacher, a motivator, a copy- writer, and a speaker. I look forward to working with anyone searching for a proven methodology out of mediocrity. May I assist you in taking your business to the next level. Please call me now @ 516 359 4874 to review your business goals and strategies.

2 Comments on Connect. Once Again. With Feelings.

  1. Very well said. I hope your readers pay attention, especially at holiday time when nerves are frayed, patience is low, and the stresses of the season build. A family night out for pizza and bowling sounds like a good plan to connect, have some fun and
    enjoy a great experience.

  2. Thank you for your comments. While I don’t understand how you arrived at the conclusion of lack of respect from this article, when that was the exact point I was making – knowing your customer’s feelings – I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavor.
    Sincerely
    Fred

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