With the development of neurological exploration techniques in recent decades, a new specialty has emerged that combines knowledge of neuroscience and marketing: neuromarketing.
But what is neuromarketing ? Research in this area attempts to understand the patterns of neural activity underlying consumer responses and behaviors toward brands, in order to design more effective marketing strategies .
With the help of biosensors, electroencephalograms, eye-tracking , facial emotion recognition software and functional magnetic resonance imaging, neuromarketing provides new points of view for understanding the consumer and more reliable results, so it is normal that qualifications facebook database such as the Neuromarketing Course from the European University are arousing more and more interest among those working in the advertising sector.
5 effective neuromarketing strategies to boost sales
Harnessing the power of mirror neurons
Mirror neurons are activated when we see a person performing an activity or connect with their emotional state. For this reason, many brands try to make consumers identify with the protagonists of their advertisements . Lay's is an excellent example of neuromarketing in companies because when the brand discovered that women consumed fewer salty snacks than men, it designed a campaign called "Only in a Woman's World" starring four women with different profiles with whom its consumers could easily identify thanks to the activation of mirror neurons.
Engaging the senses
A product should not only be visually appealing; at the time of purchase, senses such as smell and hearing are also essential . A classic neuromarketing study carried out at John Curtin University and Roehampton University found that the background music played in a store influenced the wine that customers chose. Along these lines, another example of neuromarketing in companies comes from Cinnabon, the American bakery chain that has managed to significantly increase its sales by promoting the smell of cinnamon in its stores because it generates a warm and pleasant sensation that encourages consumers to buy.
Offer free gifts
An experiment carried out at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology revealed the enormous power of the word free. These psychologists found that regardless of how convenient the rest of the offers were, the word “free” automatically makes us feel better and eliminates any reluctance or fear of making a mistake in the purchase decision . For this reason, it is one of the most used business neuromarketing strategies to increase sales or get rid of stock. In fact, it is one of the star tactics of Carrefour, which prepares packs of commonly consumed products and claims that by buying one, the consumer gets the second “free”.
Highlight scarcity and exclusivity
Exclusivity stimulates the desire to buy a product. For this reason, many companies offer exclusive products or services that make users feel special . Apple, for example, is one of the brands that most uses the principle of exclusivity in the presentations of its new products to boost pre-sales. In these cases, the brain sets a trap for us because we perceive that an opportunity is more valuable when its availability is limited, since we establish a linear relationship between scarcity and its value. In addition, when a product is exclusive or limited, our purchasing options are restricted, which generates a feeling of urgency and encourages impulse buying .
Developing a sense of belonging
Research conducted at Duke University found that as soon as we feel like we own something, its value increases before our eyes and we become reluctant to lose it . The “owner effect” is widely used in sectors such as real estate or the automotive industry to generate a sense of ownership in interested customers and activate that emotional mechanism that pushes them to want to buy the house or car, paying less attention to the price simply because they do not want to lose the item that they practically feel is theirs.
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