Consulting with ecommerce brands, Sarah Levinger delves into the realm of marketing psychology. She emphasizes the impact of shoppers’ emotions on ad performance, stressing the importance of aligning messaging with those feelings for success.
An example of her successful strategy involved working with a direct-to-consumer maker of hop-flavored teas, resulting in a significant 30% reduction in acquisition costs. This case study, along with other effective tactics, was discussed in a recent conversation.
Below, you’ll find the complete audio embedded for your listening pleasure. The transcript has been carefully edited for clarity and conciseness.
Eric Bandholz: Can you tell us more about your role?
Sarah Levinger: I specialize in providing consultancy services to direct-to-consumer companies, focusing on consumer psychology in marketing, particularly in the realms of acquisition and advertising.
With a background in ecommerce dating back to 2018 and prior experience in marketing, my expertise lies in leveraging emotions and consumer psychology to enhance the effectiveness of advertisements.
My journey began with analyzing customer reviews, categorizing them based on emotional responses. This evolved into conducting customer interviews and utilizing AI technology to delve deeper into the emotional aspects of consumer feedback.
While reviews provide valuable insights, they often lack depth. By tapping into AI capabilities, we can uncover the underlying emotions expressed in these reviews swiftly and effectively.
One of the challenges I encountered was translating this emotional data into actionable strategies for brands. This led me to explore not only consumer psychology but also the psychology of the brand’s internal team.
By engaging with the creative team and asking probing questions, I unearthed significant gaps between customer expectations, brand perceptions, and internal team perspectives.
Bandholz: Can you provide examples of these emotional insights?
Levinger: I focus on the nine emotional states outlined in “Marketing to Mindstates” by Will Leach, a renowned behavioral scientist and CEO of the Mindstate Group. These emotions play a crucial role in consumers’ purchasing decisions.
Human emotions are complex and often intertwined. When it comes to purchasing behavior, individuals have specific goals and problems they seek to address, known as the “jobs-to-be-done” framework.
For instance, I worked with a tea brand that offered a non-alcoholic hop-infused tea. While the brand initially emphasized the non-alcoholic aspect in their ads, customer reviews consistently highlighted a sense of belonging as the predominant emotion.
Many customers expressed gratitude for rediscovering a taste they thought they had lost, emphasizing a sense of community and belonging. By aligning the messaging with this emotional insight, we were able to significantly reduce acquisition costs by 30% in a short period.
Bandholz: How can brands navigate diverse customer motivations to identify the right audience?
Levinger: The pursuit of hyper-personalization in marketing efforts often leads to increased costs and inefficiencies. While customers may have varied reasons for purchasing a product, the underlying emotions driving their behavior are often universal.
Brands like Doritos, Pepsi, Coke, and Apple cater to a diverse consumer base with unique motivations. By focusing on shared emotional triggers rather than individual preferences, brands can create more impactful and cost-effective marketing campaigns.
Bandholz: How can brands leverage emotions to create more compelling ads?
Levinger: Crafting concise messaging that resonates with key emotional triggers is essential. By understanding the emotions that resonate with consumers and incorporating them into headlines, visuals, and video content, brands can create more engaging and effective ads.
Bandholz: Where can individuals connect with you or engage your services?
Levinger: To learn more about my work and consultancy services, visit my website at SarahLevinger.co. You can also find me on X, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
