What is neuroplasticity and why is it important to marketing? The human brain can rewire itself and learn new methods and how to think in different ways. As a society, we are constantly advancing in the ways we think, humor and even technical knowledge.

Consider some of the sitcoms from the 1970s. If you watch them today, the humor is a bit corny and the jokes fall flat. Back then, these were the epitome of comedy. Today, they’re just silly because society has changed so much from 1970 to the 2020s.

In order to tap into the power of neuroplasticity, you have to understand your target audience. Neuroplasticity impacts both the consumer and their overall experience with your brand.

What Are the Benefits of Neuroplasticity?

The more often we try something new, the more the brain rewires to understand the process and automate it. When someone first starts playing piano, hitting each key is a clunky performance. Over time, the playing becomes more fluid and mindless. This is an example of the brain rewiring. It is much the same when we learn a new technology. The key for marketers is to recognize which devices people engage with and are becoming more common.

Source: https://www.marketingcharts.com/industries/technology-225748

Marketing Charts found about 89% of American adults have heard about 3D printer technology, and 84% have heard of cryptocurrency. It’s very likely these two areas of technology will become more commonplace in the near future.

Read widely in your industry and see what technologies others are embracing. Talk to your customers about their favorite devices. Pay attention to what is trending. Here are some helpful tips and advice to consider with neuroplasticity and marketing both for consumers and business owners:

1. Understand Your Customers’ Needs

Anticipating your customers’ needs can put you ahead of the competition. Take the time to think through the programs and devices people use today. What ones are most popular? You might need a mix of platform types and programs to address their concerns.

Survey your customers if you aren’t sure and find out what their expectations are. You can guess based on technology advances, but you might not be correct. Not all technology takes hold the way you think it would.

2. Remain Flexible

Flexibility is a big part of neuroplasticity. You have to be able to pivot quickly as new technology becomes popular. For example, people now rely on augmented reality (AR) to try out items before they buy. They might hold their cell phone camera up and see how a pair of glasses look on their face. IKEA allows them to place a piece of furniture in the room via an app. The use of AR to enhance shopping experiences is a big draw to users.

You can’t get ahead if you don’t keep the top marketers on your team. One study showed 59% of workers value flexibility over salary. If you want to keep the top performers in your firm or department, allow them to work from home and set their own schedules.

Choose flexibility in management style, work/life balance and what you utilize in your marketing efforts.

3. Add Kids and Pets to Campaigns

Source: https://www.marketingcharts.com/industries/retail-and-e-commerce-9778

Studies show people are less likely to switch brands when it involves pets and kids. Only 23% switched to store brands when it involved pet-care products versus 59% for food. Look for ways to add pet and child offerings to your lineup or at least utilize them in your marketing efforts.

4. Know Their Familiarity With Tech

Figure out how tech savvy your users are and if they understand the things you’re trying to implement. Most people can figure out how to use a new app as long as everything is intuitive. However, if a big portion of your customer base is very young or very old, you might need to go back to basics and make the program as simple as possible.

You can always do some market testing to see how well a new feature translates. Perhaps you have an idea to start a new marketing campaign where people can scan a QR code and immediately place an order. However, if your customers aren’t familiar with the way smartphones and QR codes work, you’ve wasted your effort and marketing dollars.

5. Choose the Right Content

Content that worked 10 years ago to draw traffic to your site won’t work today. Each minute, more and more data gets added to the web. You are competing with tons of things for consumer attention. You have to be on the cutting edge to draw their attention to you.

Experts found around 88% of marketers believe content is the best way to build brand awareness and increase user trust. Take the time to research and see what is already available. How can you add to it based on what people know today?

6. Avoid Clickbait

Years ago, people jumped on the bandwagon and used clickbait to drive massive traffic to their sites. However, consumers didn’t care for the bait and switch tactics and soon became savvy to the practice. Their brains developed and they no longer fell for clickbait.

Being upfront and trustworthy is your best bet to drawing new customers and keeping them.

Source: https://www.marketingcharts.com/digital/social-media-119371

In a recent survey of Generation Z, researchers found 42% of Gen-Z feel people should show more of their real selves on social media. They also believe there is too much pressure to be perfect. Authenticity is an important factor as is speaking out on social issues you care about and standing up against injustice.

7. Repeat Yourself

You can use neuroplasticity to train your customers, too. For example, if you repeat something enough times it will stick. Think about some of the slogans for top brands and how they stick with you. You know you can get it your way at Burger King or love it at McDonald’s.

Repetition starts to wire your audience’s brain with a message. Consistency may be key. You should use the same language on your website, when answering the phones, in email messages on social media and in marketing materials.

There is an old rule of thumb that a person needs to see your message or brand name seven times before it sticks with them. With so much marketing noise in the digital realm, you may need even more exposure to stand out from the crowd. Never miss an opportunity to get your marketing message out there.

Follow the Trends

You can spot some of the changes by following new trends and seeing which ones take hold and which ones fall by the wayside. Be open to trying new technologies related to your industry. Survey your customers often and try new things to see what works best. Things may change from one year to the next, so don’t grow stagnant in your marketing efforts.

 

 

Eleanor Hecks is editor-in-chief at Designerly Magazine. She was the creative director at a digital marketing agency before becoming a full-time freelance designer. Eleanor lives in Philadelphia with her husband and pup, Bear.