Using Consumer Psychology in Internet Marketing

Consumer psychology has been used for decades to help companies formulate effective marketing strategies, but it has been only recently that these philosophies have transferred to the world of Internet marketing. If you are preparing to embark on a joint venture, chances are that Internet marketing strategies will be an integral part of your business arrangement. To increase the effectiveness of your online advertising strategies, we have a few principles of consumer psychology to keep in mind.

Keeping Up with the Jones’s

Nearly every consumer wants what his neighbor has, whether it is the hottest car or the latest computer technology. However, because this idea of “keeping up with the Jones’s” can be a rather elusive one, few can foot the bill for such extravagances in the name of friendly competition.

Help your customers feel like they are getting the same luxuries their neighbors are indulging in at a fraction of the price. You can emphasize the value of your product by stressing the production process or the special materials that went into your products to make them unique.

Satisfying Curiosity

Consumers that spend a lot of time surfing the Internet are generally curious folk by nature. To encourage their sense of adventure, use advertising strategies that alert them to trade or insider “secrets.” These secrets will give them tips that will motivate them to buy your products. You can effectively use these “secret” tips in your email marketing or through back links.

Worry Over Making the Right Decision

This is a particular concern when shopping online, since it can be difficult to distinguish one retailer from another on the Internet. Joint ventures are particularly helpful in this area, since you can use the established reputation of your JV partner to build your own reputation with new customers.

Testimonials are another way to boost consumer confidence online, particularly when you and your JV partner work together to provide testimonials for one another.

Finally, samples or free trial offers allow customers to try your products risk-free, before they put their money into your company.

Special Offers

Consumers love special offers, particularly those they perceive as exclusive to your “favorite” or “best” customers. Send out special email blitzes to your current customers or the customer list of your JV partner. Let them know of an exclusive offer just for them that allow them to save on their next purchase, or a similar deal. Customers love these types of offers and are much more likely to try out your products or services for the first time if they believe they are a part of an elite group of customers.

Understanding basic consumer psychology can go a long way in creating effective Internet marketing strategies for your joint venture. When you have an understanding of the way consumers shop and make purchases, you’re more likely to direct your advertising to the right target base, motivating them to buy. Your joint venture will thrive and so will your bottom line.

Christian Fea is CEO of Synertegic, Inc. A Joint Venture Marketing firm. He exemplifies how to profit from Joint Venture relationships by creating profit centers with minimal risk and maximum profitability.

To discover more Joint Venture Marketing Strategies join his free report on Joint Venture Marketing.

The Customer Connection: How to Get It

The primary purpose of a joint venture is to build your customer base by exposing your company to a wider range of targeted potential customers. However, the bulk of a company’s profits come from repeat business, which means connecting with your customers in a way that keeps them coming back for more. We have a few ideas on how to make and keep a customer connection that keeps on giving to your bottom line.

Communication is Key

If you truly want to connect with your current customers, the first step is to talk to them regularly. Greet them by name when they walk into your business and ask how they are doing. Learn the names of their children, pets or favorite sports teams. Ask what they think about your business and what they would change if they could. These regular exchanges don’t have to take a lot of time and effort, but they can make the world of difference in how often a customer chooses your company for his business.

Listen to Them

Customers will provide plenty of feedback about the quality of your business, and all you have to do is listen to what they have to say. However, active listening is a skill that is cultivated through use and practice. Active listening involves tuning into your customer’s words and repeating their meaning back to ensure there are no misunderstandings.

During the active listening process, you should be able to identify any potential needs your customer might have and provide effective solutions to those needs to enhance your customer’s satisfaction with your business.

Provide Incentives

Everyone likes to be appreciated, and your customers are no exception. Show them what their business means to you by scheduling periodic customer appreciation events. It might be coffee and donuts or a complete meal. You might also do a frequent customer mailing that includes special discounts only available to current clients or provide a special sale open only to those special people. If your cash is limited, get creative in your appreciation offerings, such as a special express line for current customers or a customer card that offers a discount after so many visits to your establishment.

Solicit Feedback

Some companies use customer surveys, while others take a less formal approach and simply ask customers what they like and don’t like about your business. You can have staff do follow-up calls after working with customers or send a mailing asking for customer feedback. To ensure you get a good response from your request, provide a small incentive with the survey, such as a discount on the next visit after the survey is returned. You might be surprised at how much you can learn about your company by simply asking the people who patronize it most.

Customer connections are the most effective way to build a loyal customer base and a healthy bottom line. By taking the time to forge professional relationships with the people who patronize your business most, you are more likely to keep those customers satisfied and coming back for more.

Christian Fea is CEO of Synertegic, Inc. A Joint Venture Marketing firm. He exemplifies how to profit from Joint Venture relationships by creating profit centers with minimal risk and maximum profitability.

To discover more Joint Venture Marketing Strategies join his free report on Joint Venture Marketing.

Understanding the Pleasure Principle in Joint Venture Marketing

The pleasure principle is not a new concept, but it is one that can be used in innovative ways when applying the principle to joint venture marketing campaigns. This psychological approach gets to the very core of human behavior, which makes it particularly effective in advertising. We will explain precisely what the pleasure principle entails and how to use it in your advertising to make the most of your joint venture efforts.

What is the Pleasure Principle?

The pleasure principle was originally dubbed by Sigmund Freud as the methodology used by people to pursue pleasure and avoid pain. Freud also found that in contrast, the reality principle is the deferment of pleasure when necessity dictates. While this concept may seem rather elementary on the surface, it can be used extensively in marketing when applied specifically to human behavior and purchasing habits.

Companies that effectively identify a need or “pain” and then provide a solution or “pleasure” in its place will nearly always increase profits through this approach. This is particularly true when advertising efforts encourage potential customer to ignore the reality principle; instead, the customer should act quickly to make a purchase for immediate gratification or pleasure.

Using the Pleasure Principle in Advertising

While most individuals see the truth in the pleasure principle, there are additional steps involved in applying this principle to effective advertising techniques.

To begin, business owners must consider how their products or services can help customers achieve a goal with minimum effort involved – pleasure without pain. The next step is to encourage the “pleasure” without the “reality” mindset coming into play, which might entice the customer to wait on the purchase for a period of time. This can be done by listing tantalizing benefits involved with using the product or service, promoting a sense of urgency within the customer to achieve the “pleasure” from the product as soon as possible.

Truth in Advertising

While you want to prevent the reality principle in favor of the pleasure principle, you must be sure that the product or service you are selling really will produce the benefits you are advertising. If it does not, you are taking advantage of customers through false advertising, and no business sustains over the long haul by committing to tactics like those. It is much better to be truthful in the information you present about your product, emphasizing the very real benefits so your customer is encouraged to buy as quickly as possible. When he is satisfied with his purchase, he will be more likely to come back for more and promote your product to friends and family as well.

The pleasure principle is apparent in nearly every aspect of life today, but never is it used more effectively than in joint venture advertising campaigns. The pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of pain is one of the most effective ways to advertise any type of product or service. When you understand the basic motivation of people, you will be better equipped to promote your products based on tried and true principles that will increase your sales and your profit margin overall.

Christian Fea is CEO of Synertegic, Inc. A Joint Venture Marketing firm. He exemplifies how to profit from Joint Venture relationships by creating profit centers with minimal risk and maximum profitability.

To discover more Joint Venture Marketing Strategies join his free report on Joint Venture Marketing.

Using Joint Ventures to Boost Consumer Confidence in Your Online Business

Online businesses have become the most popular way for customers to shop for goods and services today. Now customers can find what they need any time of the day or night from the comfort of home.

However, despite the growing trend to shop online, it can be difficult to build your online business effectively. Websites all tend to look alike, and it is hard to promote customer confidence through a few photos and a creative flair with fonts. This is an area of business where joint ventures can be particularly effective in boosting customer confidence.

The Importance of Consumer Confidence

There have been plenty of studies conducted on the effects consumer confidence has on businesses today. Consumer confidence influences the types of purchases customers make and the companies from whom they choose to buy.  When your customers are confident in your business, they are more likely to return for repeat purchases, and they may recommend your business to their friends and neighbors. Word-of-mouth is a powerful marketing tool that doesn’t cost you a cent in your hard-earned advertising dollars. It is easy to see why consumer confidence plays such a key role in the success or failure of a business today.

The Trouble with Online Business

It is much easier to build customer confidence when they walk into your brick and mortar store. They can gauge the quality of your business by the appearance of your store, the friendliness of your staff and the availability of the products they need. However, none of these features are quite as obvious when you do business online. It is much more challenging to exude that same aura of customer service and quality with photos on a screen. This is where joint ventures can go far in improving the reputation of your online business.

It’s Who You Know

Once customers have a positive experience with your business, they will be more likely to shop with you again. They will also be more likely to shop with other businesses linked to your own through advertising and other methods. This is the core of joint ventures: to promote another’s business to customers who have already built up their confidence with yours. Joint ventures jump-start the consumer confidence process, so you can quickly and effectively build your customer base online.

There are plenty of effective advertising tools to use in online marketing, but the best value will almost always come from a combination of these tools and a JV partnership that will direct new customers to your business. When these customers trust the company that recommends you, they trust you much more easily as well. That type of consumer confidence can’t be purchased; it must be built up slowly over time. Joint ventures allow you to capitalize on the time and energy your partner has already put into building consumer confidence by taking those customers as your own as well.

Online business is booming today, but the competition is fierce indeed. Build consumer confidence for your own company through effective joint ventures, and watch your customer base and your bottom line grow.

Christian Fea is CEO of Synertegic, Inc. A Joint Venture Marketing firm. He exemplifies how to profit from Joint Venture relationships by creating profit centers with minimal risk and maximum profitability.

To discover more Joint Venture Marketing Strategies join his free report on Joint Venture Marketing.

5 Ways to Exceed Your Customers’ Expectations

Joint ventures are an excellent tool for growing your customer base, but what do you do once all those new customers are interested in your products or services? To ensure first time customers become profitable regulars, you must surprise and delight them with stellar service that puts the competition to shame. Consider these five ways to exceed your customer’s expectations, once your JV partner has successfully shuttled more customer traffic your way.

Learn their Names

Customers love to be called by name, so learn and use names as often as you can. If your staff has trouble remembering the names of your regulars, offer your employees some sort of incentive to make a point of calling your customers by name. Keep in mind these customers are more than likely already recognized by your JV partner, and they want to be recognized by your company as well.

Remember their Favorite Products

Regular customers often purchase the same products over and over. Keep track of the purchases your customers make; you can even make a spreadsheet to track the most frequent purchases. Once you know which products or services a particular customer likes, notify them of sales or promotions on those items. Put a few aside so they are always in stock when your customer comes in. Customer love to feel they are getting the royal treatment when they walk through your door.

Follow Through after the Sale

Once a sale is complete, follow up with your customer to ensure the product and service the customer received were both satisfactory. If your customer had an issue with the product or the sales process, send a coupon out to entice the customer back once the issue is resolved to their satisfaction. This extra effort will let the customer know you value their business as much as your joint venture partner does, and it will keep him coming back to your company for more.

Bend a Policy

Most policies and procedures can be bent or even broken from time to time to keep a customer happy. This is especially true for your regulars. Maybe your customer needs a rush on an order or requires a special item you don’t usually stock. When you go the extra mile for your customer, you let them know they are important to you and your company.

Ask them for Feedback

You can hand out feedback cards, offer an online survey or simply ask your customers how you’re doing. Find out if there are any products you don’t carry that your customers would like. Ask if the products and service they receive meets their expectations. Find out what you could do to make the experience with your company more convenient and enjoyable. People love to be asked for their opinion, and the information you receive from your customers could help you raise your service bar overall.

Joint ventures are an excellent way to grow your customer base, but once those new customers come into your business, it is up to you to ensure they keep coming back for more. With these tips on exceeding your customers’ expectations, you can rest assured your client base will leave your business satisfied with their products and services every time they do business with you.

Christian Fea is CEO of Synertegic, Inc. A Joint Venture Marketing firm. He exemplifies how to profit from Joint Venture relationships by creating profit centers with minimal risk and maximum profitability.

To discover more Joint Venture Marketing Strategies join his free report on Joint Venture Marketing.

Customer Loyalty: What it is and How to Build It

Joint ventures are an effective way to capitalize on the customer loyalty of more established businesses. After all, if customers are loyal to one company, they should be more than willing to transfer their loyalty to partnering companies as well, right? Maybe not.

While you can build a healthy customer base through JV marketing strategies, you will have to put in your own efforts when it comes to transforming first-time customers to loyal fans. We have tips to help you build customer loyalty in the new clients you get from your joint venture.

Communication

Keeping in touch with your customers is an essential component to nurturing a loyal, trusting relationship. Talk to your customers when they come into your business, whether it’s simply inquiring how they’re doing or how they think you are doing. Find out what their real needs are to determine if you are meeting them adequately. Relate to them on a personal level whenever possible by asking about their kids, pets or favorite sports team.

Written communication is another effective tool in building customer loyalty, with email blitzes and mail promotions to alert customers to special sales and new product lines. Birthday and Christmas cards to your regular customers also go far in building a healthy relationship that will keep those customers coming back time and time again. Monthly newsletters keep your business at the forefront of your customers’ minds, as well as keep them up to date on your latest offerings and promotions.

Customer Service Training

Customer loyalty originates at the front lines of your business, so make sure your employees are well trained in the fine art of customer service. Teach your staff how to go the extra mile for regular customers, how to handle customer complaints and when to cross-sell products and services. When your staff knows how to care for your customers properly, they will build a relationship with your clientele that will keep both employees and customers around for the long haul.

Reliability and Follow-Through

Your word means everything when it comes to customer loyalty, which means if you say a product will be in on Friday, it must be there for your customer to pick up. If a customer issue requires follow-through by you or one of your staff, make sure that follow-through is completed in a timely fashion. If a situation arises that prevents you from keeping your word, communicate this to your customer immediately to alert them to the problem and what you’re doing to remedy the situation. When customers feel like they can trust you in handling their business, they will stick around much longer.

Customer loyalty begins with your JV partner, but it doesn’t end there. Customers that have been loyal to your partner must see the advantages in frequenting your establishment as well. You must prove that your own company is equally deserving of the their loyalty by showing yourself to be reliable, trustworthy and helpful. Customer loyalty goes a long way in maintaining a good sales record and a healthy bottom line.

Christian Fea is CEO of Synertegic, Inc. A Joint Venture Marketing firm. He exemplifies how to profit from Joint Venture relationships by creating profit centers with minimal risk and maximum profitability.

To discover more Joint Venture Marketing Strategies join his free report on Joint Venture Marketing.

4 Ways to Use Consumer Psychology to Boost Sales

Once you have solidified your JV partnerships, you’ve only won half the battle. While attracting new customers is a key component to a successful business, another important attribute is the ability to close the sale once the customer visits your website.

To increase your odds of accomplishing this feat, you must get into the head of your potential customer to find out what motivates them to open their wallet and actually make a purchase. We have four ways to use consumer psychology to boost sales.

Pricing

A customer must determine that the price is right before they are willing to buy. However, pricing is one part math and nine parts psychology. Why do you think you see so many prices set at $9.99, $99.99 or 1,999.99? This is a psychological move to keep the customer from moving to the next price threshold. Yes, your product may be just a penny under the $100 mark, but to your customer, there is a major chasm between $99 and $100.

Bulk pricing follows a similar formula, encouraging customers to buy more of your product when they perceive a savings in doing so.

Value

It’s a fact of life: most people spend plenty of time and money trying to keep up with the Jones. They want top quality merchandise and they want it at a ridiculously low price. When you perfect the art of selling luxury at a bargain, you will increase your sales. In some cases, this may amount to educating your customer about the materials you use to build your product, or the manufacturing process it must undergo to be deemed “fit” to put on your store shelves.

Testimonials

Customers are often afraid to try out a new company or product because they fear failure. They worry that the products they purchase will not stack up to the value test listed above. Your JV partnership has already overcome part of that concern by linking your relatively unknown business with one that is more established. However, you can take the process a step further by providing potential customers with testimonials of previous buyers. Free samples are another good way to boost consumer confidence so they are more likely to take a chance on your business.

Benefits

This is old school marketing, but it still holds true. To make a sale, you must first create a need for your customer. In many instances, this is about telling your customer the many benefits she will enjoy by purchasing your product. Your customer may not realize they can clean their bathroom in half the time or save significant time and effort in the kitchen by purchasing your product. Pitchmen are experts at this technique, and if you learn to do it properly, you can also enjoy a significant increase in sales.

JV marketing is an excellent way to attract new customers, but once you have increased traffic, you must be prepared to close the sale. With these techniques, you can transform lookers to buyers to boost sales and your bottom line.

Christian Fea is CEO of Synertegic, Inc. A Joint Venture Marketing firm. He exemplifies how to profit from Joint Venture relationships by creating profit centers with minimal risk and maximum profitability.

To discover more Joint Venture Marketing Strategies join his free report on Joint Venture Marketing.

What Customers Want from Your Joint Venture Partnership

The ultimate goal of a successful JV partnership is more customers. However, many business owners get so caught up in the process of landing good joint venture prospects and establishing partnerships that they tend to forget that ultimate prize.

To ensure your JV partnerships are as profitable as possible, it helps to look at them from the customer’s point of view. Here are four features of your JV partnership that your customers will be looking for.

Customers Want to Feel Important

Customers like to feel like they are important to your company. This can be achieved through a JV partnership, particularly when you choose to work with other businesses that put customers first as well. When a customer is treated well at one company, he will be more likely to visit other businesses the original company recommends. When you follow up with your own top quality service, your customer feels that he has joined an elite group where his opinion matters and his needs will be met.

Customers Want Your Expertise

Customers also want to know that you are knowledgeable about the product or service you are selling. They want the confidence in knowing you will answer their questions accurately and objectively to guide them in their shopping process. When you align yourself with another expert in your industry, you are seen as more knowledgeable yourself. Choose JV partners that are well versed in the goods they sell to build confidence with your own customer base.

Customers Want Convenience

Customers primarily shop with businesses that make the process as easy and quick as possible. To ensure you exude that convenience through your JV partnership, use clear text in your advertisements and create links between your business websites that are easy to navigate. When customers arrive at your website, it should be easy for them to find what they are looking for, with a quick, user-friendly shopping cart that makes checkout a breeze. Before approaching JV prospects, check their websites for easy navigation as well to ensure they are providing the same convenience you strive for with your customers.

Customers Want a Deal

Contrary to what many might think, customers aren’t always looking for the cheapest product possible. Most will gladly sacrifice bargain-basement prices for high-quality goods and customer service. However, the majority of clientele will be more likely to buy from you for the first time if you make the initial purchase a little less costly. Advertising special offers or providing coupons through your JV partner can help boost initial sales to build a bigger customer base. Back up your low prices with top-notch service and a good product so your customers feel they get the most value when they shop with you.

Understanding customers is an important step in building a successful JV marketing campaign. Choose companies that share your customer service philosophies and be prepared to make the most of your customer’s experience when he reaches your website. These simple tips will go a long way toward JV marketing efforts that are effective and profitable.

Christian Fea is CEO of Synertegic, Inc. A Joint Venture Marketing firm. He exemplifies how to profit from Joint Venture relationships by creating profit centers with minimal risk and maximum profitability.

To discover more Joint Venture Marketing Strategies join his free Joint Venture Marketing Wealth Report.

How to Motivate People to Buy

If the purpose of JV marketing is to build your business, then you want to be ready for those new customers with effective advertising strategies that motivate them to buy. There is a psychology involved with purchasing that continues to be studies and refined, but a number of basic principles have been established that can help you increase your bottom line.

Consider these motivational factors to see which ones you can incorporate into your JV marketing strategy.

A Need

The most basic motivational factor in making purchases is a basic, fundamental need. We need to eat, so we head to the grocery store. We need to get to and from work, so we spend a few hours at a car lot.

When it comes to filling a basic need, most customers shop around for the product that offers them the best value. In these cases, showing how your product blows away the competition may be a good purchase motivator for your customers.

A Perceived Need

Some needs are real and some are all in the head. You may decide you “need” a new printer because your current one runs a little slow. You may decide you “need” a closet organizer because your possessions are jumbled up inside. These perceived needs to not fulfill a basic requirement of survival, but they can make life easier and more convenient. In some cases, you need to showcase the perceived need first, so your customer realizes how much easier his life will be with your product.

A Desire

We all have them: the desire to show up for work in the hottest car or enjoy a home entertainment system that lacks for nothing. Sometimes our desires get in the way of our needs, so we choose the items we want over the products we must have. To cash in on desire purchases, JV marketers must work to evoke a mood or emotion that inspires the customer to go through with the purchase.

Human Psyche

Within these three basic categories, there are fundamental psychological factors that motivate nearly all human decisions. These include:

• A need for more time, through convenience items

• A need for more money, through economically priced items

• A need for knowledge or self-improvement, which can be met through a variety of sources

• A need for love and sex, through products to rekindle your relationships or make you feel more attractive

• A need for security, which can encompass many aspects of the retail market

• A need for comfort, which is filled through a variety of home and entertainment items

Humans also have a need to perpetuate youth, as we have seen through product lines designed to make you look and feel younger from the inside out.

If you can tune into these basic needs, you can find the most effective ways to market your own goods and services, thus making the most of your JV marketing partnerships. When you begin to understand what makes people tick and what motivates them to buy, your advertising will become much more effective and your business will grow.

Christian Fea is CEO of Synertegic, Inc. A Joint Venture Marketing firm. He exemplifies how to profit from Joint Venture relationships by creating profit centers with minimal risk and maximum profitability.

To discover more Joint Venture Marketing Strategies join his free Joint Venture Marketing Wealth Report.

The Psychology Behind Consumer Decision Making

When you begin the JV marketing process, you want to know that your efforts will be successful. To ensure you get the biggest bang from your marketing buck, it is important to understand the decision making process that goes into nearly every purchase made.

Many psychologists and marketing gurus have spent countless hours researching and studying the reasons that consumers move from thinking about a purchase to actually taking out their wallets and putting money down. This article will give you a brief view of the decision making process to help you find the most effective methods for inspiring your potential customers to buy.

Recognizing a Need

Before customers spend their hard earned dollars, they have to see a need. This need can be known to the individual, or one that you can make known to them by showing them how a particular aspect of their lives can be easier or more convenient because of your product or service.

To make the need known, you need to think of your commodity from the customer’s point of view. Demonstrate both the problem and the solution you offer to make your product as compelling as possible.

Information and Alternatives

Many customers, once they recognize the need, will next undertake an extensive information gathering process to weigh their alternatives and choose the best solution for their needs. The amount of time that goes into the information gathering is often directly related to the value of the product. More expensive or complex products and services will usually merit a more involved research time. In the case of smaller products or a more urgent need, the customer may bypass this step in the decision-making process completely in favor of obtaining a solution to their need as quickly as possible.

The Purchase

Once the information has been perused and the alternatives thoroughly weighed, the purchase process will ensue. This step may or may not be in the accompaniment of a negotiation strategy, depending on the value of the item and whether it is customary to bargain for a better deal.

You can call a customer to action by carefully working through the previous steps with them and motivating them to make a purchase decision. Make the buying process as easy as possible, so your customer can get the item he wants without additional hassle or frustration.

The Post-Evaluation

If your customer has thoroughly gone through all of the steps above and has successfully met his need with your product, the post-evaluation process should go very smoothly. It is important to reiterate to your customer the benefits of your commodity at the time of purchase to lessen his feelings of doubt after the fact. This will continue to encourage your customer that he made a good purchase decision and make him more likely to buy from you again when another need arises.

JV marketing successfully brings customers to your business, but without the knowledge of how the purchase process works, your efforts may fall flat. By understanding how consumers make their decisions, you are more likely to close the initial sale and enjoy additional business from that customer in the future.

Christian Fea is CEO of Synertegic, Inc. A Joint Venture Marketing firm. He exemplifies how to profit from Joint Venture relationships by creating profit centers with minimal risk and maximum profitability.

To discover more Joint Venture Marketing Strategies join his free Joint Venture Marketing Wealth Report.