Human Insight - The Fear of Missing Out

You pick up your cell phone. Thumb around for 10 seconds and put it down. You go back to what you were doing. A minute or two passes by. As if by magic, you realize your cell phone is back in your hand. You’re scanning over the same old pages as a few minutes back. Nothing has changed. In fact, your phone would have alerted you if there was a personal update. Still, your subconscious takes over. Zombie-like you are a slave to the phone. This is a common experience. The average person checks their phone 34 times a day. What can we learn from that? And how can we use it to sell.

Lesson...

Fear of Missing Out – People want to be connected. That’s why we constantly monitor our Twitter & Facebook feeds. It’s the same reason we relish telling others about exciting news. Disconnecting these days is like torture. Just wait and see how many cell phones come out at the end of the movie at the theatre. Everybody needs their fix.

Lessons Learned...

• Arm your customers with perceivably valuable information - If you’re running a sale ad, tell a story about why the sale is a big deal. If you’re launching a new product, make it interesting enough that people will want to tell their friends about it.
• Limit your supplies – If timeliness matters to people, use it to your advantage. Run advertising that has a hard limit. Tell people you only have 5 widgets available and they’ll be gone today.
• Make Fun Offers – If people are checking regularly, reward them for their interactivity. Offer deals that are only good for another hour, or to people who phone with a secret word. Any quirky thing will do.

Lesson...

Instant Gratification – We live in a world where everything is available on demand. We can find out what’s going on right now, anywhere in the world at the touch of a screen. Anything that takes us longer than a few seconds is too time consuming. There’s a reason why the most watched videos on YouTube are short.

Lessons Learned...

• Be brief, but stand out – Your message has to matter, but find a way to say it in a succinct way. People are allowing less and less time every day.
• Interact through social media – Speak directly with your clientele. Make a deeper connection. A personal connection is worth infinitely more than a chuckle from a passing radio commercial.
• More ways to connect – Make your business accessible in as many ways as possible. Phone, text, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, website, email, in person, in store, fax, carrier pigeon. Make it easy for people.
• Don’t make people wait – Patience is a virtue, but ignorance to a client’s lack of patience costs you money. Be available.

Be aware of these common windows into the psyche. Watch stand up comedy. They’re experts at pointing out common experiences and habits. There’s always something you can learn from shared behaviour. Design your advertising around your target customer’s day to day intricacies.