As a marketer, when you’re asked to describe your product you might find yourself struggling for words. Trying to explain the various best & besteiles to your audience can be difficult – especially when there are so many similarities! Which one should you choose if you want to maximise your sales?

Basic Overview

Before we dive into the differences let’s take a step back and understand the basics. All of these terms mean basically the same thing – an element or element set that enhances your product’s appeal. A best-seller might include a combination of:

• Visual attractiveness
• Emotional appeal
• Price

Each of these factors – whether you call them that or not – impact your customer’s decision to buy your product. The key is presenting your product in the most appealing way possible. This involves using the right marketing mix of elements (words, visuals, and price). It also means taking the time to understand your customers’ decision-making process and what influences their purchasing behaviour.

Visual Attractiveness

When we discuss the aesthetics of a product, we’re talking about its appearance. Does the design of your product appeal to the eye? Is it easy on the eye or does it require a careful and deliberate examination to see what the designer intended? Was there sufficient thought put into the design of the product to ensure it’s of high visual appeal?

Some designers are more talented than others and produce work that is simply stunning. If you’re lucky enough to purchase a product designed by a well-known company, then you can be sure that the design team put in a lot of effort to ensure it’s a pleasurable experience. But if you’re purchasing a discounted product from a smaller company, you might find that the design isn’t of professional quality and could use some work. Fortunately, there are firms that produce beautiful designs for affordable prices – so you don’t have to worry about being short changed.

Emotional Appeal

Your product’s design might be appealing, but is it going to move your audience to tears, joy, or even laughter? A beautiful piece of artwork on the wall of your retail store might make customers feel happy and inspired – but does it have to be so perfectly framed that it hurts your wallet?

The design of your product can impact how your audience feels about your product – both positively and negatively. If you want to create an impact, then you need to decide what emotions you want your product to evoke in your target audience. While some designs are more effective at generating certain emotions than others, none are effective at all if they aren’t tied to the right message.

Price

Prices for your product range from extremely affordable (in the thousands) to outrageous (in the millions). Not only does the cost of your product vary, but it also has the potential to fluctuate. If you’re selling a bottle of wine that costs £20, but it tends to increase in price by a couple of pounds for each bottle that is purchased, then you’ll have to factor this in to your pricing strategy. What are the current trends in your industry? How much are customers willing to spend? Are some customers less willing to spend a certain amount?

Pricing your product is complicated and it’s not something you’ll simply be able to do on the back of a napkin. However, if you’re entering a new market then taking some time to figure out your customers’ expectations is key. In the meantime, though, it’s not unusual for marketers to use price as a tool to gauge demand and how successful a certain marketing effort is. In general, cheaper the product, the greater the audience. It’s a numbers game.

Marketing Mix

As we mentioned above, presenting your product in the most appealing way possible involves using the right mix of marketing elements to engage and persuade your target audience. As a marketer, you’ll be presented with a variety of options for marketing mix and it’s your job to decide what will work best for you. Think of your target audience and the emotions you want to evoke in them. While there are some very basic guidelines to follow to ensure that your campaign is ethical and won’t contravene any regulations, you must ensure that you’re always acting in your target audience’s best interests. You might decide that it’s best to focus on pricing as the key differentiator to capture the interest of your audience. You can then choose to include a combination of:

• Product information
• Comparisons to similar products
• Reviews from other companies
• Testimonials from previous customers
• Branded logos
• Simple text links
• Full-colour imagery
• Video content
• Social media handles
• Good design
• Personal touches

Above all else, you must establish and maintain trust with your customer. Consumers will only engage with you and your product if they believe you have their best interests at heart. Otherwise, you’ll forever be fighting an uphill battle to get them to listen to your message and take action. In our next blog post, we’ll cover the differences between online and offline marketing – and how you can integrate the two.