It’s the digital marketing age of ‘pay-to-play’, where sponsored posts are the gold standard. But according to Google, 50% of ads still don’t get any recognition. So how do you make sure you’re only spending money on ads that consumers will engage with?

Enter neuromarketing. Neuromarketing is about understanding how your customer’s brain works during the decision-making processes. It uses technology to discover how their brains are reacting to certain stimuli, bringing a new level of understanding in consumer behaviour.

And while not everyone has the money or skill to conduct their own intensive neuromarketing research, we can take inspiration from this scientific approach to inform our own campaigns. Here are four ways you can use neuromarketing to your advantage:

1. Use simple authentic imagery

A study was conducted to figure out what kind of Tinder profile images were most likely to be swiped right. It turned out that simple images fared best. Some elements which devalued an image were low contrast, facial obstruction and noisy backgrounds. Why does this matter to you? Using photography in your ads increases engagement, but only if it’s good. Marketing is like dating, and a bad photo that turns off your potential customers could result in a left swipe for your business. So use good quality, simple and authentic photo—and leave the stock images at home.

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2. Target emotions

Consumers are more likely to react to ad that can induce strong emotions like happiness, anger, sadness, excitement or even fear. It may be intuitive to want your brand associated with happy emotions, but first consider the kind of action you’re hoping to induce and then which emotion would be the most effective to activate. For example, a car ad with automatic breaking may show the dangers of driving without this kind of system. The ad is designed to induce fear, thereby prompting the consumer to purchase the car to avoid the negative outcome if they don’t.  While ads that use negative emotions are less likely to go viral than those targeting positive emotions, they can effectively grab attention and prompt action. This tactic is often most effective when using the elements of anticipation and surprise, so get creative!

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3. Choose your colours wisely

Colour theory done right is a powerful and emotive tool, have you taken the time to learn about how colour affects consumers? Knowing what one base colour emotes is not enough as even different shades of the same colour can produce entirely different responses. Create a combination of colours and you have a fully nuanced palette. It might seem overwhelming at first, but one thing is clear—colour can produce a reaction in consumers. Before committing to any combination, research each colour and their different associations, and then test different combinations on a sample from your target audience to see which colours work best for your company.

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4. Give social proof

Credit to the ‘herd mentality’—humans are far more likely to try a new product or service if someone else has tried it first. As marketers, there are many ways we can take advantage of this need for a recommendation. Encourage your current clients to leave reviews on your products/services or offer incentives for referrals. Influencer marketing is another way to take advantage of the desire for social proof. Try using a group of micro-influencers, people who have a smaller but more engaged follower base who are therefore more likely to react to their recommendations. Getting your message promoted by these industry experts can build the trust you need to convert new customers.

To learn more about neuromarketing drop us a line info@studioforum.ca