Herd Mentality - Who me? No way !

Are we all subject to the herd mentality?

I would like to believe that I am not. Especially not me!

But, its often our actions that teach us more about human behaviour than what we learn from elsewhere.

Case in Point.

I had signed up to join a meetup group, but what with my crowded schedule and extra activities, I found it difficult to go to the meetup. So, when the meeting sponsor sent out an email to everyone enlisted to confirm if they wanted to meet again for a Christmas party, I ignored that email; eventually deleted it and then completely forgot about it.

Until; about 7 days later, I received a "Reply All" message from someone else in the group. This lady said that she would love to go the the party. I didn't know her, in fact I don't know anybody in the group as I have never been to this meetup.

But in the next few minutes, I had also logged on and signed up for the party.

It was not until I had send the message that I started thinking about my actions and its causes.
The only conclusion was that I had just followed someone quite mindlessly.

In the words of Friedrich Nietzsche, a philiospher who coined the phrase, I had joined the herd and displayed herd mentality.

Read a full definition of Herd Mentality on Wikipedia here.

So, its more prevalent than we thought. More people are susceptible than we earlier understood.

Now the question is: how do we make use of this fact in our marketing?

Simple:
Provide lots of testimonials in your copy.
Give case studies of successful companies.

Anything that your reader can identify with. Once the user can identify with someone in the testimonials, he or she is almost inclined to have what the other person is having. It will be his instinct to go where the herd goes.

And if you are able to channel that powerful instinct, you just made a sale.

What you can learn from Michelle Obama about Marketing

Michelle Obama appears to be an expert at staying in the limelight. Not that she need to, but we have a habit of marginalising our First Ladies.

Her latest trick is to appear at a State Dinner wearing a strapless gown, which is needless to say, a surprising departure from the conventions. She is sending a message that she is different from his predecessors. Also that she is a strong personality to be reckoned with; whether you like it or not!

Mrs. Obama may have won a few detractors, but at the same time, she has also won quite a few hearts with her attitude and poise, and willingness to try something different.

Love me- hate me but don't forget me!

- Which is exactly what you want for your business.

How do you make sure that your business stays fresh in the minds of your customers? Are you communicating with them on a frequent basis? Do you surprise your customers once in a while by going above and beyond?

Everybody sends cards to customers at christmas. And we are accustomed to seeing that from businesses. Doesn't take too much effort, or thinking for that matter.

But how can you go above and beyond? How do you bring that smile to your customer's face when he/she thinks of you?

Think about how you can be different from the countless others who provide the same products and services. Are you making an effort to stay fresh in the minds of people. If you do something shocking to get your customers to notice you, it just may be worthwhile.

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Deep Janardhanan helps small businesses find their growth spurt with efficient marketing.

He calls himself the Marketing Outsider as his contrarian views place him firmly outside the establishment on marketing thinking. He writes about various aspects of online as well as traditional marketing; but definitely leans towards shock and awe marketing. He is a strong proponent of the effectiveness of Direct Mail for small business.

He is the author of The SEO User Manual which takes a newbie on a step by step guided tour into the world of do-it-yourselves websites, online marketing and Search Engine Optimization. His website is at http://www.nobleriver.com. He can be reached at deep(at)nobleriver.com.