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Harness the Psychological Power of '3' to Improve Communication
Two might be company in life, but in communication you can go all the way to three and still have a rollicking party. If you step over to four however, it's quite likely that you've stepped into the hara-kiri zone. Back up that truck a bit and learn how the power of '3' has the ability to make your communication soar.
Let's Start With a Little Test
Here's a psychological test. Lay out 10 business cards in a row and choose three that catch your attention instantly. Now don't cheat. Do this before you continue reading this article and you'll be quite amazed at the results.
So What Did You Find?
Isn't it strange that there seems to be no real reason why you chose what you did? There doesn't even seem to be a very clear pattern emerging.
Some of the cards have lots of information, and some have very little. Some are colourful and others are not. Yet something has drawn you to play the devil's advocate and reject some of them outright. Could that something be a deep-rooted psychological trigger embedded in your subconscious? And how can this trigger make such a dramatic difference to your communication and marketing?
Aha! You've just run into the magic of THREE.
Understanding and applying it will throw a light into the dark world of your presentations, brochures, web sites and yes, even email! Before you put this into the "This is for my graphic designer" basket, read further because it will help you recognize the psychological background of how the brain understands these things and reacts to them. It will also help you clean up your everyday communication that your designer might never get involved with.
How the Brain Sees Things
The brain finds it relatively easy to grasp threes -- elements, colours and fonts. Push that marginally up to four and the brain gets confused about where to look and what to do, and sends the eye scampering like a frisky puppy on a sunny day.
So why does this happen? For that we might have to go back a little to diaper country. As a child, everything you did and learned seemed to be centered around three -- A,B,C; 1,2,3; Three blind mice, Three musketeers, Trinity, Three Stooges and Huey, Louie and Dewey. (Quack! Quack! Quack!)
Then again, maybe these writers, animators and wise men understood the ease with which we understand 'threes' and reconstructed their work to fit this paradigm.
The Building Blocks of Visual Communication: Elements, Fonts and Colours
Most visual communication can be reduced to these three features:elements, fonts and colours. Understand how they work and you've given yourself the added advantage of a mini design degree.
Just What are Elements?
I'm assuming you've gotten rid of those business cards in front of you. So I've made up some of my own to illustrate how elements work together. Elements are simply groups of objects that are grouped together to form a common definable form. For instance, your eyes, nose, mouth and ears are the main objects that form the element called the face. Let's look at the cards below to understand this even better.
If You Look at Card# 1, You Will Spot 3 Elements:
1) The name and the title of the person.
2) The logo, the logo font and the service description.
3) The contact details form the third element.
If You Look at Card# 2, You Will Find Very Subtle Differences.
All I've done is moved the text and logo just a tad bit around. However, even that tiny displacement has ADDED a series of unwanted elements. Suddenly it appears there are 5 or even 6 elements.
1) The name.
2) The designation.
3) The logo design.
4) The logo font.
5) The service description.
6) The contact details.
Card# 3 Gets Even Harder to Focus On… Guess why?
Card#3 is all over the place, as it has not only violated the rule of elements, but also complicated the visual layout with additional fonts. It has 5 fonts. Learning how to manage fonts makes a big difference to your layout and the overall look of your project.
Here a Font, There a Font, Everywhere a Font, Font
There are zillions of fonts out there today, and it's hard to restrain yourself when you're putting together a document. Try to use not more than 3 fonts in any communication. The more fonts you have on a page, the harder it is to actually read what you're saying. Be aware that a font that is in italics visually ends up looking like another font altogether. It adds to the elements and clutters it up considerably.
Also determine what the font is really doing for your document. You might want to create some drama and use contrasting fonts. For instance, fonts that are vertical used with fonts that are wide contrast well.
I'd also recommend that you read The Design book for Non-Designers, by Robin Williams. It's an inexpensive, easy to read book that clearly explains the different facets of fonts and their usage, plus how to use fonts to set the mood.
Seven colours are for Rainbows
Whether it's a tee-shirt, brochure, website or business card, it's important to restrain yourself. Managing your colour palette with just three colours can often provide the feeling of as many as five or six colours, when moved around a bit.
Count shades of colours as two colours. So, red and dark red are not just one colour but two definite shades and hence, two definite colours. So, be clear about the colours you are choosing. Say you choose something like red, black and green. Move that round a bit and you can get brighter communication without the confusion.
Why This is Important in Marketing and Business Communication
Most of us are always presenting or selling to someone else. The proof of the pudding is always in the eating. But the taste buds start to salivate only when it looks really YUM! If you choose to ignore the psychology behind this, your 'dish' might taste wonderful, but you may never get someone to stay long enough to eat.
This also helps you keep a check on your designers. Good designers instinctively get this right, but sometimes they goof up big time. You can run this audit past your marketing material and check for elements, fonts and colours.
Having said that, a competent designer might have the innate ability to break rules. And if it works, that's OK. Nothing is that sacred, but it helps to know the reasoning behind it. Besides, you now have the ability to make that designer sweat a bit.
Heeeeeeeeeere are some Examples!
McDonald's: The McLogo consists of two elements-The name McDonald's and the Big Golden Arches. They use just one font, and just two colours -- yellow and white (or black)
Coke: The Coca-Cola button that you see in most advertising, consists of three elements: the button itself, the bottle on the button and the Coke Logo. Even though it is a full colour image, the colours are minimal and there are just one or two fonts used.
Now that you can see the forest for the threes…:)
Go out and look at advertising. Revisit your brochure. Audit your presentation. Streamline that website. You will be appalled at how much clutter you had to start with, and how easy it is to smarten it up quickly and efficiently.
Your marketing message will be much tighter and more professional. But best of all, you'll know you're doing something that's deeply embedded in the psychological psyche of humans.
May the 'fours' be with the reckless Luke Skywalkers of the universe (That's a joke, ok?)
You'll find it pays to stick to the threes!
©2001-2009 Psychotactics Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Article written by Sean D'Souza.
Wouldn't you love to stumble upon a secret library of small business ideas. Find simple, yet electrifying ideas,on website strategy, marketing strategies, copywriting, public speaking, article marketing, sales conversion, psychological tactics and branding. Head down to http://www.psychotactics.com today and judge for yourself.
The Power of Why:Your Psychological Ally To Marketing Success!
Here's why ‘WHY’ is such a profit-making marketing trigger.
“Stop taking two and three plates of food,” my mother said to me angrily.
I was at a wedding and seven years old. Back then, at a lot of the weddings we used to go to, the food would be pre-served on a plate. I could never get enough of those calorie-ridden platters. Waylaying different waiters, (so I would not be recognised), I’d polish 3-4 plates without blinking an eye.
Mum wasn’t impressed, and told me to stop and desist.
“Why?” I’d ask. Her stock reply was always, “It’s bad manners to do that.” This Dustbin Hoffman (yes, I do mean Dustbin and not Dustin) act obviously got her goat, but it left me unfazed. It must have bugged her more than I expected though, because in a short while Dad was peering down at my food-stuffed face.
My question remained unchanged. “WHY?”
“If you invite a hundred people to a wedding, how many would you cater for?” he asked. “A hundred,” I answered, proud of my analytical genius. “If you ate four plates,” he continued, “how many would remain?” He prompted quickly, “Ninety-six right?” I nodded vigorously. “That means some people don’t eat. If you’re so hungry, we can go out after the wedding and get something to eat, but don’t deprive others.”
Dad Made Sense. Do You?
Dad understood psychology. He had to sell my brain an idea that my rumbling stomach didn’t want to understand. And he did it by answering the question, 'WHY?' How many of us ignore this powerful trigger in our marketing because it seems too obvious, almost too simple?
Why 'Why?' Puts Elvis’ Shaking and Moving to Shame
Let’s examine the six honest men. What, How, When, Where, Who and Why. Which one of these is the most powerful psychological movers of them all? This would be better answered with an example.
Let’s assume you needed to go to the supermarket. All the other triggers (how, when, where, who and what) would make absolutely no difference if you didn’t know ‘WHY’ you were headed there. Everything else would be totally irrelevant. Once you know WHY you’re doing something, everything else is just a matter of logistics.
Why Does 90% of Advertising and Marketing Communication Go Down the Drain?
Simple. Look for the WHY in advertising and scarcity pops up instantly. All the fancy layouts and the smart headlines can’t quite compensate for the niggling question that goes unanswered. All your customers want to know is, Why should I choose you? Why should I take this decision? Why should I spend this money? Why should I look at your website? Why should I read your brochure?’ Why should I listen to your speech? ‘Why? Why? Why?’
Dump the cotton woolly fluff. Get your customer’s brain to go scrambling like an over-enthusiastic pup after a Frisbee. Once you have enough WHY factor built into what you’re selling, everything else is just clip, clop, fall in place stuff.
Be an Accountant, Do an Audit
Look at your communication. Like reeeeeeeaaaaally look at it! What about your website? Does it answer the question WHY straight up? And does it do it on the first page? How about your brochure? Does its headline make it a cinch for dustbin land? What about your speech? Do you have enough beds to compensate for your lack of WHY?
I could go on, but I suspect you get the message.
Be merciless. If the WHYs don’t stack up, dump the communication. Or chop and change it till it does.
Finding the Right Level of Why Power
If you noticed, Mum actually answered my WHY question. She just didn’t answer it to my satisfaction like Dad did. Herein lies a subtle, yet formidable difference.
It’s not enough to simply have the WHY question answered. It’s got to be the most ‘Rambo in your face’ answer, or it will bounce higher than a defaulting cheque. Let your WHYs loose on each other, and let only the one with the most testosterone come out shining.
Aristotle -- Man, Was he Smart or What?
All communication must lead to change.
That’s what the old wise man said over 2300 years ago. Not some or most communication.
All.
Yet we are dealing with customers that inherently detest change. WHY is the only motivator that allows them to make that shift. Change is still a scary word, but at least the justification sits nicely in their cranium.
In fact, if you look closely, even a WHAT question like, What’s in it for me?, is really a "WHY" issue. All it is saying is ‘Why should I pay attention?’ Give your customers the WHY factor and their buying sprees will reflect nicely in your growing bank account.
This is simple, down to earth advice. Yet it represents one of the most powerful psychological triggers why people buy. WHY on earth would you ignore it?
©2001-2009 Psychotactics Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Article written by Sean D'Souza.
Wouldn't you love to stumble upon a secret library of small business ideas. Find simple, yet electrifying ideas,on website strategy, marketing strategies, copywriting, public speaking, article marketing, sales conversion, psychological tactics and branding. Head down to http://www.psychotactics.com today and judge for yourself.
Is Nature a Marketing Guru?
Technology rules. Yeah, for about five minutes--then natural instincts take over. Are you stupid enough to fight Mamma Nature? Well go ahead and rewrite the rules if you can, cause the Big Mamma knows one thing. She’s tried and tested it all. And if you want to play by her kooky rules, she is willing to teach you a thing or two.
The question is, are you willing to learn?
Do You Pay in Advance?
Have you noticed how big a brand Red Bull is today? Or how insignificant their advertising is? Red Bull shuns print advertising and has never done a triple back flip on a web campaign. Yet, it has found roots in over 50 countries. And has cemented its loyalty in the fickle land of teenagers.
So what’s Red Bull’s big secret?
It’s called GIVING.
Their marketing strategy was simple. They enticed students with free cases of Red Bull, if they threw a party. Guess how many students need an excuse to have a party? With a simple act of giving away free cases to the right target audience in the right universities, Red Bull became a very rich Red Bull.
Yet Where Are Most Marketing Plans Aimed?
Too often marketing is aimed solely at GETTING. Look at all those marketing plans, those many advertisements blaring away on the radio and TV. It’s get, get -- all the time!
Yet, nature pooh poohs the stuff. Putting a carrot (not cart) before the horse, nature works on the giving part first. In its own little marketing and advertising way, a flower works contrary to most marketers. Using the bait of colour and nectar, it draws the bees, knowing full well that its very existence depends on giving bees what they want first, so the bees will carry their pollen.
Wander down the supermarket aisle and you’ll see what I mean. Fifty thousand brands stare at you, screaming at you to buy them. Then a little ol’ lady offers you a sample of a product. Fifteen seconds into your tasting session, she gives you another sample. Then, for no apparent reason, a bottle or two of the product finds itself in your cart. Were you sold? You betcha!
Giving works for a simple reason. Nature hates imbalance. If the deer get faster, so do the cheetahs. It’s a classic system to keep things in balance. Which effectively means that to create an imbalance in marketing in your favor, you’ve got to give first.
Are You Ready To Do the 1-2-3 and Cha-Cha-Cha?
Do you play the dating game? Or do you rush in to conquer most of the time? Mamma Nature knows that haste makes waste. Yet marketers think nothing of blowing squillions of dollars on various hare-brained, get-rich-quick schemes that achieve far less than their potential.
Here's an example. Harley Davidson has been to hog hell and back. Just in time to save its bacon, it decided to work on the cha-cha-cha instead of the wham, bam method. The reward has manifested itself in thousands of die-hard Harley fans that would go all the way on their Harleys. Even today, despite being in an enviable position, Harley still finds time to wine and dine its customers while thumbing its nose at traditional media.
Another good example of cha-cha-cha marketing is how the British operated in the 19th century. Instead of slamming their way into conquering new lands, they went as traders. Whether history likes it or not, they maximized their potential in a systematic and natural marketing manner.
What Happens When Nature Goofs Up
Even nature loses out when it fails to obey its own rules. As long as it sticks to its spring, summer, autumn, winter routine, we go along with the "relationship." Yet every time it does the 60-second prime time TV spot on us, we absolutely hate it. Oh sure, there’s great colour, drama and pizzazz in a whirling tornado, but there’s zero empathy and a whole lot of defiance.
Turn on the music, move those feet. This isn’t some behemoth CRM program we’re talking about. Diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but flowers arouse less suspicion. Do the cha-cha-cha and the getting to know your customer. It’s cheaper, it follows steps, and it works.
Is Your Target Audience "Everyone?"
Nature would laugh at you and laugh heartily. Are you setting yourself up for disaster or what? Even a pimple-ridden 13 year old knows exactly who her knight in shining armor is. While the concept of being in the company of 20 gorgeous men would set her eyes alight, her brain knows better.
Yet most businesses horrify the heck out of Nature. In an apparent suicidal move, they go after a general audience in order to maximize their returns. Some of the biggest brands today are built on single-minded focus. Mercedes, Volvo, Rolex, McDonalds, Red Bull and Playboy all have a clearly defined target audience.
If you doubt it, take a look at a wild dog attack on a National Geographic broadcast. Have you noticed the focus and strategy of their attack? They single out the prey and go after it in a pre-defined relay system. It gets results, and isn’t that what you want?
Gotta Keep on Dancing
When was the last time your heart stopped beating? And isn’t that good, because if it did, you’d be taking harp lessons in a big hurry. Nature doesn’t stop its marketing campaign and neither should you. The first thing businesses do when the economy takes a downturn is pull the plug on marketing. Fat good that’s going to do you! That’s like telling your heart to work at half the heart beats when things aren’t good.
The planet doesn’t stop rotating, the trees don’t stop growing and the fish don’t stop swimming. Yet in an absolute violation of the most basic law of nature, we stop and start like some trainee driver.
There Ain’t No One Like Me!
Nature doesn’t brand-extend. It creates something and then it throws away the mould. When it creates a product, it makes sure that product thrives, grows and multiplies. It adds colour, shape and size for a bountiful variety, but brand extension is a no-no.
Yet look at some of the biggies out there. They put out their brands and then put their names on everything from computers to soap. Dove still stands for soap with 1/4th moisturising cream. Yet, in the supermarket, Dove tries to take on the full force of nature by brand-extending.
Does it work? Yes and no. People have too much clutter in their heads already. To add to that clutter is asking for trouble. Our brains identify with one object when we are given a name.
From Nokia to Chimpanzee
When I say Nokia, you say mobile phone. Yet Nokia sold everything from gumboots to computers -- even TV sets. Then one day it dawned on them that they could conquer the world with a brand name that stood for one thing and one thing alone.
Sure a chimpanzee and a baboon are both monkeys, but they’re essentially different products. You won’t find a chimpanzee light or a chimpanzee diet in the species. They’re either chimps or they’re baboons! Besides, their unique brand name allows you to identify them with zero confusion every time! Uniqueness is your brand’s birthright. Use it well.
Here are some "Au Naturel" guidelines to business and marketing strategy:
1) Pay in Advance: First you shall sow, and then you shall reap. And you must sow in fertile ground not on rocky soil. Give, and you shall receive. Does this all sound familiar? Are you giving away anything worthwhile on your website, through your advertising, in your brochures?
2) Do the dance one step at a time: You’ll just make a fool of yourself if you don’t build up your reputation with your customers. Give them the best you possibly can. When nature puts on a beautiful butterfly, it starts with a worm.
3) Put on the glasses: Get focus in your life because Nature will make sure you pay big time if you don’t. Sure you can get business, but think of what’s possible if you focus. A little focus right now reaps long-term rewards. It’s your choice.
4) She’s only happy when she’s dancing: Is that a Bryan Adams song? Or is Nature telling us what we should be doing? She’s on the floor. Go on and boogie.
5) And then there was one: Is your fingerprint different? Is your iris different? Do you have a clone? Nature doesn’t think it works in real life. Why do you think differently?
6) And finally: Take off your headphones and look at what nature is saying. It’s showing you the colour of money!
©2001-2009 Psychotactics Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Article written by Sean D'Souza.
Wouldn't you love to stumble upon a secret library of small business ideas. Find simple, yet electrifying ideas,on website strategy, marketing strategies, copywriting, public speaking, article marketing, sales conversion, psychological tactics and branding. Head down to http://www.psychotactics.com today and judge for yourself.
I went to school in Harrow, Middlesex (UK), bI have two lovely children, a boy and a girl. After leaving school I started life as an engineer with IBM in London, later I moved into Sales and Marketing. My interests are Martial Arts and Personal Development. I have been practising Martial Arts for over 30 years and have attended Seminars and Courses run by some of the best trainers in the world, People like DAN KENNEDY, BILL GLAZER, RICHARD BANDLER, PAUL McKENNA, TONY ROBBINS and DEEPAK CHOPRA.
Regards Andre La Bouchardiere
E-mail: andrenow.com
Blog: http://andre-informationproducts.blogspot.com/
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/andre01
The Entrepreneurial Mindset
I thought I would write this for people who would like to have an Online Business and are just starting out. The following are some of my thoughts on the subject. There are a lot of articles about running an Internet Business by people who are very Knowledgeable, however like everything the key is applying that knowledge. When I first got into this, I came across people who seemed to know what they were doing or sounded like they knew what they were doing, and I found it all very confusing, still do at times. Also I found that the industry of setting up an online business today is on fire, probably like it was in the California gold rush.
If you decide you want to start an INTERNET or ONLINE BUSINESS, first step is research, because there is a sea of information out there to get to grips with. This might seem obvious however this area is so exciting that people get drawn into the slipstream of the whole thing and before they know it they are spending money like there's no tomorrow. So before you spend your money have a CLEAR OBJECTIVE of what you want to do. I remember when I went to my first Seminar,the World Internet Summit, a friend of mine told me to leave my wallet at the hotel. It was the best piece or advice I have been given to date. Unfortunately I didn't listen and consequently my bank account was a lot lot lighter after the Seminar.
You need to understand the language of the Online Business, you will need to ask yourself some key questions. What kind of business do I want? How much money do I have to spend? If you have very little money and you see this as a way of getting rich quick then you will be disappointed. I have come across many people who have spent a lot of money and made very little. Recently I read an article which said there were more than 19 types of businesses on the Internet. So you will need to do some due diligence to understand what type of businesses are available and what suits you. The Online Market place is changing so fast that the business you decide to go into will probably be nothing like the one you end up with because this industry is evolving at a rapid rate. The business opportunity you buy into may have been okay 12 months ago but now will not produce the money you expect.
There is a saying, “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing”, but I think no knowledge is more dangerous if not costly. In attending Seminars and Workshops we can grow our knowledge. When you do something new you usually get it wrong, that's one of the ways we learn, by trial and error. You do that enough times hopefully you gain experience that enables you to make better decisions. When you make mistakes you get discouraged and feel like giving up, so that's why it's important to be aware that having the right mindset is crucial to success. My three favourite books for inspiration are, “Think and Grow Rich”, by Napoleon Hill, which is a great read and it's a classic in the field of personal development. Followed by, “As A Man Thinketh”, by James Allen and The "Richest Man in Babylon" by George Clason.
Regards Andre
