Good packaging increases the desirability of something.
The marketing power of packaging really hit me a few years ago while I was gearing up to play a popular online game. I needed to get a better graphics card for my PC so the game would look and run decently. So I ordered a new card from an online store.
When my order came, I opened the delivery box and found myself disappointed.
I got what I ordered, but that’s all that I got. One graphics card, wrapped in bubble wrap. No original packaging, nothing that could be in any way associated with marketing anywhere in sight…just a PC card, and bubble wrap.
Of course, that piece of electronics was what I wanted, not some stupid box, and that’s exactly what they sent me.
So why was I feeling disappointed?
Reason is not Everything
I didn’t want to admit it, but I realized that I didn’t just want the graphics card for my computer, I wanted the whole package. I wanted the sexy box with the awesome graphics that foreshadowed what that piece of electronics would do for my computer. I wanted the satisfaction of holding the box in my hand savoring its solidity, letting every element scream ‘Power’ at me.
What’s up with that?
We are not purely rational creatures. We are rationally emotional, or emotionally rational. We don’t want merely the abstract truth, we want to feel the truth. We want it to tingle on the tips of our nerves, to dance up and down our spine. We want the truth served up in an emotional and affective cocktail with a buzz.
So powerful is this emotional factor, that graphics card companies will make the cards themelves visually appealing, even though they sit inside your computer where you will hardly ever see it!
That’s right, they go to the expense and trouble of ensuring that a piece of electronics looks good for the five minutes it takes to take it out of the box and stick it in your computer, all for the sake of the buyer’s emotional satisfaction.
Hey, it must be worth it right?
So how does this work? Good packaging amplifies the appeal of the product. The container becomes an extended canvas for painting the psychological appeal of the product. It reinforces the sex appeal.
Five Power Packaging Tips for your Blog
But what about the Internet? Web sites and info products are not tangible things, you can’t pick them up and hold them in your hands.
That’s okay, because the essence of packaging is psychological, the psychological effects of packaging can be produced on a website.
On the Internet, your blog is the container. The elements of your blog make up the packaging, and whatever you’re marketing is the product. With this in view, here are five tips for bringing the power of packaging to your blog.
1. Use the right color scheme
Colors have a powerful psychological impact on us. That’s why certain colors are chosen to paint the walls of prisons, hospitals, or children’s rooms. They also have an effect on buying. What kind of colors are you using on your blog, and do they amplify the appeal of your site?
If you’re marketing an information product, do the colors help to sell the story behind your product? For example, if your selling baby products, do the colors you’re using remind your readers of babies? In this regard, here is a good article on the power of color by the direct marketing writer Dean Rieck.
2. Put the focus where it belongs
This has to do with the design of your blog. Make sure the design of your site puts the focus on the right thing. Is the focus on products? Are articles the most important focus? If the focus is articles, are they front and center with headline fonts that will attract the eye and text that won’t make you blind to read? What is the first impression? If your blog is professional, does it look professional? If your blog is commercial, does it communicate to your viewers that they are expected to buy?
3. Set the right tone with your copy
Copy is one of the essentials of packaging, whether physical or virtual. What kind of voice should your copy have? Whatever will reinforce the marketing story you’re telling about your products or services. Should it be soothing, technical, conversational, edgy?
4. Use Multimedia
The Internet is based on hypertext, but it’s great for images too. Copy and images are two powerful cognitive doorways in their own right. Working together the psychological impact is undeniable. There is no excuse for not using images to reinforce what your copy, design, and color scheme are saying. If articles are your focus, you should use images along with your headlines. And don’t forget about video and podcasting, if appropriate.
5. Make your information products as tangible as possible
This is related to number 4. Electronic products like ebooks should be represented with images. Many ebook marketers use three dimensional graphics to represent their product, this increases sales by associating a non-physical product with traditional books. But I don’t think showing the thickness of a book is necessary. Amazon, the biggest online book seller, doesn’t use three dimensional images of their books. Take a look at their book graphics, they are just covers. All you should need is a nice ‘cover’ picture for your information product.
There are no doubt other aspects of packaging that could apply to blogging..any ideas?
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