Ive been sitting on this post idea for a while, but have been busy doing other things with my time to get around to it (round tuit). I have a round tuit on my desk. My girlfriend gave me one a few years ago as a gift, because Im always getting a round tuit, know what I mean?

At any rate. A while back I was sitting in front of the mind killer (TV) and a dove commercial came on and It made me jump up out of my Sloth and laziness and got the mental juices going. Why? well when you see it you’ll know why.

It hits right at the core of what we all know to be true. All truths do that huh. I’ll post the viddy at the bottom of this post so you can get a beter Idea what I’m on about int his post.

Marketing to the Ego. And Identity enhancers

Alot if not all marketing is aimed at a core personal belief, Idea, want or desire that we have lying inside of us that is unfulfilled.

A.K.A ” Im need more money” I’m too fat” I’m not pretty enough” etc etc etc. And is based on more or not enough of, not good enough, not rich enough….. Right? or wrong?

The advertising industry knows very well that in order to sell something that you dont really need or want, you must be convinced that you need or want it. You should see my bathroom. I cant count how many types of shampoos, hand creams, tooth pastes etc that we have !!! And that just a small sampling of what we buy based off of marketing alone.

So the clever marketers that the industry empoys along with high priced pyschologists must try to convince you that these things they are selling you MUST ADD SOMETING TO HOW YOU SEE YOURSELF.

Read that again, you are being told how you see yourself and that these products will some how enhance that self image. Which is the basis of all ego identification.

Tell people what and how they see themselves, because they really don’t know and must be told it.

I’m 42 years old, I have a head full of grey hair, I look old. No-one likes old, I wont get a girlfriend or laid on friday night with grey hair, so I need hair club for men in order to solve that problem, better run and buy a six pack of brown hair colour NOW!!

In other words the products that are being marketed to you , or the products you are marketing to others must convince them that the products will some how enhance their identity, or add something to their sense of self. (sell the benefits)

How is this done? They out right tell you that if you buy this you will look younger and more vital. See you have to be told and must tell other people what they think, what to think, what to do. (call to action)

You and they are marketing to an idea, a desire that people have to be more like an ideal image that they have of themselves. And so after buying this or that product thay will be more fully themselves.

Images sell by creating an identity

Other ways this is done kind go like this. Using an actor or famous person, (alive or dead, it doesnt seem to matter) well known person to sell you an identity. If you buy this product you will be like them.

Youthful and attractive and rich people are used to sell an image as well.

Place images of people who are youthful, attractive and living the life. Car and boats and houses sell this image as well.

In short what image (image sells) does you product hope to create. Because you must create an image, and identity for your product in order to sell it. Image is everything.

You are not selling a product but an indentity enhancer. Your product must enhance an identity. Find an identity and find a product that enhances it and sell it.

Psychological value of high priced items.

Why do high priced items sell so well? Quite simply because they are expensive. The more expensive the more exclusive they are. If everyone could afford to buy them they would lose their psychological value wouldnt they?

So price your product high.

If you really think about it and how crazy it really is. Is that consumption is propped on trying to find ourselves in things, which doesnt work ( or does it?) The ego satisfaction you get out buying something is short lived isnt it. You by a new pair of shoes feel good about for a nano seond then you’re out looking for a newer pair of shoes, feel good about it for a nano second then…..

Case in point: We bought a 42 inch LCD HDTV a while back. We were sitting in front of it watching a hockey game . And my girlfriend says we need a bigger TV !!! How big I asked she says 60 inch. I asked her why do we need a 60 inch tv, she replied because its bigger (bigger is better?).

Marketing to a real world or a concept of one?

Truth be told most of us dont inhabit a “real world” but a conceptualized one. An Idea of what we like to be, not who we really are. We all know that yet we seek to fullfill the conceptualized idea of the life we want to live. And we do this by buying things we dont really need?

You need to find or create a conceptualized identity and find products that fullfill that idea.

The thing is, we live in a world full of things and objects and we use things and objects to make us feel better about ourselves, right or wrong it is the truth. Be honest with yourself for a second here. Does buying this or that thing give a you a sense of feeling more, or better than somebody else. Does not having them make you feel less than someonelse? Do you feel somehow less (or maybe a bit resentful) than someone else when you see someone with an object that you want but cant or dont have.

And THAT is EGO marketing

Conventional wisdom, while common, is not always wise. Such is the case with setting a product price point.

You are about to learn why you should use a precise price point rather than a round price point when setting the price on a product you wish to sell–and it doesn’t matter whether your product you are selling costs a few bucks or a few hundred thousand.

It will put you in the driver’s seat.

“The Scientific Research”

In the February Psychological Science Journal, marketing professors Chris Janiszewski and Dan Uy of the University of Florida detailed a series of experiments they conducted to find out whether we are really “fooled” into buying when the price is $19.95 versus $20.00.

“People Weren’t Being ‘Fooled’”

They found that people weren’t truly being fooled–they didn’t think the $19.95 price tag was far less than the $20.00, but they typically saw the PRODUCT as being more valuable when priced at $19.95.

Otherwise: The $20.00 price point caused prospects to think maybe the product was actually worth much less–maybe $15.00–but the $19.95 price point caused prospects to see the product as being priced closer to its real value.

“People Think in ‘Price Increments’”

What their experiments confirmed was that people think in price increments when determining the actual value of a product compared to its price point.

When we are given a “round” price point we tend to use larger price increments to compare it with our perceived “true” value. Given a price of $100.00, we tend to look at whether it is “really” worth $75, $80 or $90 dollars.

When we are given a “precise” price point we tend to use smaller increments to compare it with our perceived “true” value. Given a price of $97.00 we subconsciously think in terms of it being within a few dollars–maybe $93 or $95.

“What This Means to You”

If you have a product, price it with a precise price point. Don’t try to sell at $50, try it at $47 or $49.95. If you have a free download, give it a precise value: “A One Year Subscription is Valued at $39.95.”

Psychologically your prospects will perceive a higher value for your offerings. Try it, it will make you money.

“This One is $4.95?

But I’ll guarantee it’s worth hundreds of dollars. See for yourself, click here.

This article is a guest post by Aaron Abber of FullTiltBlogging.com.
I am a part of Aaron’s mentoring program where he is teaching me and others how to make
money blogging. Go visit the site now and grab his free report “How to Retire on 200 Visitors a Day”.

These are the people in your neighborhood, remember that jingle from mr rogers?

Ok that may have been a little corny but really if you think about it, Search engine markeitng OR S.E.M is really quite about that, well in my mind it is.

I have a little bit of a different approach to marketing and blogging and search engine stuff than do most. I like to think of google or your favourite search engine as a community.

Sort of like walking down the street in your neighborhood and looking at all the store fronts and shops that are set up there.

Taking a trip down one block will show you one group of stores, websties and blogs and with a click of a mouse you’re on the next block.

Why not pop in and say hi, find out what theyre about make a friend or two along the way and see how you can best be of advantage to each other.

How this works is by typing into google the keyword phrase you’re trying to rank for and then start visiting, look for the contact link and bang off an email saying

“Hi Im new here just wanted to say you have a great site or a blog I’m in the same niche market as you and was wondering if or how we could help each other out.”

Or something along those lines, you might be surprised what will come of it.

These websites are run by people, you flesh and blood creatures with lives and families and what not. And somewhere along the line theyre gonna run into hurdle that you may have a solution for.

So take a look at you can provide to someone in your niche, maybe you know a little about SEO, or how to do something in HTML, maybe youre a programmer or a graphic artist. Or any number of many other skill sets.

Approach someone and say hey man I see you do blah, your blah looks good, in exchange for a link or a banner or what ever I’ll help you with that blah and make it a better blah.

Too often I read on blogs about competitve it is and this blog or that one is your competitor and you should crush the competition.

WTF!!!

First competition implies that there is a scarcity of something and there isn’t enough to go around. We’re not a bunch of wild animals living in the bush fighting over the carcass of a dead deer or something.

Depeding on what figures you read there was 26 billion spent online in the first 6 months of 2008, still thinkthere is a scarcity or not enough money to go around better think again.

image courtesy of http://stjoechannel.com