Your brain is divided into two sides, but I am guessing you already knew that, right? However, did you know that these different sides help us make purchasing decisions in unique ways? As entrepreneurs and budding advertisers, we need to use this to our advantage when conveying our message to our audiences.
If you haven’t already, please stop by and read “Advertising 101: Using the Fear Factor”. This series aims to give you as many tools as possible as you transition into the world of advertising and business.
Let’s first take a look at each side of the brain. I am basing this information from an article on Healthline.com. According to the report, the left side of the brain controls: thinking in words, sequencing, linear thought, mathematics, facts, and logic. The right side controls: feelings, visualization, imagination, intuition, rhythm, holistic thinking, and arts. Here is an excellent graphic from the same Healthline article.
Most people can simplify this into the left brain is the more serious technical side, and the right side is the creative artsy side. I think this simplification has merit. Now we know the basics of the left brain and right brain- how do we leverage this to our advantage when creating advertising?
Mothers as Entrepreneurs
First, we need to know what we are trying to accomplish. In simple terms, is the purchase going to be a long, tough decision, like buying a car? Or is it going to be a quick buying decision like buying a candy bar?
If I am selling a car, then I want stats, infographics, and comparisons on my copy. The customer is going to be comparing my car to others and researching data points. I want to be ahead of their thought processes and have the information already available.
I may also want to use a long copy, which is an extended paragraph technique. The longer that the customer scrolls down, the better chance they have of making a purchasing decision. But does all car advertising have to be directed to the left brain?
No, you can still use the creative side of advertising, the right side, for significant purchases. This duality is more on the marketing side of the house. You would form a marketing campaign to target different audiences for the same product.
As for advertising a car on the right side of the brain, have you seen the Telsa Cybertruck? It makes people feel a certain way. It is unique and draws on emotions. I think of the days of watching Terminator (1984) a long time ago. Tesla does not need to give numbers and such because there is no comparison.
As you can see, there are lots of options when advertising- making a decision is your first step. If you want to make an artsy, fun ad, ensure you combine it with the right buying decision. You may just be using the ad for brand awareness.
New Business? Identify, Target, and Mesmerize Your Target Audience
If you are selling a more expensive item, like an online course, you may want to talk about the numbers of students who pass, the benefits they received, and how it will make them more promotable in the job market.
The bottom line is that everything has to be in context. Trying to do a cute, fun ad while trying to sell a $300,000 house may not be very effective. However, appealing to the emotional right side of the brain by showing a family with a newborn may work in your favor. Know what you are doing and why? Are you trying to appeal to emotions, feelings, and imagination or cold hard facts?
What I like to do is sort of random. However, all my advertising is free, so I have a ton of room to experiment. That is how I look at it, as experiments. I do most of my advertising via the cover photos for each article and my book covers.
For my article cover photos, I like to experiment between fun, artsy, serious, questions, answers, random, wordplay, and cute. Some will draw emotions, and some will make you think. Some of my topics are so dry, like Preferred Shares, that it is better to have fun with the artwork.
Have Blog, Will Travel
For my book covers, I challenge myself to think critically. Who am I trying to appeal to with my covers? Since most of my books are short, I have a lot of chances to experiment with them. It is fun to see what I can come up with and how they perform in the market.
Here are some on my right side advertising:
Here is some of my left side advertising:
You can see the difference. Some ads aim at a specific type of person with a clear objective. I have no idea who my artsy left side of the brain covers will appeal. It is entirely random. But that is what makes this so fun and challenging, the unknown.
Again, I am in a position that my business is a luxury. If you are serious and need to make money from your advertising, I recommend you learn as much as possible. Like I said in Advertising 101, you should know how to do marketing and advertising. You may one day turn it over to someone else, but you should learn.
Chances are, if you ask someone else to do your advertising, they may not know as much as you about your business. They definitely will not be as passionate about your business as you. So learn by experimenting. You will see what works and what doesn’t, then you will have a frame of reference for all future productions. But, I digress.
Left brain and right brain ads can be very effective at drawing your audience into your business proposition, but you will need to understand what you expect from them. A fun choice or a serious decision.
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Disclosure: I am not a financial advisor or money manager, and any knowledge is given as guidance and not direct actionable investment advice. I am an Amazon Affiliate. Please research any investment vehicles that are being considered. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it. I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.
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