Public Relations & Social Marketing Insight

Let's start with a story.

To analyze the effectiveness of its TV commercial storyboard, Makro, an international digital and in-store retailer, asked neuroscience research firm Neurensics to conduct an f-MRI study to determine people's reactions.

The experiments showed that the storyboard scored lower than average in effectiveness: "It activated more negative than positive emotions. In particular, the storyboard did not activate decent levels of trust and expectation. The overall result was a negative score on influencing buying behavior."

The experts' advice to Makro was to eliminate the scenes that provoked anger and rejection, to mention the company's end-value, resolve some elements of the plot, and add music with a climax.

The TV commercial based on the optimized storyboard provoked more positive feelings in the audience, according to the Neuromarketing Science and Business Association (NMSBA). The result of Makro's trusting in neuroscience to enhance its advertising activities was a 12% increase in sales compared with the same period in the previous year....

"So, if people are more likely to respond to a story, why do salespeople try to persuade customers with facts and figures?"

 

Hey folks -- if you want a quick and easy-to-digest post (and free download) of the neuroscience of storytelling, then go grab this article and mini e-book.

 

Author Michael Harris has put all the salient material together for us. It's perfect for trainings and workshops.

 

There are times when you audience does want facts. Just know that the order goes story first, facts second. That way you'll avoid endless debates, as Michael also points out.

 

If you want to dig into this topic more deeply, then read Kendall Haven's book Story Proof for all of the specific studies on storytelling and the brain.

 

Enjoy the rest of your day!

 

This review was written by Karen Dietz for her curated content on business storytelling at www.scoop.it/t/just-story-it ;

[Story first. Facts second. I like that. Great resource. ~ Jeff]

After my article on using neuroscience and psychology to boost your social media marketing, I thought a follow-up was warranted, this time for website and landing page conversions.

The psychology of web design has been a highly tested field, including relaying on triggers to entice users to complete an action. There are several different forces behind human behavior, like the classic FOMO (“fear of missing out”), curiosity, and the use of color to convey a message or feeling.

The following triggers are proven ways to increase action on your website....