Following is a guest post from our friends over at Long & Short of It, masters of ideation, customer insights and market research. They like to say they “dig and find lots of data and then turn it into actionable insights.” Following is their guest post.
We’re not talking about what someone may say that sets you off
Instead, we’re referring to the trigger that sparks an impulse to potentially make a purchase. Interestingly, both concepts are somewhat connected. In psychology, a trigger is an external event or circumstance that elicits a reaction. It can stem from a sight, sound, smell, texture, or even being in a specific location.
These triggers often play a significant role in our decision-making process as consumers. For marketers, understanding them is crucial to crafting effective strategies that align with customer journeys.
Think about this: You don’t wake up one day and randomly decide to purchase a new car. Something sets that process in motion. Was it the funny noise your current car started making? Did your neighbor’s shiny new vehicle catch your eye? Or was it the irresistible “new car smell” you experienced in a rental? Triggers like these often serve as the initial spark that propels us toward action.
But Wait! Wasn’t it Because of My Awesome Advertising?
While advertising plays a role in this process, it’s rarely the sole reason for a purchase. Instead, advertisements often act as amplifiers, gently nudging individuals along their journey. They might inspire you just enough to click a link, visit a store, or start researching options. However, the true trigger typically lies deeper, intertwined with psychological and emotional factors. Therefore, understanding the triggers can serve as a solid strategic path or input to creating your advertising plans.
The Psychology of Triggers
The reason for this is because triggers tap into core human behaviors and emotions, creating connections that drive action. A study published in the Journal of Consumer Research found that the scent of fresh-baked cookies in a store increased impulse purchases by creating an emotional association with comfort and home. Something Disney learned a long time ago as they pumped out the smell of fresh baked cookies near their bakery shop on Main Street.
Other times, the underlying psychological component that combines with a trigger to cause action is how some marketers tap into our fears and desires. It could be our desires to be more beautiful, wealthier, healthier, or simply having some FOMO (fear of missing out), which is why at times it feels irresistible to pass up that limited-time offer or access to exclusive products.
Take a Holistic Approach
When delving into the customer journey, it’s just as important to learn what someone is thinking and doing as well as feeling when they think about what triggered the need for a product or service. This holistic view enables brands to more clearly follow that journey into what people eventually do to make a purchase, whether it’s researching online, speaking to friends, or go window shopping. Try it on yourself! Think back to a recent purchase. What was your trigger? And what were you thinking, doing, and feeling when it compelled you to take that next step towards the purchase
From Trigger to Action
Once you’ve identified your customer’s triggers, the next steps are:
Map the Customer Journey: Understand where and how triggers emerge within the broader context of the customer’s decision-making process.
Leverage Emotional Insights: Use storytelling and messaging that aligns with the emotions tied to your customer’s triggers. For instance, if safety is a concern, emphasize features that promote security and peace of mind.
Design Engaging Touchpoints: Create sensory and interactive experiences that reinforce the trigger. If a scent triggers nostalgia, incorporate it into your physical or digital spaces.
By understanding the interplay between external triggers and internal motivators, you can create marketing strategies that not only reach your customers but also resonate deeply with them. In doing so, you are on your path to position your brand as a solution that meets their needs in both practical and emotional ways.
In a recent article from Forbes, Influencer marketing is a booming industry worth $24 billion, and despite challenges, it’s showing no signs of slowing down. A recent report found that 40% of marketers are dedicating a significant portion of their budgets to influencer campaigns. As we progress through 2025, several trends are shaping the future of this marketing strategy:
Creators as Advisors & Consultants: Influencers are increasingly becoming integral to brands’ strategies, influencing product development and trend forecasting, not just content creation.
LinkedIn’s B2C Potential: While traditionally a B2B platform, LinkedIn is emerging as a powerful channel for B2C brands, with creators leveraging it for deeper engagement with a professional audience.
Long-Term Partnerships: Brands are shifting towards long-term collaborations with creators, viewing them as strategic partners for growth, beyond one-off promotions.
User & Employee-Generated Content: With influencer fees rising, more brands are turning to cost-effective, authentic content created by users and employees to build trust with consumers.
In-Person Events: Experiential marketing is making a strong comeback, with influencers playing key roles in promoting and co-hosting live events.
For trades and industries like ours, these trends present valuable opportunities. Influencers are not just promoting products but are becoming key figures in shaping industry trends and engaging communities. By tapping into long-term partnerships, diversifying content strategies and even involving influencers in live, hands-on experiences, companies can enhance their brand visibility. This approach can help foster deeper connections with both professionals and consumers in the industry.
It’s crucial to establish an online brand identity to stand out. A strong brand identity not only helps you attract and keep customers but also differentiates you from competitors. Here’s how to build a compelling and cohesive brand identity.
Define Your Core Values
Before you start, it’s essential to have a clear understanding of your brand’s core values. Ask yourself:
What is the purpose of your brand?
What values drive your business?
How do you want to impact your audience?
Defining these elements will serve as the foundation for all your branding efforts. Ensure that your online presence reflects these values consistently.
Design a Visual Identity
Visual elements are integral to your brand identity. This includes:
Logo: Your logo should be unique, memorable and reflective of your brand’s personality.
Color palette: Choose colors that align with your brand values.
Typography: Select fonts that enhance readability and fit your brand’s tone.
Consistency in visual design across your website, social media and other online platforms is essential for brand recognition.
Create a Cohesive Online Presence
Your website and social media profiles are often the first place for potential customers. Ensure that your brand identity is consistent across all these platforms. This includes:
Website design: Your website should be visually aligned with your brand and offer a user-friendly experience.
Social media: Profile images, cover photos and posts should all reflect your brand’s visual identity and voice.
Maintaining consistency helps in reinforcing your brand identity and making a strong impression.
Leverage Content Marketing
Content marketing is important for establishing your brand’s expertise. Create relevant content that aligns with your brand’s messaging and addresses your audience’s needs. This could include:
Blog posts: Share insights, tips and updates related to your industry.
Videos: Use videos to showcase your products, services or behind-the-scenes content.
High-quality content not only drives traffic but also helps in building credibility and brand recognition.
Monitor and Adapt
Building a strong online brand identity is an ongoing process. Regularly monitor your online presence and gather feedback from your audience. Use analytics tools to track performance and identify areas for improvement. Be ready to adapt your strategies based on changing trends and audience preferences.
Encourage User-Generated Content
User-generated content (UGC) can be a powerful way to build brand credibility and engage with your audience. Encourage your customers to share their experiences with your brand on social media or through reviews. Highlighting UGC on your platforms not only boosts engagement but also provides testimonials to your brand.
By leveraging these strategies and continuously adapting to your audience’s needs, you can establish an online presence that resonates with your target market. Start implementing these to build a brand identity that stands out.
In the world of content creation, multiple B2B marketers are comfortable in generating different tactics to get ahead of brand awareness, leads and driving sales. However, that doesn’t make up all of what content creation has, or its challenges, as noted in the latest annual B2B content marketing report from the Content Marketing Institute, produced in partnership with MarketingProfs. The bar graph created from the survey shows the different problems that many content creators face, who are in communications, marketing and content creation roles.
According to a July 2023 survey, the top challenge for B2B marketers’ content creation was creating the right content for the specific marketer’s audience. An astounding 57 percent voted this to be the biggest challenge, which comes to a bit of a surprise. Many know that it does take a great amount of analysis in order to figure out the perfect content for your specific audience. However, it does speak volumes that this ranked as the #1 biggest challenge for B2B marketers.
One interesting percentage that particularly caught my eye for ranking in the middle of the survey was that one of the challenges was to create quality content, coming in at 44 percent. In most cases as a company within the marketing communications realm, you want to only be generating and posting quality content versus quantity for your audience. As a perspective client and viewer of multiple marketing and communication companies, if I were to find content put out that wasn’t quality, that would be a red flag in my mind. Some examples of quality content include insightful videos of various employees at a company, creating eye catching graphics or writing blogs that are up-to-date with the latest trends in your industry.
As for the percentage that ranked last, as the least hard challenge that B2B marketer’s having to keep up with would be creating enough content to keep up with external demand, coming in at 30 percent. This statistic ranking last didn’t come as a big surprise, as many companies continue to pump out graphics, videos and different types of social media posts. This can lead to the challenge in creating quality content or the right content for your audience, which concludes as the top statistics in this graph. Very full circle.
Overall, in the world of content creation, there will always be challenges associated with it. The various audiences for each company are forever changing and the demand from them will also be in an upward spiral. Each year trends and audiences change, which institutes the importance of keeping up with the fresh cycle of marketing and content creation.
To learn more about the survey or about Marketing Charts and the research that they put out, click here.
Sonnhalter wins a silver award in “Trade Media Relations” category on behalf of NIBCO.
CLEVELAND – November 2024 – Sonnhalter, a communications firm marketing to the professional tradesman in the construction, industrial and MRO markets, received a silver award in the “Trade Media Relations” category at the 22nd Annual Public Relations Society of America’s (PRSA) Cleveland Rocks Awards competition recognizing excellent communications programs and tactics.
Sonnhalter received the silver award in “Trade Media Relations” for NIBCO’s proactive media program that maximized its effort to increase knowledge of its products among end users, distributors and media.
Sonnhalter worked to develop a proactive, strategic media relations program to leverage the knowledge and expertise within NIBCO and take advantage of key opportunities to spread awareness about the company, its products and technologies, and its experts.
The Sonnhalter program included an editorial audit that identified and outlined potential editorial opportunities, a consistent press release program, ongoing media pitches to place bylined feature articles, technical articles, and case histories, pitching NIBCO experts as sources for trade editors’ round-up articles covering industry trends, issues and products and arranging one-on-one media meetings at key trade shows.
“We’re honored to receive this recognition from other public relations professionals and proud of the work we’ve done with NIBCO,” said Matt Sonnhalter, Vision Architect at Sonnhalter. “This award shows how a well-executed media relations strategy and how our collaboration with NIBCO is driving industry awareness and engagement.”
Annually, the PRSA-Cleveland Rocks Awards acknowledge Northeast Ohio’s outstanding communications programs, which incorporate research, planning, execution and evaluation. PRSA Cleveland Rocks Award winners demonstrate leadership in public relations and contribute to advancing the profession locally.
About NIBCO INC.
NIBCO INC. manufactures and distributes a full line of flow-control products and systems for applications in the residential, commercial, industrial, marine, irrigation and waterworks markets. NIBCO, a fifth-generation business with its headquarters in Elkhart, Ind., operates 15 manufacturing plants across the United States and around the world. Visit NIBCO.com for information on the complete line of NIBCO products.
About Sonnhalter
Established in 1976, Sonnhalter is the leading B2T marketing communications firm to companies that target professional tradesmen in construction, industrial and MRO markets. Sonnhalter is located in the historic Brownell Building in the heart of downtown Cleveland. Sonnhalter’s brand identity highlights its expertise in marketing to the professional tradesmen. Its tagline, “Not Afraid To Get Our Hands Dirty,” promotes the employees’ willingness to roll up their sleeves and dig deep into clients’ businesses, also, it refers to the market it targets: the tradesmen who work with – and dirty – their hands every day. Sonnhalter developed the acronym “B2T,” which stands for “business-to-tradesmen” to capture the essence of its specialty. For more information, visit the company website at Sonnhalter.com.
About PRSA
The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) is the world’s largest organization for public relations professionals with nearly 32,000 professional and student members, and more than 100 Chapters nationwide. Serving nearly 300 members, the PRSA Greater Cleveland Chapter brings together public relations, communications and marketing practitioners throughout Northeast Ohio. Among the Chapter’s most important activities and duties is coordinating networking events and activities, developing and hosting professional development activities for members, serving as a resource for public relations students and providing recognition of excellence and best practices in all facets of the field of public relations. www.prsacleveland.org
