MediaVision Blog : Search Engine Marketing

Advertising campaigns, both online and offline try to tap into the emotions of their target audience. They try to evoke feelings of pleasure, joy, happiness, contentment, pride and desire; feelings that can only find release or be brought to fruition with the purchase of the product or service concerned. However, these efforts often fall short as advertisers fail to relate to their audience. They fail to get the audience on their side and this usually results in consumer apathy. People shop out of habit, or chase prices and can seldom be convinced to switch brands. One of the most effective ways to gain consumer sympathy and generate loyalty is to share something personal that relates in some way to the campaign at hand. Revelations of this kind are known as back-stories.

Providing a few intimate background details of your website, service, product or ad campaign helps to set you apart from your competitors, and if it’s particularly compelling, or well written, can vastly enhance public perception of you and your brand.

There may obviously be aspects of your story that you don’t want to be made public; not necessarily shady details, but things that you would prefer to keep private. If some well-chosen information can be used to make you look more human and less like a corporation or cold-hearted business, however, then you shouldn’t hesitate to use it.

Dosh Dosh describes a back-story as the “history of the individuals involved, their environment, socio-cultural data and other information relevant to the visible narrative”. Dosh Dosh adds that a back-story should “supplement the existing pitch” and that is should place you within a “favourable context” as far as your audience is concerned.

As an example of an effective back-story, Dosh Dosh cites the case of Ian Usher, an Australian who wanted to start life anew after he split from his wife. Basically he just wanted to sell all of his stuff on eBay, but he marketed it as a sale of his life. He set up a website that provided some background info on his situation, including his reasons for taking this particular course of action. He then provided details and pictures of his life, including work, friends, hobbies and his home. Everything had to go.

By virtue of the way in which he presented his information and his effective use of a back-story, he transformed himself from a junk salesman into a virtual legend. The opening of his eBay auction was covered by many major media outlets including ABC News and Reuters.com. Incidentally, Usher aimed to raise $500 000 (R3.8 million or £251 056) from his mass sale, but fell short with only $380 286 (R2.95 million or £190 196). All of his stuff was bought by one buyer who is also an Australian. Usher intends to use the proceeds to travel in search of a new life.

Even though Usher fell short of his target, he still made a fair packet more than he would have if he had simply chosen to sell his worldly possessions without a back-story. If one man can successfully market his life online by divulging a few personal anecdotes and insights into his life, think what you can achieve with a product, service or website that actually provides something of value. You should never be afraid of revealing just what it is that makes you unique in your market. When it’s couched in the proper terms just about anything can be used to your advantage, even your history.

Just remember that there is a fine line between sharing and over-sharing. Relating the details of his divorce may have worked for Ian Usher, but similar details of your life will probably not help you to sell more vacuum cleaners, or entice people to subscribe to your newsletters. Use your discretion and some common sense when choosing what to reveal and you should be fine.