Positivity: Your Marketing Secret Weapon

Marketing is, at its core, storytelling; the goal of which is to tell the story of why your product or service deserves your customers’ business. Storytelling matters–science says the more compelling the story, the more engaged the audience will be. In other words, if you get your customers interested, they’ll be more likely to contribute to your cause. Storytelling, even in marketing, can be both positive or negative; brands either put down the competition or uplift themselves. Even though negative news elicits a stronger physiological response, positivity in storytelling can help create empathy-based connections with your audience, which can lead to more significant brand loyalty! 

Why Positivity Matters

Positivity, just like negativity, is contagious-and whether you believe you can or you can’t, you’re correct. According to Shawn Achor, the CEO of Good Think Inc., the key to success in the workplace is happiness and positivity. That’s not to say a positive attitude devoid of experience and skill will glean positive results, but it could be the deciding factor. After all, happy life is, in and of itself, a success. 

More importantly, however, is how being positive can impact your audience. It’s the reason most big brands are heavily invested in content moderation. If you publish something that offends your audience, it changes the way they think of your brand. The last thing you want to do is alienate a segment of your audience, so staying positive or neutral in your marketing communications can do wonders. 

If you can make positivity a part of your brand image, customers will associate your brand with happiness, comfort, and warmth. It can be as simple as ensuring you greet every customer with a smile and thank each customer for their business, but it goes a long way. Most importantly, it will help your audience see your brand more as a friend than a supplier!

How to Put a Positive Spin on Your Content

Think about restaurants. You never see one restaurant advertise by putting down the other restaurants around them. Even Pepsi and Coca-Cola, the giants of the cola industry, don’t overtly say one is better than the other. It’s not their call to make. It’s up to the customer to decide which brand he or she prefers. They don’t want to be told which brand to choose and they don’t want to hear that they’re making the wrong choice. 

While attacking the competition may help at first, in the long run, it paints your brand as disrespectful and unethical. It’s also a quick way to forfeit your customers’ trust. While it’s not okay to overtly attack your competitors, it is okay to exploit their flaws, as long as you do so respectfully. For example, if you notice a major competitor has poor or nonexistent customer service, consider ads that emphasize the benefits of your brand’s customer service. Just do so without explicitly stating the shortfalls of the other brand. 

Be constantly on the lookout for ways to emphasize positivity, like the benefits of your brand or the attributes of your product or service. Don’t be afraid to be transparent with your goals-or to let your audience know when you’ve achieved them! Give people something to look forward to and congratulate them on their successes. Think of your brand as a happy family; everyone (your customers) needs to be nurtured and valued!

How Can You Be More Positive?

It all starts by being thankful. Rather than curse what you don’t have, appreciate what you do have. When you encounter problems, brainstorm solutions instead of making excuses. Place an emphasis on accountability, honesty, and transparency. Foster a workplace environment full of good vibes and acceptance. Be the safe space for your audience.

Applying positivity to your marketing strategy will help your business see things differently. And when you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.