It is important to be memorable and to be able to leave an impact at the same time when we are faced with hundreds of advertisements within a day. This is not only for B2C marketing – it is for B2B marketing as well, where B2B marketers have to be more creative than they have ever been to catch that human attention span of under 8 seconds. To be noticeable and inspiring at the same time it is important to be making a bold statement and be fascinating at the same time. Companies who get the most attention from their prospective customers are those who fascinate.

Sally Hedgehog, the author of “Fascinate: Your 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation”, says, “Fascination is the most powerful way to influence decision-making”. Every day, intentionally or not, we are all using fascination triggers to persuade people at work and our prospective clients. Whether you’re pitching a new client, creating a new marketing message to sell a new or an existing product, you’re using triggers to elicit a certain response. Each trigger leads to a different style of communication and a different type of relationship. The more accurately B2B marketers identify their audiences personality triggers, the more influential their message becomes. There are seven types of triggers that Sally defines in her book. I found few that can be used pretty effectively for B2B marketing. They are power, alarm, trust and prestige. These triggers, when understood and used correctly in marketing campaigns, can help marketers create compelling messages to persuade their audience to take that desired action.

Here are a few questions that marketers can ask themselves when they are in the thought process and ready to create something that will generate them the leads they desire. Also are some supporting points that demonstrate how ActiveConversion uses some of the fascination triggers to create a compelling marketing message.

1. How would I fascinate my audience to influence them to take action? Pick the trigger that you think your audience will be influenced most with. Here at ActiveConversion, we recently used the message: “OUTSELL & OUTMARKET your larger competitors”. This call to action to outsell your competitor used “POWER” and the “ALARM” trigger by defining consequence where specific demands cause more specific actions.

1. How can I relate to my audience at a personal level? Pick a trigger that would take for YOU to take that specific action? Put yourself in their shoes and visualize the impact that you want to create. For instance, if you serve small businesses and are targeting other small businesses, talk to your audience in their language. Use the persuading power by triggering the sense of “TRUST”. For example, messages that emphasize how you know their business and how you have helped other similar businesses get value with a minimal budget. – “Do more with your budget. Let us show you how.” Using other companies as a reference and relevant case studies will leave the feeling of trust and motivate your audience to take the desired action.

The above few pointers will hopefully make you explore other triggers that will let you harness the power of your creativity in order to be fascinating when you are marketing. And as a final note – Be fascinating to be inspiring!