A Short-Term Mindset

With so much on socials about how modern generations lack focus, it probably comes as no surprise that Americans score low in terms of long-term orientation. If your audience is largely from the states, then they are probably short-sighted. What may be enlightening to some, is how this orientation impacts the way we tend to interact with the organizations we come across.

American audiences have less patience when it comes to visible results. Yes, this may mean you need to manage expectations clearly and highlight the ares of success more readily; however, many small businesses fail to recognize this also translates to an expectation of timely customer service. Whether it’s realistic or not, your clients likely expect you to address each of their concerns visibly and swiftly.

Depending on your field, fast results may not be possible. In this case, education and culture building can be used to recalibrate the beliefs your market adopts as valuable. You can use some of the benefits of short-term orientation to do this very thing.

People who have been raised in places like America tend to appreciate anything that helps them make good decisions in a timely manner. Ratings, data, infographics, and evidence based arguments ease our minds. Truthful information in easy-to-digest formats can be your best friend. Short-term audiences also love a good trend. Don’t be afraid to participate in them, or even set some. Understand you can use these tools as culture builders, not just as a mechanism for appealing to your customers. Move people towards a bigger perspective by starting with what feels a little more familiar and usable in their minds.

What does it really mean to engage your customer?

Have you ever thought of what the actual definition of “engagement”is? The term has range. It can signify anything from betrothal to military combat, and for somebody who owns or works with small businesses (outside of the wedding world), it probably brings to mind social media and marketing metrics. One thing that is true across the board, though, is that engagement signifies another level of commitment. It’s something we use to acknowledge the presence of a deeper level of intimacy or relationship. We move from being separate entities in our own little worlds, to interacting with one another in some way.

What does this mean for marketing? There was a time when businesses were able to get in front of their customer with the service they provide and do great work. That was enough. Today, the quality of your work still matters, word of mouth still works, AND people have access to infinite options. The spaces they keep coming back to are the ones that are committed to them as people and interested in building a multi-faceted relationship. Nobody wants to hang out with that one friend who only shows up to the barbecue to sell everybody their latest batch of essential oils. Engaging your customer means showing them you are committed to a relationship with them and earning the right for them to return the favor. How can you do that with your brand?

Understanding Customer Decision-Making to Market with Integrity

Humans like to think they make up their own minds about things, but the truth is, most often, when decision-making is in the moment, our subconscious does the work. Any "thinking” we do often happens with ‘post-hoc rationalization’ afterwards to justify the choice. This very fact drives people like James Clear to promote better habits as a mechanism for better decision making in his book Atomic Habits. The idea is that true free will is not available to us in the moment, but instead over the long term. We shape our habits today to create a subconscious that makes better decisions for us in the future.

Outside of the value these insights provide for my own life, I am interested in how this neurological wiring gets exploited today in media and marketing. What does this knowledge mean for marketing with integrity? One thing that has to get prioritized is the broader view. Communicate the vision beyond the “sale” to your audience. Aim for them to understand the scope of your business. Help them become a better version of themselves over time through each interaction with your services (regardless of if they ever make a purchase). And take responsibility for the integrity of your own products and services. If you know somebody may pay for something from you on a gut impulse, do everything you can to make it worth it. Be relentless in your own work and the pursuit of make it of the utmost value in the world.