Marketing the 13 powerful words

A study conducted at Yale University identified 12 words that people responded to the most. So we have 12 very powerful words; “words of power”. Unsurprisingly, the first five have to do with basic human desires. Wishes are crosses in our deepest places that are always ready to respond to something.

These words, when people are exposed to them, register with their emotions to generate attention and response. The first five are: Health, Money, Love, Security and Savings. Any of these words, used to describe benefits in a promotion, will catch the eye because they will “hit a nerve.”

There is another basic human longing in a number of potential customers to experience something new or be aware of what is new. The first cause is boredom; the second is the result of self-image: wanting to be perceived as “hip”. The three powerful words that apply to this concept are: New, Discovery and Advance. These terms should be placed in an opening statement or at an angle for emphasis.

Three words were found that instill a sense of security and credibility: Easy, Guaranteed and Proven. These words make people confident that they will not have any problems with the product or service, nor will they be disappointed.

The last of the 12 words is You. This makes sense, remembering that the best ads scream “what’s in it for me (you)”. Remove the word “me” from your ads, replacing it with you instead, directly connected to benefits. This generates more impact.

You may have noticed that the title references 13 words. Well, Yale missed one. I can guarantee (there is one such word) to you (another) that it is an (another) proven fact that “FREE” is one of the most powerful words in English, if not the most powerful, in terms of marketing. “Two for the price of one” doesn’t work as well as “buy one get one free.”

Observe your own reaction to powerful words and assume your level of reaction is normal, because it probably is.