It works like a crush, something hits you and boom, you can’t stop thinking about it! A thought fixed in your head invades your mind, torments you, the desire grows and the more time passes, the more you can’t wait for that thought to turn into reality. No, you’re not reading the beginning of a romance novel but I’m talking about what happens in people’s minds when marketing works well and with the right message manages to move the thought, activate the heart and user behavior (c ‘is still something romantic in that yes).
But how does it happen? Through a simple word: trigger.
Translated into Italian as “trigger”, the trigger represents the first interest stimulus by a person towards a product or service, triggered by one or a series of inputs aimed at creating a hook for users. A type of “activation effect”, capable of bringing the person to the awareness of a desire, of a need hidden in the unconscious, or even conscious but not yet expressed, and push him towards the satisfaction of the same.
Consequently, the ultimate goal of the trigger is to lead the user towards conversion and retention, through the offer of a product or service capable of responding perfectly to the needs and desires of the target audience.
In a nutshell: the right message, at the right time, to the right person.
However, as today’s marketing teaches, the creation of a single message, in this case a single trigger, is not enough to be perceived by people. To do this, it is essential to repeat oneself, to repeat the message over and over again, and therefore to create a series of hooks capable of pushing the customer towards different actions, capable of transforming themselves over time not only into conversion but into a real habit.
All triggers plus one
Among the different types of triggers present, two macro-categories can be identified: i internal triggers huh external triggers.
External triggers refer to events capable of directing people’s behavior towards a certain goal, through the use of clear and specific information towards an action to be performed. To be clearer, the presence of a discount and the CTA inviting you to purchase the long-desired lipstick is an example of this.
Internal triggers, on the other hand, have the power to manifest themselves automatically in people’s minds, because they are guided by emotions and feelings. An example is the Pandora Christmas commercial, when in the grip of the festive atmosphere in the full personal cliché of the period’s imagination, the company totally supports it and makes me cry then as now in the middle of summer. A weakness of heart I know.
But then let’s get to the point: how to trigger the trigger?
The study and creation of digital triggers is part of a strategy called “trigger marketing” or also “trigger-based marketing“, in turn present in the field of marketing automation for the use of CRM software and systems for customer journey management.
Its use allows you to automate certain activities performed following a predefined “trigger” event, which can often be represented by an action taken by a potential customer or customer such as: abandoning the cart, subscribing to the newsletter, the download of an e-book. Furthermore, in digital everything (or almost) is measurableconsequently also the triggers, an aspect that is relevant in order to be able to build activation events that are significant for users and of consequent value for the business.
With respect to usage then, triggers can be employed in any communication channel to initiate a wide variety of marketing messages and create various potential user activation opportunities. From email, SMS, instant messaging to pop-up offers, the goal is to respond customized and effective to the needs of the target, making the most of the characteristics and properties of the communication means used.
However, in building the trigger marketing strategy so that the message is directed to the right people, the trigger built to activate the target’s interest and the campaign is consequently effective, it becomes necessary to consider some steps:
- understand the people we want to talk to: the study and understanding of the target makes it possible to analyze the motivations, challenges and weaknesses of the person at each stage of the customer journey;
- determine an if/then path: The use of the software requires the setting of “if/then” criteria defined so that an action can be initiated by a triggering event. Analyzing the customer journey and identifying an automated process of actions based on the “if (criterion)/then (action)” principle allows you to think about the result to be achieved by the target and the path to get there;
- identify triggers: This is the “if” part of the equation. Analyzing the customer journey and identifying the points where people are subject to a surge of attention and where instead there is a loss of customers allows you to create triggers aimed at specific needs;
- determine the actions of the process: This is the “then” part of the equation. Once the triggers have been identified, defining the actions corresponding to each event allows you to outline a clear and integrated automated trigger marketing process;
- personalize the message: Since 80% of customers are more likely to buy if they receive a personalized experience, the actions initiated by marketing triggers must be personalized and relevant to people’s needs;
- maximize the benefits of automation: identifying where triggers can be used to start as many repetitive marketing activities as possible, allows you to increase attention towards non-automatable activities;
- analyze and improve results: evaluating the results achieved allows you to strengthen the weak points and create triggers that are increasingly direct to the reference target.
Once this is done, success is guaranteed! No, alas there is always something that can be overlooked or escape the watchful eye of marketers.
However, knowing the triggers and knowing how to use them within your strategy, digital and otherwise, can still lead to various advantages, not entirely obvious I would add.
In fact, people are constantly looking for something: a new pair of slippers, a hair mask, an app for public transport, a subscription to their favorite newspaper, love (yes, here I’m still going to romance, but if you think about it Tinder made its business out of finding such a thing as say, maybe similar).
Therefore, knowing what moves people, and what on the contrary blocks them in their daily progress, allows you to create, through the power of words, actions and the right product, true human value expressed in allowing everyone to get wherever they want to go. and to fall in love with whatever they want to love.
