Using Psychology for Successful Branding

Jessica Beardsley, MS, RD, LDN Specialty Group Chair: Second Career Dietitians

As a second-career dietitian, I’ve had several careers before I came to dietetics. One of them was at an advertising agency as a graphic designer. While I’m not formally trained in marketing strategy, I did learn how to use psychology in successful branding while I was working there. Here are a few tips to best reach and impact your target audience: 1. Evoke emotion. Research shows that about 90% of decisions are based on emotion. Imagine two ads for the same service. One lists facts while the other evokes comfort, joy or nostalgia. Which one makes a bigger impression on you? The one that elicits an emotional response! Look at your brand - your products and services - what emotions do you want them to evoke? The emotion doesn’t always need to be happy. Sadness or frustration also elicit a consumer response. The more emotionally intelligent your brand is, the more return on investment.

2. Color! Every brand I’ve worked with had one major color and usually one (maybe two) minor colors. (Think about all your major sports teams.) Color consistency in your “look and feel” is essential in building your brand. The colors you use have the power to change the viewers’ emotional and behavioral states. White evokes purity and innocence while red is associated with excitement and energy. Purple can lead to feelings of mystery or wisdom. Blue is associated with dependability and comfort, but can also evoke sadness. Be thoughtful about the tone of your major color choice. It represents who you are. 3. Use mirror neurons. Mirror neurons are brain cells that respond the same whether we’re doing the action or simply witnessing someone else doing it. Think about how you feel when you see someone win a race or conquer a huge obstacle. Feels pretty good, right? You’re brought in and want the same thing. This phenomenon can work for you if you can use your marketing to display a problem getting solved by your brand and services. Maybe it’s a client feeling caught in yo-yo dieting whom you have helped bring to freedom. Identify the “problem” that you solve, then tell the story in your marketing (images, videos, testimonials, etc).

4. Consistency cultivates trust. Once you have your key emotions, color and messaging, be consistent and put them everywhere. Repetition is essential to clients learning your brand. Use the same tagline and message across multiple platforms. Trust is built naturally when people see consistent branding. Once customers notice your brand, they will start to “see you everywhere.” This is the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon - you find something new and interesting and then your subconscious looks for it everywhere. Have you ever learned about a new product and then started seeing it in every store? Let your potential customers see you everywhere!

Use the other articles in this Ventures Newsletter to help develop your brand by creating a mission statement, defining your brand personality and identifying your target audience/customer. Put it all together and step into the spotlight!

Jessica Beardsley, MS, RD, LDN, is a nutrition and lifestyle counselor in Chapel Hill, NC. She loves to read cookbooks but hardly ever follows a recipe as she prefers to use them as “inspiration.” She loves coaching her clients to make reallife changes for improving their health. When Jessica isn't cooking or talking about food, she enjoys running, dancing and reading with her two daughters.