People buy for emotional—not logical—reasons. And the key to making an emotional connection is through arousing desire.
But there’s much more to the spectrum of human desire than the “7 deadly sins” 99% of other marketers talk about.
Otherwise, how would you account for altruistic motivations like compassion, duty, honor, love, service, etc.? Or even the slightly “lower” motivations like approval, belonging, learning, or artistic expression?
I’ve been thinking a lot about desire lately. We are motivated by our desires, which is why tapping into desire is the KEY to creating a strong persuasive appeal.
“Spiritual Copy” is about inspiring people to respond… and not appealing strictly to “lower” desires. It is about recognizing the good (the divinity) in every single one of us.
When you appeal only to the “lower” motivations, it’s all too easy to come across as manipulative… and that puts up walls of skepticism and resistance. Just look at how most money-making opportunities are marketed, and you’ll see what I mean.
I’m going to propose a different model. I call it “The Holistic Model of Core Desires”.
Mystics tell us we are made up of body, soul, and spirit. The soul is that part of us which experiences individuality—our emotions and will (or to use the traditional terminology, the heart and mind). The spirit is that part of us that recognizes our unity with God and the Universe.
We are composed of all three: body, soul, and spirit. The “7 Deadly Sins” only appeal to our “lower” natures. But we are holistic beings. And humanity is much more evolved than most people–especially marketers–tend to give them credit for. (To illustrate, read this.)
Here is my new model of desire, based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and chapter 5 of Chip & Dan Heath’s wonderful book, Made to Stick…
The Holistic Model of Core Desires
Physical Urges: (Body)
Flesh: The desire for food and drink… for bodily comfort and pleasure.
Security: The desire for safety, protection, & stability. The desire to be free from fear, pain, worry, danger, or hardship.
Emotional Yearnings: (Heart)
Esteem: The desire to be set apart… to be competent… to achieve… to gain approval. The desire for independence, status, fame, and glory.
Belonging: The desire for love & affection from family, friends, & mates.
Mental Pursuits: (Mind)
Aesthetic: The desire to experience symmetry, order, beauty, and balance.
Learning: The desire to satisfy curiosity… to know and understand… to discover.
Highest Aspirations: (Spirit)
Self-Actualization: The desire to have “peak experiences”… to realize our full potential… to become who we’re truly meant to be… to fulfill our destiny.
Transcendence: The desire to help others realize their potential… to be a force for good… to become one with God.
The key to creating a more persuasive message is in reaching across the entire spectrum of desire. It’s perfectly okay to appeal to “Body”, “Heart”, or “Mind” level desires… but for maximum persuasive impact… to inspire your prospect to respond… you must also appeal to desires born of the “Spirit”.
For example…
Say you’re offering a way for your prospect to make more money. You certainly need to communicate the extra security… the more comfortable life… the protection of loved ones…
But don’t neglect to point out how having financial freedom can allow them to become who they were truly meant to be… that it will allow them to realize their full potential—which can only happen with complete financial independence to experience those things that will help them learn and grow, and live a fulfilling life in every way—physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.
That is the heart of Spiritual Copy.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Great post, understanding the main desires can help you a lot in your copy and persuasion. It’s a basis of any good sales letter and ad.
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Someone once wrote: “Never appeal to a man’s better nature; he may not have one.” Others say: “Never say never.”
You have reminded us that each person is unique and what appeals to one may not appeal to another. You have given me some good ideas to use in my next presentation. (I volunteered to help teach classes at the Career Center.) Thank you.
Hi Barbara. While it’s true that different people have different desires (there are an infinite number of possible desires), what I’ve outlined here are the CORE desires EVERY human has to some extent or another. These core desires DRIVE–give rise to–all other desires.
Not everyone is equally developed or “in tune” with their higher natures… but take a normal, ordinary person, and I guarantee there is at least SOME willingness to help others out, even when it doesn’t serve him or herself.
The point I was making is that when you arouse those “higher” desires (in addition to the lower ones), you ultimately create a more magnetic, more persuasive, even a more INSPIRATIONAL sales message. It’s “persuasion with inspiration”, I guess you could say.
When writing copy, you have no idea what your prospects SPECIFIC desires are. Everyone is different, as you say. That’s why it’s important to arouse these CORE desires. They are what give rise to all the other desires.