Accounting for individuality

Consumers see what they expect to see, and what they expect to see usually

depends on their general beliefs and stereotypes. Because different groups of

people have different beliefs and stereotypes, they tend to perceive stimuli in

the marketing environment differently.

When crafting your marketing strategy, remember the following facts:

 ✓ Perception is unique to each consumer; no two people view the world

exactly the same. As a result, you must look at each consumer as an

individual and realize that not all consumer response will be the same.

 ✓ Perception is not necessarily as the world is in reality, but more often

it is as we think of the world. Perception is the way a consumer “takes

in” your message. As a result, individual consumers often behave differ-

ently to the same stimulus presented under the same conditions. Evaluate

your marketing message, but realize that it may not always have the same

effect on everyone. Just because a consumer doesn’t respond well to your

product doesn’t mean that your message doesn’t work. Instead, it could

just mean that the consumer wasn’t the right one for you.

As a marketer or business owner, you must be aware of this so you can tailor

your marketing stimuli, such as ads, packaging, and pricing, for each segment

you’re trying to attract.

You can target a positive perception within a specific group. With most pur-

chasing decisions, consumers usually can come up with one reason why they

shouldn’t purchase a product or service. This is the misperception you need

to control.

 You must identify the single most important decision-making factor that is

critical in bringing about the desired behavior from your consumers. This

factor will vary from business to business. Why do consumers pick you? Are

they most interested in the quality of your products, the service and sup-

port that you provide, or the delivery method you use? When you isolate that

factor, you can focus on sales, product development, and creating a positive

influence on the consumers’ perceptions of your product or service.