If I asked you, is your marketing right or left-brained…would you know?

We all have a different marketing style. Some of us would rather create colourful, expressive marketing pieces, while others would say focusing on the facts is the way to go. Some even prefer to do something more “out there” to get the customers’ attention.

Furthermore, the audience looking at these communication pieces also respond differently to marketing efforts as part of their individual uniqueness. Some prefer to see an original, creative piece, whereas others prefer to know the benefits and costs of a particular product or service.

These marketing and buying styles are typically associated to personality and can be traced to something known as being “right-brained”and “left-brained”.  

You’ve likely heard of this before, maybe in psychology class or just browsing the Internet. But as a marketer, have you really thought about this?

Whether you work in a large or small business, you should understand the benefits of both right-brained and left-brained marketing strategies, and how to apply these to attract both types of customers.  

Of course, you will likely be more inclined to one method or the other, but it’s up to you to figure out what blend works best for you and the customer you are trying to attract. Before you set out to learn what marketing strategies work best for each type, it’s best to understand each type.  

Right-Brained

People who are right-brained tend to lead more with their emotions. While this doesn’t mean they are necessarily the “heart-on-their- sleeve” type, it does mean they are more invested in something that evokes some sort of emotion and will make decisions on how they feel on a particular subject.

Someone who is largely right-brained would typically be considered more sensitive; more negatively, they may be impulsive. Right-brained people are more appreciative of the creative side and are generally more apt to be interested in language and music. As for marketing strategies, you will want to create items that are original and visionary, and content that stands out and is able to catch attention – something like a well-crafted story with an emotional pull. For example, if you were looking at producing a video, it should likely look like a mini movie, including a plot, characters and customers’ feelings towards your product or service.  

Left-Brained Type

The mind of someone who is a left-brained individual tends to be very logical and will come up with solutions to problems rather than focusing on an emotional response. These individuals respond best to data and statistics. What they feel logically is the best choice rather than to emotional stimulus. Someone who is predominantly left-brained is well organized and prefers to focus on reality over being a dreamer. 

Left-brained individuals are going to prefer something that can prove itself useful, and, in marketing, they are likely looking for something that is definitively better than the competition through proven examples.

When strategizing your marketing, try to rely as heavily as you can on the reasons why someone should logically choose you over the competition is the key. Being straightforward, with a factual attempt in converting these consumers would be your best shot at winning over a left-brained audience.

If creating a video, you should use a simple design, basic background and a focus on the facts, that’s what these people want to see. The ad will be on the product or service itself with a narrator, likely a man with a distinctive voice, stating facts and statistics about the product and its advantages over the competition.  

Bridge Brain Type  

Most people, while leaning toward one side or the other, have a mix of both sides in them. These Individuals who are almost perfectly balanced are known as”bridge brains”.

Thinking of ways to use both right-brained and left-brained marketing is the best way to go. Try combining both right-brained and left-brained thinking in your marketing. This should help you produce more predictable marketing results.

Unsurprisingly, using both forms will appeal to a larger audience. However, what combination varies between products.

So, if you’re a clothing designer, leaning more to one side will probably be more effective. You would likely be better off using right-brained techniques, while app developers would likely be more receptive to left-brained techniques.

Combining the two methods of marketing isn’t all that hard once you give it some thought. For example, you could try using infographics to display a large amount of statistics and data in a more creative manner. Or maybe use a personal story, but embed statistics throughout, or have a humorous video that also lists the benefits of using the product.

Most of the marketing world seems to agree that it is far better to combine right-brain and left-brain marketing methods, and with good reason. Your main goal is to get more customers and facilitate their purchase journey. However, that doesn’t mean leaning heavily toward one method isn’t going to work, and in the end, the ideal method for you depends on your product and your consumer base.

This article was originally written for and published in
Business London Magazine