The sound of your favorite song. The smell of your favorite dish being made. The warmth of a sunny, summer day. The sight of being at your favorite place on Earth. The taste of your favorite treat. 

While these things and experiences are different, they all fulfill the need and want to engage with what is around you at that moment in time. The goal of sensory marketing is to engage not only your senses, but to also tap into certain beliefs, feelings, thoughts, and memories in order to create a brand image for your viewer and customer. 

Although you may already know about this tactic, it probably works on you, too. No one is immune, and many of us experience sensory marketing on a daily basis without even realizing we are exposed to it. So with that in mind, if you want to build a true, real connection with your audience, you will want to engage these 5 senses through your marketing and content. 

See Who Your Brand (and Audience) Is 

Your website allows your audience to see you and get to know your brand beyond the services you offer. So when you are marketing your business, your site should be visually appealing,  make an impact, and leave an imprint. 

You can work with colors, images, text, video, and light to make your user feel like they are being taken to a place where you grab their attention and create an emotional connection with your brand. 

Also in sensory marketing, your sight tends to be the sense most stimulated, since we as humans are quick to spot color schemes, logos and brands. Your site can be used as a  launching board to immerse users in your products and services through your content and visuals. With proper formatting,  your website can build a connection and tap into your users’ emotions and experiences. Even if your audience can see your brand, you haven’t done your job until they feel and connect with what your brand stands for. 

Find Your Sound Within The Noise 

It is hard for your audience to find your sound when they are constantly being bombarded with all types of noises around them on a daily basis, so make sure your sound is pleasant to the ear and something that may get stuck in their head like a song would.  

If you choose to use videos, jingles, or podcasts on your site or in your marketing, ensure that you strike a balance between upbeat and low key. Sound makes up 99% of the information we retain when presented to us as consumers, so it is crucial to incorporate sound into your brand voice. 

Furthermore, sound can symbolize the experience of an interaction or transaction taking place on the site. Ultimately, you need to find your unique sound among the noise of your competitors, as well as find which sounds resonate well with your intended audience. 

Touch Base with Your Audience Through Texture 

Touch can be quite difficult to embrace (and replicate) digitally. If your company sells physical products, it is important to play on  the sense of texture through your packaging, materials present in the product, and how the feel of the product can resonate with your customer on a personal level. And if you cannot engage in the sense of touch with your audience, you may have to work harder to engage with the other senses. 

Something to keep in mind is that the sense of touch enhances your audience interaction with a physical product itself. Someone physically being able to hold a product can create a sense of ownership, which in turn can incite them to experience the “must-have” purchase decision sensation. 

Through research, there is proof that touch itself can cause the brain to release the oxytocin, the “love hormone,” which can make one experience the sense of feeling calm and overall well being. 

Additionally, the touch of one person to the next, like a handshake or a light pat on the shoulder, tends to help one feel safer and spend more money, according to the Harvard Business Review. That is why it is so important for you to add that personal touch, whether that is through a Thank You card or a gift basket, because it doesn’t allow you to just touch base with a client but show you genuinely value them as a person. 

Ultimately, you want your brand to touch base and connect with your audience, but also allow you to develop that relationship where both parties benefit in the long run. 

Engage The Limbic System

Have you ever walked through the mall or an airport and noticed the sweet smell of food cooking? All of us have, and we all encounter smells, no matter where we go. When you smell the sweet scent of your favorite meal, flower, or candle burning, you usually feel that scent is linked to a memory and emotion. 

Even if you cannot smell something, you can create the sense of smell through the words and images you use throughout your content and marketing. You can also use scent to define and reinforce your brand’s voice and vision, as well as to build that connection with your audience. 

Our sense of smell is connected to our limbic system, so it can affect how we act and remember a branded experience. The sense of smell scents your content to be unforgettable to your audience, so it is crucial to find what scent best represents your brand’s voice and creates that connection.  

Get A Taste What Marketing Works (And Doesn’t) 

In getting a taste of what marketing and content works, it is important you can use all of your senses to build a real, genuine connection with your audience. 

The sense of taste is considered to be one of the most intimate senses, since flavors cannot be tasted from distance. Also, taste is the toughest sense to cater to because it differs greatly from person to person. According to research, scientists say that our individual taste preferences are 78% dependent on our genes, meaning our taste buds can be quite different from (or possibly similar to) the person right next to us. 

While you may not be able to offer your customer to taste something online, you can use  reviews, testimonials, ambassadors, and referrals to create that sensation when sharing your product or service with your audience. 

Try to integrate the various senses to get a taste of what marketing and content works for your audience, and maybe what leaves a sour taste in your mouth. 

Try out different pairings of senses within your marketing strategies to see what resonates with your audience, and learn what does not, so your brand continues to grow. Making sense of what content and marketing works for your brand will help you stand out among the rest, and also allow you and your audience to build a connection with you and your brand.