How to design the soft sell

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In advertising and marketing, the term \“soft sell\” is an approach at selling and item by connecting with a potential customer. By soft selling a product, you don’t put any pressure on a person to buy right now, but you give them the opportunity to decide if it’s for them or not. Sometimes we use soft sell techniques by demonstrating a particular use of a product or by giving away something for free. We can even create soft sells by giving away information in our blogs.<\/p>\r\n

Whether you’re doing a soft or a hard sell (being ultra aggressive), it’s obvious that you want to create a scenario where your offering is useful. What sets aside the soft sell is the fact that you’re establishing a connection with customers. These types of techniques become successful because you’ve taken the time out to see what your customer really wants. It’s no longer about a product or service but about what your customer wants and how it makes a difference in their life.<\/p>\r\n

It’s not a new concept, obviously. But at a time when sending the correct branding signals is extremely important in business, the soft sell seems to be more popular. That, or either businesses are becoming smarter by utilizing these tactics more often than not. What’s notable in these current soft sells is how we’re doing them and how we’re designing them.<\/p>\r\n

It’s not a new idea but it seems that micro-sites have become extremely popular. When brands roll out a new campaign, consumers will typically get a new smartphone app and website that is specific for that campaign. Designers, art directors and all those involved in the process are beginning to find new ways to interact with consumers in a way that engages them without submitting to the hard sell. Here are some examples:<\/p>\r\n

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Burberry Kisses<\/h1>\r\n

With this Burberry Kisses<\/a> micro-site, users are able to send letters back and forth to each other sealed with a kiss. And if you have a webcam, you can send your personal kiss! The idea is to get their millions of social media followers engaged in actually using the brand in some perspective. While it seems to come a bit out of left field, the idea is that Burberry is creating something that’s useful for \u00a0consumers \u2014 it taps into that really personal feeling of writing a letter to your love interest, rather than just texting or tweeting them. It’s romantic, it’s playful and it’s luxurious. Name recognition plays a large role in what they’re doing, as someone may be a little more excited to receive a virtual Burberry kiss rather than any other virtual type of kiss. It’s a subtly branded idea that doesn’t even push for a product purchase but remains relevant every time you use it.<\/p>\r\n