The way we’re going to think about psychology of marketing today is rooted in this dude named Abraham Maslow who famously came up with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.
It’s this pyramid-looking chart of basic needs you need to accomplish before moving up the pyramid:
We’re using this pyramid as the basis of how to market to specific groups of people (and figure out their behavior), as they respond to vastly different messages.
If you want to figure out what piece of society you’re trying to market to, just find where Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs your average customer fits:
Figure out what piece of society you’re talking to:
Poor people respond to certain things.
Middle Class people respond to certain things.
Rich people respond to certain things.
Similarly people on different rungs of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs respond to different things.
Since we’re greedy little marketers we need to know which stage we should be going after….let’s take a look at this Hierarchy of Needs to understand the marketing psychology behind each stage:
Your position in this pyramid is fluid through your life. You might be on the lower rungs now, but in 5 years could be at the top.
You can also dramatically drop in the pyramid for a variety of reasons.
For example, let’s say someone spent $6,000 to attend a conference on how “To be the best version of your actualized self” (or some high-level hippie crap like that). They will be super interested to attend every session, UNLESS all of a sudden they dramatically drop on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs…..
……maybe they’ve been holding back a massive poop for 4 hours, and now IT’S EMERGENCY STATUS. They have effectively been pushed back down to a low level of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs at this moment to the Physical level.
Nothing at this point will take their mind off the absolutely urgent need to excrete!
Yes, I just used a poop joke to teach you about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs….but you will probably remember that FOREVER ;-)
That example is a very temporary one. As soon as the person finds a restroom and takes care of bidnaz, they’re back to their normal top-of-the-hierarchy self.
Similarly, if someone at the top of the pyramid just moved to a new city across the world and they have no family, no friends, no significant other……this might make them very sad, and push this person down the pyramid to the Love/Belonging stage. It will probably become a big obsession of theirs to make sure they find a new source of love & friendship in this new city:
Until this person gets that feeling of love and belonging back into their life, it’ll be hard to move beyond that stage for them.
Also the broader economic climate dictates where most people will be in Maslow’s Hierarchy. If the economy has been booming for five years straight and everyone is still drunk off cheap money, easy employment, and good economic news……then a lot of people will be at the top tiers of Maslow’s Hierarchy because the economy is booming, everyone is making great money and everyone in happy.
However if the economy collapses, people are losing their jobs, losing their savings, and all the news is bad…..then a lot of people will get pushed lower down the Hierarchy:
Now let’s see what people at each stage of the Hierarchy need and want (so we can better sell to them)!
–What people at each stage of Maslow’s Hierarchy are looking for–
The Physiological (Physical) Stage:
WHO IT IS: This is going to be people in 3rd world countries, people in disaster zones, someone lost in the woods. For the most part, you probably won’t be marketing to this crowd as they have bigger problems (such as staying alive) and they probably have little to no money.
WHAT THESE PEOPLE WANT:
- Food.
- Clean air.
- Clean water.
- To take a poop (like our friend here).
You probably shouldn’t be marketing to these people. You should be helping them.
These are going to be some of the poorest and most helpless people. So marketing to them would not be lucrative for the most part, and you might be kind of an asshole if you’re too predatory on them.
The Safety Stage:
WHO IT IS: These are people that would be considered “poor” or “lower middle class”. They live extremely paycheck-to-paycheck and have little-to-no support structure if they get kicked out of their dwelling.
These are people that if they stopped working, would be 2-3 months away from being homeless.
Most people reside their entire lives here, and until pretty recently in society, most of the world constantly lived at this rung in Maslow’s Hierarchy.
- They fear they’ll lose their income.
- They don’t have a backup plan or savings.
- They don’t have skills that secure their income earning potential.
- They aren’t entirely sure they can fund their children’s education.
- They likely work at a pretty crappy or boring job out of necessity.
A lot of predatory businesses prey on this level of people because they’re the easiest to scam, the most hopeful, BUT they they still have enough income to spend money on things.
If you were to put out a scammy ad that said: “Work at home! Make $3,000/week! Barely have to work!” You’d most likely get people in this rung of the hierarchy responding the most.
WHAT THESE PEOPLE WANT:
- They want to have stable incomes. They respond well to “Side Income” kind of talk.
- They want to live in a stable environment. They probably don’t live in the greatest of place (either country with unstable government, or live in a household they share with a lot of people).
- Affordable access to medical services.
- A safe place to call their own home.
- Providing basic needs for children.
The Love/Belonging Stage:
WHO IT IS: These are typically people in the middle class or higher.
They have their basic needs met. They live in a decent place, have a decent income, have a decent savings.
Typically these people are relatively educated, and have a decent amount of money to spend. This is the level a lot of middle class people in a society will be in.
They’re probably not looking to change the world, but they want to create a small little world around them where they belong.
They probably have jobs that aren’t terrible, but also aren’t a bundle of joy. They typically look outside of their work to find happiness.
WHAT THESE PEOPLE WANT:
- They want to join groups and be part of groups. (Church, sports, classes).
- They want to have fun with family and friends, and will look (and pay) for novel ways to do it.
- They want to have a sense of community.
The Esteem Stage:
These are people in the upper middle-class and higher.
You know someone is in the “Esteem” stage when they say stuff like “I want to DO something with my life.“
I would like to remind you that this stage in life is a luxury afforded by the advances in our society. In the past you’d only get very wealthy members of society hitting this level. Now with all the cool stuff we have, this level can be reached by nearly everyone in a stabilized society and a decent income.
WHAT THESE PEOPLE WANT:
- Need to respect themselves.
- Need for others to have respect for them.
- Need to feel important.
- Need to feel accomplished.
- Want their job to not only provide money, but also be “fulfilling.”
The Self Actualization Stage:
WHO IT IS: These are people who’ve accomplished everything they need to. Often people who’ve made their “Fuck You Money“ and no longer worry about things like income or being able to provide for their families.
This “Self Actualization” rung is where you get people who have #WhitePeopleProblems and #1stWorldProblems.
WHAT THESE PEOPLE WANT:
- To solve hard problems.
- To be creative and abstract.
- They want to “make every moment count.”
- They want their lives to be filled with “satisfying” activities.
This is where upper-middle-class and rich typically are.
This spot is weird…..because I think once you reach the top (with current human biology) you artificially have to put yourself back down the hierarchy and start over, like this (my opinion):
For 99% of human history almost no one ever reached this stage.
And it’s actually interesting to watch as huge portions of our society hit this top stage at a young age.
But people at this stage will pay for things like:
- Seeing the world.
- Figuring out how to be more effective.
- Figuring out the “meaning” of life.
- Searching for a “higher purpose.”
If I had to sum up what people at each stage would say in one short sentence it’s:
The Physical Stage:
“I wish I had food and shelter to live.”
The Safety Stage:
“I wish I had a stable job.”
The Love Stage:
“I wish I belonged to a group of people that love me.”
The Self Esteem Stage:
“I wish I had a respectful job where I can be in air conditioning all day.”
The Self-Actualization Stage:
“I wish I had a life path that I really love, pays better than my peers, and helps people.”
If you liked this post, you can download the whole thing as a PDF here:
P.S. Where do you see yourself on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs? Let me know in the comments what stage you’re at.
P.P.S. Where do your prospective customers stand in Maslow’s Hierarchy?
P.P.P.S. If you have any additional thoughts on this stuff lemme know below, I love thinking about these things!
I’m on more than one of the levels, at this time in life.
Very interesting! Will add this link to my swipe file ;)
Thanks Neville x
Thanks for this new post man! Psychology and marketing, the perfect pair!!
I loooove Maslow! So much so, my website is entitled The Self-Actualized Life. Psychology and marketing, the perfect pair!!
Neville, I love what you do, your insights, how you explain things…
But I have to disagree with Maslow, his idea of a hierarchy, and especially the order of hierarchy that he defines.
The way I see it, the root is family/tribe. From birth, our basic needs, security and survival all depend on it. As we grow up, we become contributors as well as beneficaries. Our place in our tribe IS our self esteem. Our tribe cn also inspire and support our self-actualisation (at least, it’s much easier when they do). So, all those needs are inseperable, inextricably intertwined.
The root of fullfilling all those needs is family/tribe. Throughought history, Royals, Emporers, conquerors …even the Robber Barons, built there success on a strong family/ tribe.
And my point is this. The key thing for a successful internet business is to identify a clear tribe, a niche, and become a leader in that tribe. And within that tribe, to focus on those who are willing and able to invest their time and money.
Great breakdown.
Took maslow and broke it down to a very simple level. Also, great primer on segmentation. You can’t market to everyone.
Great post dude.
I hover in the Safety / Love belonging realm and every so often hit get into the Esteem groove. I have a good job that I like and makes me feel accomplished but always have the feeling of wanting to do more. Also, the job is in a boom / bust sector which explains the safety factor (when will the ride end).
I read and listen to tons of business content but find it hard to get behind an idea and take action.
P.S. I may have read this while near a toilet.
Nev, thanks for a very engaging post. I loved the addition of pooping to clarify the concept. I laughed out loud at the diagram of that stick dude skirting off to the can. If you are what you eat does that mean stick people eat sticks? Thank you for making learning less painful.
My business is making snacks, my customers eat snacks. The food is a better for you option although i believe its a, eat it cuz its good snack food. So, maybe they are love/esteem/actualized people although I want everyone to love it cuz I love it and think its amazing and kick ass. im not trying to be a healer by making some magic food although that could be cool too, maybe made from magic beans… Ok i will leave the jokes to you, one of my fave things you do.
Im a self actualized pooper and feel fortunate to live in a place where i have the opportunity for this. Thank you for encouraging thinking.
Take care.
Hi Neville,
I was actually thinking of something similar just yesterday.
And it dawned to me that my upper-middle class audience is actually constantly shifting between the 2nd level and the 4th level where they usually belong.
That’s because there is a ‘soft’ economy over here and everybody is scared about their income. Weather they are business people (many cheques are bouncing right now) or employees (people are getting fired right, left and center).
Very interesting read.
Thanks
Awesome stuff Neville!
I shared this on GH:
https://growthhackers.com/articles/marketing-psychology-using-maslow-s-hierarchy-of-needs
Loved this representation. I’m between the top two and my clients are too. Worth remembering in designing marketing information and the language you use. Thanks for the insight.
I’m definitely on top and i believe my costumers are in the love and self esteem areas. Thanks so much! This was highly insightful!
Awesome, keep up the good work with your customers!
This is super interesting. I’m a wellness coach and am thinking about where my clients would fall. Oh the one hand- they have their basic needs met, and might have high income. On the other/ some of them are dealing with diabetes, obesity, hypertension or other chronic diseases that are seriously impacting their quality of life. But it’s hard to tell if the persons health problem is a “small inconvenience” or a truly painful event that is impacting their ability to climb the pyramid.
Look forward to hearing your thoughts on this.
Hmmm…..if their physical ailments are holding them back from things, it might be holding them down the pyramid. Some issues like diabetes (if managed correctly) probably won’t hold someone back from doing things at the top of the pyramid.
My customers (mailing list and visiting) are mostly in the top 2 of the pyramid.
Travelling cyclists.
Instagramming their buddies back home coz they just rode up Mont Ventoux after having delicious 0.80EU cent croissants in Bedoin and nasty French coffee and will now be enjoying icy Heinekens and super underestimated French woodfired pizza at that super secret place in Bedoin only peeps who’ve been there know about.
I know this because I have hard data from asking them via surveys.
This post has helped immensely.
Much excellent.
Very helping.
Oh yea….DEFINITELY people in the top!
Seems like those bike rides are a more luxury-based sport filled with exotic locations and expensive equipment.
For you, offering premium experiences that are SUPER UNIQUE might do well. Not just a bike tour maybe, but a bike tour that is somehow exclusive or gets them to a place usually not accessible my most people.
Basically if it’ll make a kickass Instagram picture, they’d probably pay a lot for it :)
Hi Nev. I think that you might be interested in cognitive dissonance in marketing. It is weirdou tension when our attitude and behaviour does´nt match. Its also reason why positive thinking works. Thanks for great post dude.
No problem Sofiner! I’m well aware of cognitive dissonance. I like to call it, “Ummmm that looks weird.”
I used to see it a lot when I’d read someone’s blog, love all the posts, then look at a product they sell, and the page is all of a sudden SUPER SALESY and it turns me away from buying.
It was a cognitive dissonance between the attitude in their posts vs. the sales pages.
Thanks Nev
Awesome…….
Welcome HIL
YOU’RE awesome…..
This is fascinating. In some ways I feel I am at the Esteem stage because I have big dreams and want to see them out and work only jobs that I find fulfilling, but in other ways I know I come from a long line of people that were/are stuck at the safety stage and a part of me knows I still struggle on that level and the love level as well. I guess it speaks to the fluidity of it all that you mentioned.
Well then by all mean go fulfill those big dreams! But realize you gotta work hard and smart to get out of that safety stage…….it sometimes takes years to build a business machine that works smartly, and in the beginning it’s hard work. Go do it.
Wow, Neville! You’ve absolutely nailed it with the hammer of truth!
As I read your post, famous and not so famous marketing campaigns flashed through my mind. At each level, different sales letters I’d read came to mind as I recognized the devastating truth of how they played with their targets’ emotions at each vulnerable stage of their life.
One thing I’d like to add – humanity’s aspiring side. Even if John Doe is currently at the safety rung, he might long inside to be at the esteem or self-actualization rung. By combining the two and using the safety rung as a means to the esteem rung- you can achieve even better results. Either by tapping into their spiritual side, or to their jealousy of relatives or friends better off than them.
For example, when you target a lower class person – by learning these top secret techniques to earning a six figure income without intensive training or a college degree, you will gain the respect and admiration of your friends and family and achieve great things.
Know who does that really well? AWAI. They target people in the safety stage and not only appeal to their desire to earn more money, they promise that by ordering their course and making those six figures, you’ll get everything from the Esteem and Self-Actualization stage as well. And…it works. ;)
Thanks for a great, insightful post!
A
The HAMMER OF TRUTH! Wow, that sounds awesome :)
I agree you can definitely ping people on those emotional hotspots, but personally I don’t know if I 100% agree with that kind of marketing (although it DOES work…and well).
Something always rubs me the wrong way when you promise something like a copywriting course will not only make you money, but gain respect, admiration etc..
I’m sure it does for some people, but it seems like an over-promise. It’s a tough conundrum because like you even said, that type of marketing works surprisingly well even nowadays.
Thanks for chiming in Yove! (cool name)
Thanks Nev (too soon?)
My clients are at the safety stage (they are looking for help with debt / or at least info about debt.)
It is good to consider.
Thanks for bringing this to my attention.
Will continue to slant things towards their basic needs and not climb the pyramid too much :-)
Zak
PS. since i signed up for your newsletters and emails you are welcome to do the same on my site (www.debtfreedigi.co.za) and read more about managing debt and debt review.
Hmmmm…..I actually think helping people get out of debt is a noble thing (SO LONG AS YOU’RE NOT DOING ANY OF THAT PREDATORY SHIT)!
Having debt (especially for someone with a very low income) can be absolutely crushing, and permanently keep them at a low level of society.
It’s hard to climb out of the first run of Maslow’s Hierarchy if you constantly have to service those debts, and take jobs that you may hate, but must do in order to get money to once again….service those debts.
Hi Neville,
Great article, I’m currently on the first stage (physiological/physical stage). I’m a solo entrepreneur and I don’t have the money to hire extra employees to help me start making money. I have 3 websites but I only have the time to work on one of them. So I am loosing money on having the other 2 websites. I also have several marketing tools but I don’t have the time to use them that often and on one of them I have never used before. So I’m also loosing money on those things too. I have felt like a failure many times but something keeps me going and not give up. You’re newsletters inspire me though and I look forward to them. I wish I would have a mentor and someone to help me though. I’d like to at least reach the esteem stage at least and sell to everyone else above where I’m currently at, at least up to the ones on the esteem stage.
Well your job here is to get ONE of those to work. I’d suggest this:
1.) See which of your little businesses are working the best.
2.) Try your best to predict which one will STILL do well in 3-5 years.
3.) Kill the other two and go with the strongest one.
I had a lot of success early on when I killed off all my milllliooonss of side projects and dove full-in on ONE businesses.
I saw a quote somewhere: “Don’t half-ass two things, whole-ass one thing”
Good luck John!
Don’t mean to be a part of the Kopy Patrol but … “Where do your perspective customers stand in Maslow’s Hierarchy?” … you mean PROSPECTIVE and not PERSPECTIVE, right?
Good eye Kopy Patrol, updated!
Ha! When I saw the eMail in my inbox I was already writing a strongly worded reply in my mind, asking why you’re harassing me with school stuff.
Then I saw the poop story. I forgive you.
Sometimes I ask myself what I’m even doing in life, because I have discussed this pyramid from top to bottom (or rather bottom to top), yet I never thought about it in terms of marketing. You’re an evil genius.
I’m probably somewhere in-between stages, which is really fitting as I never…. Fit.
Some people probably think we’re out of our minds because we started a family before being even close to affording a house. I on the other hand think people are crazy to think they need a house to get pregnant. Everybody knows it’s the kissing that makes babies.
I wish I could write a lot about my customers, but my business has been all over the place. I tried to tap into the wrong markets and changed my mind on a weekly basis. Clever, clever – I know.
But I’m starting to look at it from a more goal-oriented perspective. I could probably address people on several stages. Show the safety stage people how to save money on groceries by cooking at home (would need to be fast meals with cheap ingredients, as they probably don’t have much time to cook). Provide a community to the relationshippers, where they can relate to my extra-emotional emotions and also talk to others. And show them how fun it is to share food with friends.
I’m sure I could find something about the top two tiers as well, but trust me, it’s hard to think straight when a 17 month old is trying to climb on top of you. Definitely not a high-pyramid moment of mine.
I guess I want to make my ideal customers modern, urban families who want to feed their kids well. They’re probably mostly on the relationship stage? It’s definitely not Pinterest fodder, but then again I don’t have crown molding on my kitchen cabinets, so I think I’ll be OK.
Oh final note: I’m definitely going to teach my kid to say she’s temporarily on the bottom of Maslow’s pyramid, when she, you know… Right now she’s wonkily walking around wearing my shoes, I’m guessing that’s self-fulfillment?
Lol….thanks Nora!
It looks like you have some traction on your site already. I think maybe for you instead of thinking TOO DEEPLY about where you customers are on Maslow’s Hierarchy, maybe just make the best damn site for food…..and for people connected over food?
The Hierarchy is a nice framework to apply for like A MINUTE, not to stress too much about.
I find it helpful to view what to offer people like this: “What would IIIIIII personally want from this site?”
I think, unfortunately, most of my customers are at the safety stage. Sometimes I wonder if it’s because I myself am at the safety stage and I don’t know how to authentically market to people beyond that phase of life because I can’t relate to it as well, but I think it’s also largely because what I sell (hula hoops) currently appeals to mainly younger college students. My personal target market, though, is older women, so I have the opportunity to tap into more affluent markets, I just haven’t done it yet.
Hey Jess, I think you’re right in that your audience is going to be usually not in the super-rich crowd….but that’s ok. A lot of businesses focus on middle-to-lower classes and do fantastic.
You just gotta give them something they want.
I noticed you’re selling hoops, but it seems that business model is relatively old now…..because now you can buy stuff online ANYWHERE (I’m looking at YOU Amazon)….
It’s tougher to sell an easily-available product independently now.
When I ran a rave company, there was someone selling these customized light up hoops that were awesome. They made the most money of any hoop seller because each one was a custom piece of art….not “just a hoop you can buy on amazon.”
Perhaps try experimenting with some other products, and see if anything strikes gold!
Thanks for a great post Neville,
I find it to be a terrible waste to see that so many rich people spend their lives on the second rung from the top, trying to gain status while they could be solving the world’s problems with the capital they’ve accumulated.
At the same time, typically younger people strive for self-actualization before they have fulfilled lower levels, looking to discover their place in the world before getting decent savings behind them.
Perhaps it’s a matter of the ‘height’ of each level, unique to every individual? Some people couldn’t possibly commit to marriage until they have bought a house and secured a top job, while others are happy to have *any* roof over their head while they head out to help others?
Hey Timbo! Everyone has their own funny journey through life, and Maslow’s Hierarchy is a FRAMEWORK to view it through, not necessarily the “right” way.
But yes, there are a lot of people that strive for self actualization without first hitting some crucial spots along the way, and Maslow’s pyramid is super useful for them to realize that.
Never thought of this, but makes sense. Very interesting neville.
Thanks maing, it’s a helpful lens to view things through!
Nev,
you have me cackling at my desk. seriously.
your sense of humor gives me a jolt :)
i love your analogies, metaphors and the way you describe concepts folks cant grasp in high school jokes.
You are a great story teller!
High school jokes? Mine are more elementary level ;-)
I’d probably put myself as vacillating most between the safety and Love stages… Sometimes self-esteem. Those I market to air in the Love and Self-Esteem rungs of the ladder.
And now I’m never going to be able to poop without thinking, “Hey, check out my pyramid!”
Yeah baby, SHOW ME YOUR PYRAMID.
It’s like every time I read your stuff a light bulb goes off in my head. It’s like I’ve know all along what you’re saying, but I just sort of needed that push to make me realize how I can use the info and do better. I really love this post.
Why thank you Amber!
Glad you liked this post, and hope it gives you an additional framework to look at things through.
I need to market to those in my own company. It’s funny seeing a micro version of the pyramid in a single corporate setting. How would you modify your “sum up” for a group of people in an enclosed setting?
Well if you’re the boss of them, you tell them: HEY YOU BETTER DO THIS. (although perhaps phrase that nicer and try to SELL them on why it’s important) :)
Not sure I understand the last part of your questions, maybe clarify further?
At the end of your post, you sum up what people would say at each of the layers. How would you sum up what people would say if outside of work they are on the same level, but on different levels at work?
I am the one responsible for telling them things like “STOP CLICKING ON RANDOM CRAP!” I have found that it’s not about telling people why it’s important (they know why), but about getting them to see their work differently, and to act differently.
One tip: Instead of telling people to “Stop clicking random crap”…..why don’t you show them what they SHOULD DO.
Like make a list of 5 YouTube videos they can “waste time with yet still learn” like some Elon Musk interviews or something.
Don’t just tell them “STOP IT!”….actually give them some alternatives. It’s far more effective.
I am 33 yrs old with a debilitating disability; facet arthropothy in L5 & S1, hence I am in the pgysical slash safety stage. I wish I wasnt. Anyway, soon I will volunteer once a week dealing with solar cookers..might sound dumb/lame but I am over th hills excited because I didnt realize women in third world countries arw raped, beaten, and sometimes murdered while they have to leave their villages to collect wood to cook food. When you are feeling low about your life and the have the opportunity to help someone on a lower level of the hierarchy, it makes you feel like your in the self realization (top) stage..even if you’re broke, like me. That’s my two cents (I had to borrow that…jk)
Yeesh……the Physical stage is tough if you’re forced to constantly be there.
HOWEVER, if you manage your issues in such a way that you can live through it, it shouldn’t hold you back. It seems like your goal of helping others will make you very fulfilled and very happy, so long as you FIRST make sure to take care of yourself (can’t help others if you don’t care for yourself).
Best of luck T!
Awesome, I think I´m in the middle of the pyramid. But the revelation is in discovering where´s your target audience. Thanks and greetings from Spain :-)
Yeah it’s cool to see where your audience is on this pyramid…a very easy framework to tell!
I’ve got a friend who loves to read philosophy while using the loo. Kinda his way of starting over at the lowest level each day, and then workin back up!
Bahahahha…….I guess he starts the day sitting down then ends it standing up ;)
I think I am in between the second and third stage. I moved to a new country 6 months ago. I am trying to change what I have been doing for the past 15 years, and create a whole new job/career for myself. This is not easy to do and I hope that with the help of your course and the wonderfully informative emails I will be successful! Keep those emails coming!
Thanks again!
Oh wow, so you were DEFINITELY moved down the scale a bit!
Well at least you know what you need to do to build yourself a new life, and it seems you’re following a fun path!
Hoo Neville!
Thanks for this new post man !
You promess me a new article and i got one .
Really interesting point of view on the last part.
Actually i was thinking that some people can have the state of mind of someone at the top of the pyramid with income of lower level.
Everything depend of our assumptions and our definition of self accomplishments.
Anyway this piece of content is adding a real value in my marketing knowledge.
Thanks man !
That’s true people can THINK like a top-of-the-pyramid person, but it really helps when you ARE there and income isn’t an issue any longer (you also have vastly more resources to throw at problems at that point also).
Glad you liked this Yonni!
I love the framework of this post Neville. It helps to provide me a guideline on how I should move forward. I am now at the love/belonging/esteem stage.
Your posts actually paints a very good picture of the internet marketing space. Those who are just starting out in the internet marketing space are hyper interested in the silver bullet or so called one click riches. Ebooks, case studies , courses, videos are being sold at $7 promised riches beyond your wildest imagination. We see landing pages with entrepreneurs working on the beach with their laptop (heck I tried that, and it was a disaster, had sand all over my laptop) – still wonder why people uses that photo.
I did went through a short stage of buying $7 courses for quick fix and believing that buying the course will make me an overnight millionaire. Not so say the $7 ebooks are crap, some are actually pretty good and share excellent TACTICS.
A few months into the rabbit hole, I begin understand the importance of having the right STRATEGY before applying any tactics to gain a momentum in my internet marketing business. I am now focused on helping my group of audience who are in the love/belonging stage. (thanks to your framework – I know where my audience stands)
This actually reminds me of the email you sent last week regarding the ‘tone of voice to use’. When marketing to my group of audience, the tone of voice and words is critical to connect with them. When I combine the application of that email with this post, it provides an birds eye view of an effective way to build a strong relationship with my audience.
Thanks for taking the time to come out with such great content.
Looking forward for your next post. :)
P.S. Have you bought any $7 dollar ebooks? The first one I bought was 7 minutes riches. Google it. Surprisingly, it’s pretty good and I still refer to it once a while. And NO, I am not an affiliate or promoting it. If you want to buy any course, get KopywritingKourse.
BAHAHAHA!!! The typical laptop-on-beach photo! Always cracks me up. (although I have worked from a beach on occasions where there’s a cabana nearby to sit at and NOT get sun and sand all over you).
Appreciate the compliments, and I actually have a post about “scamming” (although I’m not calling out any industry in particular, there are some obvious guilty culprits)…check it out soon.
And I have NOT bought any $7 ebooks about getting wealthy. I’m sure there’s some good ones. I have bought lots of normal books in that price range though, some that were very great.
Thanks for this perspective, Neville. It’s so basic but so easy to overlook.
As a marketing copywriter for an alternative health website, I would say my audience is definitely at the bottom of the pyramid. They suffer from autoimmune health complications so I’m often pitching products and programs that will help them improve their health. They’re most concerned with the basic levels of physical wellness. I will definitely keep this in mind with upcoming campaigns. Thanks again!
Excellent, I’d love to see how this pans out Grace!
I’ve been subscribed to your blog for a few months. For some reason this is the time I’ve clicked through! The simple and practical example of the rich guy needing to.. you know.. gave me a better understanding of Maslow and really engaged me. Bravo
So apparently poop jokes are how to get your attention.
We all just learned something new about you Bryan :)
I actually don’t really agree with Maslow’s theory, I think its too over-simplified… but for the purposes of marketing it does give nice route into how to address your client and their needs.
Fair enough! It is great to get a glimpse into what your customers hopes and dreams might be (and only slightly evil) :-P
For some weird reason, I read your posts using an Aziz Ansari voice… Nonetheless it was a great post! Super informative and I learned something new today before 9am (and you’re right I don’t think I’ll ever forgot the poop analogy). Saving this post for later for sure.
BAHAHAHHAHAAH that made me seriously laugh out loud!
Love Aziz. It’s funny because I try to make my posts super professional, but all my drawings and crappy design sense tends to make them funny and jokey…but hey, it works :)
Thank you Jake!
P.S. Poop.
First off, thank you for all of your ‘lessons’…not just this one, but I read EVERY ONE that gets sent into my inbox. I don’t usually do this. And, I am not trying to ‘suck up’…I truly find your tips, tricks, hints, Kreative thinking (see, I can do it too) not only simple to understand, so logical I can’t believe I didn’t think of it, to the point, and FUNNY! Love the drawings. You make me laugh out loud, and learn at the same time. As a teacher, I kommend you.
Second, people tend (I studied this krap as a psychology student in uni) to jump back and forth on this pyramid (love the pic), so it is a smart ‘marketing’ idea to check your analytics as the economy changes, and as your target audience go through various life stages (older peeps tend to either move way higher, or way lower (sadly) on the pyramid, for example). I like to think of this as more of a scale than a pyramid, although I know it is designed to show the percentage of people who actually achieve these levels (I think in modern society it has changed though, and would probably look more like an hourglass shape…at least in terms of first world countries.
Maslow has lots of other ideas, but this one definitely has withstood the test of time, and it is applicable in so many different fields of study, not just marketing…
There, komment made. Does living in Canada exclude me from the chance of winning? Should I tell you I’m really good looking and a big fan? Should I tell you again? ;)
Thanks for sending me reliable kontent that is truly USEFUL. You are one of the few…
Thank you very much for the compliments, and I totally agree that Maslow had a bunch of good ideas….but THIS one for some reason definitely caught the attention of the most people.
I like that you think it would be an “Hour Glass” more than a pyramid, I actually totally agree with that at there’s a greater and greater divide between rich and poor classes of people in the developed world.
Excellent post, Nev, as usual.
Really got me thinking – as usual with almost all your posts.
As I’ve commented to you before, I’m working through the curriculum in the entry-level copywriting course from http://www.awaionline.com/.
This course teaches ‘proper’ copywriting, and it seems pretty good.
But sometimes I have to force myself through the curriculum.
On the other hand, whenever a new email/post comes out from Nev, I devour it immediately.
Your copywriting style may not be ‘proper’, but I love it.
Hmmm, could that mean your copywriting style is more effective?
;^)
Thanks Mike!
For you in particular my copy might be more effective. Maybe some others like the more formal (possibly kinda-boring) style.
I actually steer clear of the AIWA-style of marketing copywriting as some sort of “dream job” because I think most people can’t do it or make a lot of money doing it.
They definitely harp on the point that “anybody can make six figures from their laptop being a copywriter” which I don’t think is very true.
I am in between the love/belonging stage and the self esteem stage. My customers are also in this area as well. Love this post will definitely be referencing this as I create content and products for my target market.
Awesome, give your customer base a quick glance through the lens of Maslow’s pyramid….it’ll be pretty useful!
It takes steps, lots of them indeed, to move from bottom to the Top tier of the pyramid. But there are easy, frequent and even scary slides which come from Top to bottom. It’s a neat little arrangement which keeps the human race busy. A giant real life Disneyland. Marketers can sell to both sides of the traffic…..those lumbering to reach next higher level and ones who are experiencing the free fall, the dejected ones, the grasping the thin air types. Marketers are the elevator boys in a unique position to address the ambitions and concerns of both.
Wow….GREAT way of putting it Irfan.
Love the “It’s a neat little arrangement which keeps the human race busy” quote!
I consider my self as middle class and the people I sell to as well. Only because we are barely skimping by. Even though I have a good job, don’t drink, smoke, do drugs or hardly buy anything for myself, I am barely making it from check to check. It would be so nice to be able to just not have to worry how I am going to pay this bill or feed us this week.
More money would be great!!!
Yup, and until you figure out how to get from paycheck-to-paycheck, it’s definitely harder to think about the future or “self-actualization” when there’s legitimate concern about your income in the coming days.
Best of luck exiting that stage and being able to move on!
I don’t find needed for people to follow this structure on a rigid way. For example, I find myself with variable income, I do think in very abstract ways almost “spiritual enlightening” kind of stuff and I would like to live in a better place, preferably one with a greater amount of beautiful women.
So I do believe that you can be in various degrees of this pyramid in different aspects of your life and not only in 1 all the time. There is no way to say this guy is here and that one there.
Do you agree with this Nev? I wonder if you simplified this on purpose just to make it simpler for marketers, am I right?
Well, I don’t have the answer to EVERYTHING……and while I think people can be in different stages at different times, I do think there is a logical progression to the hierarchy.
Sure you can think about the far future from time to time if you’re poor….but if you were mega-wealthy you might be able to think about it 18 hours a day AND have significant resources to impact it.
Actually, there is one more rung/layer that should to be added in the 21 century and it is at the very bottom of the pyramid: Wi-Fi:-) Come to think of it- sometimes your only way to get food, water, whatever is if you have internet-Wi-Fi!
Lol…..I saw that somewhere in some graphic :)
I’m “The Safety Stage” It would be nice to go higher. Fuck money sounds nice :) But in reality I guess more money more problems? But to reach to stage to go out and eat and fuck the price, order what you like and pay for your friends to. And not bother how you will pay for this when credit bill comes :D
Hope internet and technology will provide :)
I think it’s cool to say “More money, More problems”….but you never see people with money just give it all away so they can be poor.
…so it MUST be pretty good ;-)
Very nice article. I feel that it is not so much of their current state of ‘wealth’ but more towards what the individual feel they can achieve.
In some aspects, your ‘stage’ reflects your primary insecurity and I agree that in different times, people will be insecure about different things. For e.g., a young, highly paid, executive who normally lives a upper middle class life might be in self esteem/self actualization might drop to the safety stage if suddenly he loses his job or if the economy takes a sudden downturn.
I think also believe that there are cases where people over-pursue self actualization that they skip the safety stage. Trying too hard to ‘find the meaning’ of life might actually be detrimental if you neglect the fundamentals stages.
Hey Jin, I definitely agree that too many people try to skip all the stages and just “find the meaning of life” in vain.
In reality they can make a pretty happy life by systematically hitting all the other “boring” parts of the pyramid.
I am definitely at the safety stage right now. Good post and helps to understand what message needs to be sent to which audience.
Awesome, glad it clarified things for you Alex!
People at different rungs of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs move down the scale as needs arise. Nev… I find this one to be strikingly true.
One of the best examples I find this applicable is the rising number of folks in 1st world countries who want to decode their purpose in life… while still having a huge debt on their head, have shitty relationships, are 30 lbs over-weight, etc.
Sometimes people misunderstand their current stage and shoot for the self-actualization stage. For ex – every 2 out of 3 undergrad wants to know the meaning of life who just graduated with thirty thousand dollars of debt. Some of them travel, some of them stay poor and broke while struggling to break the code.
I think this creates a great opportunity for marketers to be smart. For the above prospects, while they’re looking for products in the self-actualization stage, they are in the lower depression stages.
Smart marketers should position their messages that hits their sub-conscious mind instead of their desired self-actualized mind.
Ah… did I make it confusing?
Let’s do it in the caveman style?
Scenario – You life-coach. Want to help improve lives of more clients.
Problem – Client wants happy!
Solution – Before you offer solution… figure out which stage prospect now…
Credit card debt? You offer solutions better finances through your life-coaching.
Over-weight? Eat junk food? Shitty relationships? You position your product and message accordingly.
Was that still confusing?
Ankur that was great!
I think that should’ve been part of the post! I totally agree that a lot of times people try to question the meaning of life as if there’s some magic answer (there is, but it’s too simple for them to accept: http://www.nevblog.com/the-purpose-of-life/ )
Very NevBox-worthy comment!
I’m an enigma and fall across at least a couple of “rugs” (you have a typo in your “P.S.” section) on the ladder.
The Physical Stage:
– Almost as a kid, but parents somehow kept us fed.
The Safety Stage:
– Been there and it sucks. Right now I am good.
The Love Stage:
– Don’t give a fuck if everyone loves me, but wouldn’t mind either. Probably partially at this level now.
The Self Esteem Stage:
– I do have the AC job and wish I did. Although I really want control of my own thing. Partially at this level.
The Self-Actualization Stage:
– I have yet to make the “Fuck You Money”, but really want to. I am partially at this stage as I do want to do cool shit that helps people.
Bahahah good eye on the typo :)
Good you know where you stand, and what you really want to achieve already!
Great post, Nev! I enjoyed reading it and it’s a very good idea to understand people’s motivations using this pyramid.
I think many people nowadays have needs which are from different levels in the pyramid, like fellow kommenter Ralph Hua said.
But…
While we’re thinking about the meaning of life, getting a good relationship, friends, good income etc. *all at the same time*, we are actually really concerned (aka IT’S URGENT) about one of these levels. And people buy stuff which solves their most urgent problems. That’s the point of the pyramid.
Right now I’m at the Love/Belonging Stage, I think.
Awesome, glad you can identify where you are, so you can advance even further.
HOWEVER, it doesn’t always mean you must solely try to focus on that one area…..I think it’s just helpful to note that it’s something you should be paying attention to.
My first hearing about this pyramid and is was mind blowing. I loved the way you explained it Nev! At this stage of my life seems like I’m somewhere between Level 2 and 3. As soon as you mentioned the side income thing I immediately thought of at least 3 email list I signed up for in the last month. However in the same breath, I’ve also been looking to change my circumstances through a change in my environment by joining a group of like minds. It’s interesting to note that I’m yrying the create a business for people on the Esteem Stage (future brides) who want respect and importance. Makes me wonder if the marketing should be completely focusedbon them ans their desire to boost the self-esteem?
Oh sweet, well glad I intro’d you to Maslow!
As to your brides business, just remember THE BRIDES OFTEN AREN’T ACTUALLY THE CUSTOMER.
Many times it’s the PARENTS paying for the wedding, and the PARENTS dropping the cash.
Just remember who your “true” customer is ;)
although i don’t have shit loads of money, i think i can fairly position myself in the self esteem stage of the pyramid.
I’m not sure I 100% agree with you, about the higher stage, when you determine that those people are swimming in dollars. I think that people can comfortably position themselves in it, if they have enough money (not a lot), so that they don’t have to worry about “real life issues”.
All in all a great post man, I really enjoy your tips and insights.
I’d agree you can position yourself in the top without having TONS of money…..
…..but I will say from personal experience that those with “tonnss of money” tend to set their ambitions even higher because they also have a vast amount of resources to throw at a problem (Think Elon Musk, Bill Gates).
That’s why I made that judgement to say Self Actualized are awash with money.
But also……YOU MY FRIEND are awash with resources compared to your ancestors of 100+ years ago!
You probably live an order of magnitude better than your great grandfather could have ever dreamed possible.
I think more people than ever in history are in that Self Actualization stage with you thanks to tons of awesome technology!
Thank you for your wonderful post Neville :) This is a fascinating discussion! It has definitely made me think.
In my own experience I have found that some without a lot of resources can perceive their state as abundant – those who have faith and trust that they will always have enough.
I have also found that some with loads of resources can perceive their state as vulnerable or precarious – those who are fearful, and feel the need to keep making money to assuage their fears.
I feel that it actually may be more about how people *perceive* their resource level that determines where they are on the hierarchy of needs.
So instead of:
Resource rich = Self actualised
Resource poor = Survival fears
consider:
Faith & trust = Self actualised
Fear of future = Survival fears
Or something like that.
Not sure how this would play into marketing though…
The article was great but it made me want to take a poop.
Thanks for helping me push things through if you know what I mean.
This might be the greatest compliment I have ever received. Poop on brother.
Thank You Neville.
It would be interesting to use this idea to reach people wishing to reach higher in social ladder, by tickling their ambitions.
Your thoughts are valuable as always.
Thanks Jerzy! It’s definitely a way to see what you should be aspiring to.
Hey Neville, thank you for your creative posts – I look forward to them. I see myself at the esteem stage/self-actualization stage.
I started from a love/belonging stage, I left college to pursue my passion in internet marketing and had a lot to prove. In 7 months, all the Asian relatives had to clam their mouths when I made more money that I would have as an accountant.
Where do your perspective customers stand in Maslow’s Hierarchy?
I’ll be honest with you. When I started coaching on internet marketing, most of my clients were in the security stage, they were dead poor, didn’t have $500 in the bank— and to come for my courses, they wanted to borrow money to enter. I just followed the target crowd that my mentors were targeting— the MLM, shiny object syndrome people.
They were envious of the income I was making and wanted the same. I learnt from him and marketed to the same crowd. The close was easy, show income, share dreams, get them excited to buy. But. When I made the sale and actually taught them, it was sooo difficult.
1. To them, spending on the course is a significant sum of money— they wanted to make money and make money fast- They are not going to bother about an “MVP”, “tribe-building” or “email marketing” things I was teaching them.
They would rather join click to surf sites with no guarantees of money. (Those that click ads for $$) — another trainer popped up and served them exactly what they wanted. The pill to get rich, easy and quick. They took it and now, all their money is stuck in the account. Angry that they lost money, but couldn’t get it back from the other trainer— they said that my stuff doesn’t work and wanted a refund.
2. They make a lot of noise and don’t do shit
You give them instructions, they say it is too much work. You don’t give them instructions, they say that support is bad. They say “why the guy made money and I haven’t made money yet? what are you not teaching me?” I asked him to send me an email of exactly what he did. No response. I hated serving these group of people. They were constantly demanding, stripped away the joy of my creative work and so, I began turning clients away. They begged to join and told me sob stories.
Here’s the voila moment: I raised my price.
Raising my price is the single best thing I did to get quality clients. When I sell my training, I appeal to business owners or people who make at least $8k a month.
These people are smart and know the value of what I am teaching. They actually see the skill of being able to write for money as being valuable, they see the power of branding.
They actually take steps to APPLY what they have learnt and they saw huge results in their business, one became a speaker, the other had a suite of informational products she released about health foods, which made her $8k in a weekend, the other gelato franchisee made $950 in a week, extra, using Facebook ads.
To sell to them, I speak about esteem, about skills-set, about combining passion with a solid business model. It is the new thing- digital marketing and they will have an unfair advantage over other people of their same age/social class.
“Passion, happiness, fulfilment, time- freedom, new rich— the Tim Ferriss/Lewis Howes vibe”. Are there challenges serving these people?
Yes 1. They are usually more skeptical
They ask a lot of questions too, sometimes, too much such that they immobilise themselves.
My mentor told me “very smart people seldom get rich because they shuffle around too much thinking”.
Usually, I close the sale by telling them straight: You’re the smartest guy in the room.
He will say “oh, thank you”.
I will say “and a smart guy like you will know that thinking without taking any action is fruitless”. Plus, I find that with powerful branding and persistence, you can cull the critics.
2. They demand a high level of support and quality
When you charge high, the kind of people you attract generally have been well-travelled, well-read. They know quality and shit. So the service standards have to be much higher.
Overall, life is MUCH better serving the people up there, if you’ve got great stuff to back it up.
Pretty much a great post also – really sums up most likely what 99% of online marketers face when first writing copy. She is right dealing with economically challenged individuals is TOUGH – I want to feel bad for them – but they literally do this to themselves – I wish there was a magic pill to educate them on why life does not have to be this way.
Whoa, GREAT NevBox-worthy post Tavia!
It makes natural sense that when you market to people such as “MAKE TONS OF MONEY!! DO NO WORK!!” that you will get the not-hard-working people.
Unfortunately this method of marketing is what most people are taught early on, especially from older-school internet marketing.
Nowadays there’s so many ways to actually EDUCATE and SHOW people what to do, and attract a harder working crowd.
Excellent post!
Woah thanks Neville, I’m so delighted!
@Michael:
I came to the realisation : You can’t bring a cow that is not thirsty to water. I cannot help the poor and educate them if they don’t have the desire to change. If I do so, I only awaken their wrath and make them realise their predicament that neither them nor I have the power or will to change. That makes both of us miserable. Perhaps they are happy and content where they are. Then who am I to tell them to aspire for more? Nobody. When they ask for help, I do what I can. But only when they are willing to really make a change.
@Nev:
I’m really happy that the old way is dying away and making space for the new. The new generation of IMers are doing good- exciting stuff – and it proves to be profitable — why? The Biz Opp/Making money online niche now overlaps with the personal development niche as well, when we serve those on the top rungs. It is also good for the customers.
We actually attract the types of people who are more likely to succeed in digital marketing, they just have a feel of how to maneuver the whole social media/copywriting space better than the crowd of stay at home mums (no ill intended! I love u mom)…
My clients are now the kinds of people who create startups (not wantrepreneurs) and do cool shit to improve the way people live. I love marketing these stuff because I actually BELIEVE in the ideas :)
Must say that your writing keeps me believing that great honest work doesn’t go unnoticed.
Thank you Nev , am a big fan :)
This was valuable man: not the theory of Maslow’s need itself but your interpretation and thoughts on people at the different levels. Also, the “fluidity of position” is a concept I didn’t think about.
It’s good to read some fresh, new theories from you.
Regards,
FM
Thanks Fernando!
It’s my best interpretation I could come up with…I’m sure someone can argue against this, but this is the best framework I could come up with around the Hierarchy.
Glad you enjoyed!
Hello! I never thought someone have thought about this kind of things in a so clear manner. It’s awsome.
Helped me undestand: I had a stable job, a beaultiful family, a wonderful house, a good back savings and I was very respected in society. But I was in the Love/belonging Stage and thought aury that I was in the Self Actualization Stage. Then I quit my job, my wife divorced me, I needed to sell my house, I spent all my savings, and now I am retired – furious with my life – living back in the Safety Stage. This is why I’m studying, because I dont give up and I will try to revert this situation.
Congratulations! Excelent article.
Best regards
Paulo Moura
Whoa! A lot has happened Paulo….
It looks like your task is to work your way back up the pyramid. You may first need to secure a stable income, stash away some savings, form a strong friend circle, and then advance your career (even later in life).
It’s doable! Best of luck Paulo, possibly NevBox-worthy reply!
Can I just say I love your simple (ugly!) style. It keeps me reading every email you send :) I think the pyramid is a useful broad tool however in my case, the clients I work with – healers and therapists who want to get more clients, are often struggling financially, so would be lower down the pyramid because they focus on the top tier before they are ready (in terms of the pyramid). So for me I have to address both – give them what they want in terms of the security they need but in language that appeals to the top tier. Does that make sense?
I wish my style was simple and PRETTY! Unfortunately I suck at design :)
Hmmmm…..interesting situation, because you’re dealing with people trying to focus on the top tier without ever having REALLY MADE IT THERE.
That’s a tough one.
I’ve got a client like that too. He claims to be an abundant meditation healer but he tries to squeeze as much value out of my service package and picks on the tiniest things to be upset about. Fired him. lol.
There is a big difference between a real deal and a fake-it-because-it-is-trendy-dude. Fire the hypocrisy.
But if I wanted to stick with him, I’d do it this way.
I’d tell him mostly about the security stuff he’s worried about.
It’s not what you pretend to be anyway, or aspire to be. It’s who you are at the moment.
And I’ll paint a better picture of him, a nobler self— use statements such as “being the healer that you are, you give xxx benefit to the world. A person like you should be well compensated minimally. This allows you to have more than enough to pour out to the world. I’m the person who will help you get there.”
Shit I say sometimes. Rolls eyes. Works every time.
Yeesh, sounds terrible to have to deal with that kind of crowd.
I’ve done some crappy consulting gigs in my time, but over time realized who I DIDN’T want to deal with and cut them out.
Thanks for the replies Neville and Amanda. I’ve recently specifically chosen to work with clients like this because I really value the healing work they do, they just have a hard time with the business/marketing side of work. So I’m doing it in a way that they can afford without me feeling undervalued, i.e. not 1:1 but by creating community and doing group and online coaching. Hopefully win/win/win :)
Really funny—but real-talk—post. Much appreciated as I start getting into specifics when thinking about my target audiences inner-needs.
Glad you learned something….I would say only spend a few minutes (maybe ONE minute) thinking about this stuff. Focus all the rest on trying to make your customers super happy :)
Thanks for sharing Neville!
I’m currently jobless but building my freelance copywriting business, and I have an apartment which isn’t fully paid off. So I would say I’m at the “Safety Stage”.
In my mind, I am always asking questions that belongs to the “Self Actualization Stage”.
So I’m in a hybrid situation?
I figure once you get your situation figured out and have a surplus of resources you will ask even more SA questions.
Hi Nev, like you say, a person can fluctuate between the stages. I’d say that I’m between the esteem and self-actualization stages. And my customers are between the love/belonging and esteem stages. I think there can be some overlaps and it’s not a clear-cut segregation between the stages.
That’s true Arnaud! There can definitely be some overlap (and there are even instances where someone can actually be at the top, but be lacking certain qualities from lower rungs).
Awesome post Neville! I was just reading about how MLM companies prey on lower-middle class people with a very similar example to the $3000/week you have. I get it now!
Ugghh…..I didn’t want to witch-hunt any people or industry in this post, but the MLM industry is definitely a huge culprit of preying on the most vulnerable.
Excellent Neville. I believe to be the self esteem stage. It is interesting to see in one chart how I can get to the next stage. I have never thought of using this system to judge where I am in life. Thank you.
Yes I remember seeing his in high school as well and thinking I’m in the safety tier. For now. But when I become a six figure copywriter like Neville I’ll move up a tier.
Nice! It’s definitely a cool little framework to use!