Facts are not as convincing as we might want them to be.

Facts work for engineers. Facts build bridges.

Unfortunately, for marketers, facts can’t build bridges to customers.

It would be so much easier if they did. It would be so much safer.

With money being tighter and tighter, we are less able to afford to be wrong.

Bad publicity means loss of profits.

And, because we don’t want to upset anyone, we often end up saying nothing.

So, we just tell people the facts.

Facts aren’t wrong.

Facts help justify a purchase.

(Yes. They do. But only after the decision to buy has been made.)

Facts are facts. You can’t argue with facts.

Facts like, “If people are only told the facts, they only retain 5-10% of the information.” (Stanford University, 2014.)

(Luckily, the study goes on to say, “If the facts are contextualized with a story or an anecdote, retention rates go up to 65-70%.) Phew.

The fact is, most people don’t like to think.

Daniel Kahneman won a Nobel Prize for proving it.

As he says, “Thinking is to humans as swimming is to cats. We can do it, but only if it’s absolutely necessary.”

Mark Earls in Herd, How to Change Mass Behavior by Harnessing Our True Nature, explores this further and, I paraphrase… “Humans are great at justifying decisions. Humans are not so great at developing their own ideas. They act on emotions and post-rationalise.”

It’s a fascinating book. There are studies and charts and research findings.

It’s a ripping read. I recommend with confidence.

The lesson for marketers is this.

Don’t expect customers to think.

Tell them a story.

They’re more likely to remember your story. Better yet, if you have a unique way of telling your story, they’ll remember you even more. And if your facts help make the story feel true, they may just remember those facts. And use those facts to justify their purchase.

Somewhat paradoxical.

But that’s people for you.

And ain’t that a fact?