Aristotle's Plan For Digital Marketers

Is it possible that a man who lived in 300 BC has provided the foundation for digital marketing success in 2015 and beyond? Let's explore.

Aristotle, the Greek philosopher and scientist is know for his ground breaking work in Physics, Ethics, Politics, Economics and Psychology to name only a few. Now it seems we can add Digital Marketing to the list.

As marketers scramble to connect with a rapidly moving and changing buyer, Aristotle's treatise of persuasion can be leveraged thousands of years later to effectively find, connect and convert new clients and deliver billions in incremental revenue to marketers.

Aristotle proffered three key elements of delivering a compelling argument: Logos Pathos, and Ethos. Here what each means for marketers today.

Logos: Logos relies on empirical evidence as the cornerstone of Aristotle's approach, leveraging scientific and irrefutable information to make a case for change. In this way, and for the digital marketer, data gathered from all customer activities in a multi screen world is at the core of modern marketing and just the evidence marketers need to more effectively connect with buyers. In McKinsey's new article, The Golden Age of Marketing, it highlights the importance of "science and substance" in the form of research and analytics which informs marketers as to "who buys what, and why; who influences buyers; and when, in the consumer decision journey." In order to have a meaningful conversation with our buyers, we need to know who they are, what they are doing, what they value, their choices, and their feedback. Marketers' use of data is critical to this phase of the Aristotle plan. Leveraging technology to collect data, analyze it, and turn it back around in the form of targeted, differentiated and personalized content delivered in real time is critical. Data, McKinsey says, provides powerful new "clues" as to why buyers behave as they do.

Pathos: Emotion is Phase 2 in the Aristotle approach to persuasion. He spoke of "arousing the passions" of the audience and that we should tell stories which appeal to the audience's values. In fact he is quoted as saying that the 'soul never thinks without a picture." Modern marketers are leveraging effective storytelling to drive meaningful connections to buyers. Creating compelling and engaging experiences through personalized content creates emotion, which in turn fuels engagement, according to Andrew Frawley in Igniting Customer Connections. (Wiley, 2014)Frawley points to shared beliefs, common experiences, and commitment to a cause as key triggers of an emotional affiliation with a brand. The strength of these emotional connections is an indicator of future loyalty and oftentimes define the highest value customers. Those brands that do it best are realizing greater share of wallet from their customers.

Ethos: At the core of Ethos is trust and credibility which is the final element of Aristotle's approach to effective persuasion. Reputation is a key component in establishing credibility and most important to fostering trust. As reputation is either strengthened or damaged over time, it must be near the top of every marketer's goals. Marketers who consistently deliver the right messages, offers, content and customer experiences to their buyers (and therefore demonstrate that they understand and value these buyers) are the most trusted.

Those marketers who can effectively leverage data(Logos), transform it into meaningful and consistent customer experiences and build emotional connections(Pathos) with their buyers are the most trusted(Ethos). They receive more loyalty and eventually increased share of wallet and incremental revenue. Aristotle, regarded by many as the most intelligent man in history, once again demonstrates that his knowledge is relevant in the modern day and for the modern marketer.

Dan Sixsmith is a VP at Alinean, Inc. He is Founder and CMO at Trammel Marketing Group and Chief Content Officer at "The Digital Advantage by Dan Sixsmith"