The Power of Gestalt in Marketing
What Does ‘Gestalt’ Mean?
One of my favorite words is ‘gestalt’. Outside of being fun to say, it has a pretty cool meaning, here’s the definition:
ge·stalt (noun) - "an organized whole that is perceived as more than the sum of its parts"
In my first blog post, I mentioned how I generally take a holistic approach to almost everything in life, including marketing, thanks for my background as a yoga instructor. I feel like the word ‘gestalt’ really encapsulates the reasoning behind that approach. Let’s just focus on the marketing application for now.
Your Marketing Strategy as a Gestalt
When your marketing strategy is a gestalt, you’re setting yourself up for success, because each element of your strategy will support and fuel the other elements of your strategy. Imagine each marketing channel—email, social media, blog writing, content, SEO, website/landing page design, print/catalogue design, and even your tradeshow booth design—as integral pieces of a puzzle.
Marketing strategies are like puzzles:
Every piece should fit together to form a greater whole (aka gestalt).
Admittedly, I think in metaphors. I find analogies to relate everything to something else - it’s just how my brain works. It’s also a great way for me to simplify and convey concepts to people, so here’s another way to look at it:
Think of this type of marketing strategy as a symphony. Every instrument plays its unique role, contributing to a harmonious melody. When your email campaigns resonate with your social media messaging, and your blog content aligns with your website design, a powerful 'Gestalt' effect emerges. Prospects and clients experience a holistic brand encounter, reinforcing your message at every touchpoint. There’s consistency, connection, and cohesion - these three help to build trust and cement your brand into their minds.
That way, when the time comes when they need what you offer - your brand is at the top of their mind.
Consistency Is Key
From the smallest details of your print materials to the visual allure of your tradeshow booth, each element should echo the same narrative. It's about more than just aesthetics. It's about reinforcing your brand identity and messaging at every opportunity, creating a lasting and memorable impression.
A cohesive and consistent brand narrative across all channels is essential for a successful marketing strategy. This approach ensures that your audience experiences a seamless and compelling brand story, no matter where they interact with your business.
And you never know where they’ll first interact with your brand, so making sure it’s all ‘singing the same song’ helps to ensure it comes across the way you want.
Why It Matters
I know your time is precious, so I’ll keep it simple, here are 4 ways embracing the gestalt mindset in marketing helps you win:
Enhanced Brand Recognition: When all elements of your marketing strategy are in sync, it strengthens brand recognition. Your audience becomes familiar with your brand's look, feel, and message, making it easier for them to remember and recognize your business.
Improved Customer Experience: A unified approach ensures that your audience has a consistent experience across all touchpoints. This consistency builds trust and makes it easier for potential customers to understand your value proposition.
Increased Engagement: When your marketing efforts are cohesive, it encourages engagement. Your audience is more likely to interact with your content, share it, and take the desired actions.
Stronger ROI: A well-integrated marketing strategy maximizes the impact of each element, leading to better results and a higher return on investment.
Actionable Tips
Here are some action items you can do TODAY to bake cohesion into your marketing strategy:
Align Your Messaging: Ensure that your core message is consistent across all channels. Your emails, social media posts, blog content, and website should all reflect the same key themes and values.
Design for Consistency: Use consistent design elements such as colors, fonts, and imagery across all marketing materials. You likely have a brand kit/guidelines, so use it. This creates a cohesive visual identity.
Integrate Your Efforts: Make sure that each component of your marketing strategy supports and enhances the others. For example, your social media posts should drive traffic to your blog, and your blog should promote your email newsletter, and so on.
Measure and Adjust: Continuously monitor the performance of your marketing efforts. Use data to identify areas where you can improve consistency and integration.
Sleep on it: Yes, when you think you’re done with a design or concept - take a break away from it, sleep on it, give it some time and then come back to it, you’d be surprised by the opportunities for further cohesion you’d notice.
Get More Eyes on It: Within your network, you likely have some trusted folks you can bounce ideas off of - show/tell your concept to them, ask them if they get your vibe right off the bat, see what they think. Shoot, ask me! I’d be happy to help, so my last tip is to…
Connect with Me!
That’s right, let’s build a marketing strategy for your business based on this approach. If this method resonates with you, then we are already off to a great start, so hit the button below and let’s get to work.
