Really enjoyed this post.

Now I want to do a new blog called “Natural and Contagious”!

People buy what they want, not what they need. What people usually want is a great story that they already believe even before it’s told.

For me… Hawaii is a tropical paradise, but you already knew that. That’s why it works. It may or may not be true but that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

In my opinion… Internet marketing involves working around two distinct thought processes on the part of the consumer.

Internal Search:
This is the internal process of recalling past information from memory. The “Mental images” or the representation of an idea in a person’s mind and the ability to form and recall mental images and to learn about the world from them.

Preexisting internal information influences how the consumer perceives external information.

External Search:
This is the external process of seeking information from the outside world via Search Engines, Reference Websites, Blogs, Opinion Leaders, Family Members & Friends.

The consumer has a pre-existing belief system about all products and services. These beliefs create a “Lens” or distorted POV the consumer uses when using a search engine to research products and make purchase decisions.

It is generally very difficult to attempt to change beliefs that people hold, particularly those that are strongly held, even if they are inaccurate. It is usually easier to strengthen or modify existing beliefs than it is to change them.

For me… It’s a lot easier to tell you how cool Hawaii is versus how bad it sucks.

This is called a Cognitive Consonant. (The stories match) When someone tells you something you already believe, it gives you the warm fuzzes. A good salesman will first listen to you and then tell you things that you already believe or at least hope are true. The same goes for web design and online advertising.

Cognitive Dissonance is the exact opposite. This is the inner tension that a consumer experiences after recognizing an inconsistency between the internal and external sources of information.

Whatever the consumer believes… is true. They will filter out everything else.

Preexisting mental images and emotions influence external information filtering. When the mental image matches the new information source, the consumer is much more likely to notice, study and retain the new information.

Stories that match get bookmarked and linked to. Stories that don’t match are invisible.

Emotions also influence information processing.

In general, happy people tend to scrutinize arguments given (e.g., cost versus benefits of using a product) a lot less, since they don’t want to lose their happy moods by doing too much thinking.

Sometimes… The more you want something to be true, the more you are willing to pay someone who reinforces your belief with an authentic and convincing story.

A good story is easy to tell. The stories and information need to be authentic, natural and easy for one person to tell another.

You should be able to get someone’s attention with less than 75 characters and then explain what it is and why it’s cool in 350 characters or less. Why? Because that’s the max character count that digg will give you.