Watch Out for These Marketing Traps!

What would happen if you bought everything advertised to you? Would you have money left over at the end of the month? Would you have money left over at the end of the week? The truth is, you are constantly being bombarded with advertisements and marketing. Companies want you to buy their product! They will pull out all the stops to achieve this goal. Now, they are not going to simply ask you to buy their product, because that would rarely work. Instead, they hit you in the “feelings”. They tie what they are trying to sell to an emotion to elicit a response from you. The marketing is good too. Companies spend millions of dollars on research to get the most precise marketing available to ensure they have a sale. The truth is, you do not stand a chance at avoiding this barrage. However, you can arm yourself against these things and learn to recognize them.

1) Know Yourself And Question The Motives

Often the first sign you will get is an internal one. There will come a time in your day when the marketing and advertising will sink in. You will find yourself thinking, “I think I need that,” when in reality you don’t. The marketing has made you feel as though having that particular item in your life would make it better. Although some things advertised may indeed make your life better, a majority of them are temporary feelings which you do not need right now. Thus, the easiest way to combat these feelings is to be able to recognize it and learn to question it. If it is something you can live without for a month, it is probably something you do not need. If it is something you cannot live without today, it is likely a need. However, it does not mean you should still buy it.

2) Challenge The Need

You may have come to the conclusion the item you are after is something you need now. Great. However, ask yourself some more questions such as, “can I borrow it from someone?” or, “is being without this item preventing me from living out my normal day?” Although that last question is the typical clencher, you may be stubborn and still answer, yes. If it is preventing you from living out your normal day, what is the cost? Is this something you can afford today? Is it something you will need to save for? An even better question should be, “is this something I SHOULD save for rather than trying to buy it today?” More often than not, you should probably save for most items. I know it can be tough to watch the football game on a 32″ TV, but this does not qualify as an event to go buy a new 75″ TV.

3) Look For The Best Price

One of the key things marketing will push is to have you buy their product without thinking about alternatives. They will impart the belief that you will only be happy with their item and no others will come close. Thus, you have the urge to buy it. The truth is, there are likely hundreds of the exact same product they are trying to sell all at different prices. In many cases, you will be able to find the generic brand of some products or a used version for cheaper. Although new items are great to have, it is just not sustainable. Those same ads which are pushing a product on you now will be pushing the exact same product (only newer) next year! It is a vicious cycle.

All in all, most people know when they are being coerced into buying something they probably do not need. We just choose to ignore it because we truly think we need it. Most of us also know and understand being reasonable with spending money. However, we are choosing NOT to be reasonable and decide to make compulsive decisions. It is time to step up and be smarter than the ads. You CAN do this!