"People are more motivated by immediate consequences than by future possibilities."

Oh, how true. I work with a couple who are big proponents of sustainable living—how to live happy fulfilling lives without draining the earth's resources. They have actually built a completely sustainable housing community, the Garden Atriums, that is nothing short of amazing. Seriously, click on the link and check it out. One of the challenges they face is getting people to care about what will happen down the road, globally, as we continue to live as we are right now. And you know what? They've found a general sense of indifference when they present these trends, predictions, and facts to people. Of course, nobody acts indifferent when face-to-face with them, but when it comes to taking action today to better our future, most people are slow to do anything at all to make changes in their daily lives.

There may be quite a few reasons for this. Financial restrictions, a sense of being overwhelmed and not knowing where to start, stuck in habit, no sense of personal responsibility, but I also believe a big factor is this: many people are not really forward thinking ("The future is so vague and far away, how can we really know what's going to happen?"). Sure, we may save up for retirement and college funds, but past that, people don't seem to really consider long term consequences for present action. It can be a weak motivator. Especially for small actions that in isolation may seem inconsequential to the larger picture. Think about it—you rationalize that Twinkie today won't hurt anything, right? But you know a lifetime of poor eating habits is going to harm your health in the long run. You still eat the Twinkie, don't you? The immediacy of pleasure outweighs the delayed consequence. And if you do it once, you'll probably do it again.

That's why some industries have it tough. Preventive healthcare, sustainable living, churches—these can be a little harder to market than physical goods or impulse buys (um, iPhone, anyone?). How do you get people to care about the "important" things? 

Well, one thing I've learned is you can't force your own passion on everybody. There will be some that just don't want to hear what you have to say, no matter how important, how true, or how life-changing it may be. Some may not be ready for your message. It's hard to accept, but that's how it is. That's why it's important to narrow down who your target audience is. This is more than just age and income bracket. It's also lifestyle, daily habits, what makes them laugh, what is important to them? Who are the ones most likely to be receptive to your message? Next, you have your fringe audience—those that may not be your primary audience, but can be swayed to hop on board. And this is where you focus your efforts. As much as you believe "everybody" should be your target audience, you absolutely have to segment, or your resulting marketing, trying to appeal to everybody, will be impactful to none.

If you're in this type of industry, the important things to remember in your marketing are:

1. Highlight a sense of urgency. But...
   

2. Try to stay away from fear tactics. Or at least overt fear tactics. Fear actually can be a powerful motivator, so in some cases it can work well...but it also has the potential to make people shut down. (Sort of a close your eyes, cover your ears, and "la-la-la" type of thing. We call this denial.)

3. Focus on the emotional appeal of what you're doing. People are emotional creatures. As you're throwing facts and figures at them, try instead to reach their heart.

4. Use facts and figures.  Backing up your claims or beliefs with cold hard facts will lend credibility and give a foundation to what you're saying.

5. Offer a baby-steps approach to keep from intimidating people. E.g. preventive healthcare: don't try to turn everyone vegan overnight, maybe challenge people to start just by drinking more water once a day.

6. Repetition is key.

7. Repetition is key.

8. Repetition is key. Hey, did you go visit that Garden Atriums site yet? (Oh, we are a stubborn people, aren't we? It takes a few times to get through to us.)

Of those, I think a sense of urgency is especially critical. In the time that you do have their attention, don't let them get distracted and move on. Impress upon them the importance of acting now! You see it all the time in little ways (in the form of expiration dates on coupons, limited time promotional offers, and one-day sales). And guess what? It's effective. One of the keys of creating marketing pieces that compel action is utilizing this very principle.

So, go, drink a glass of water. C'mon.  Do it. Do it now....or else you will pass out from dehydration. (That's the fear thing, did it work? Yeah, didn't think so.)