Storytime.
Last week, a member of The Crew here at Stacked Marketer went into a restaurant with his AirPods on.
When he left the restaurant, they were missing.
Narrator voice: He did not find the missing AirPods.
So he marched into the nearest electronics store to, begrudgingly, buy some new ones.
This is a trigger event.
What is a trigger event?
If you haven’t heard the term, it’s simple: Trigger events are events that trigger people to take action or buy products.
Almost every single purchase is caused, directly or indirectly, by a trigger event.
Understanding trigger events can have a serious impact on the way you talk to your customers.
And leveraging them can boost conversion and sales.
Try this exercise
Get a piece of paper and a pen, or open a new document. Think about your product and ask the question, “What would have to happen in my life for me to purchase this product?”
Think of all the possible trigger events and write them down.
When you’re done, you’ll have a healthy list of common trigger events for your customers. Then, you can order them from most common to least common.
Once you’ve done this, take another look at your ads, your copy, and your sales funnel.
Are you addressing the trigger events and pain points that your customers are feeling?
When you speak to trigger events, your customers will feel like they’re truly being listened to. And when people feel that way… They often buy stuff.
Examples of trigger events
Let’s provide you with a healthy list of examples to help you get started.
It’s impossible to list them all, but this should give you plenty of ideas and inspiration:
- Get dumped by your partner -> buy a gym membership.
- Lose your job -> Buy a “make money online” course.
- Exit a startup -> Buy real estate.
- Start a business -> Subscribe to a mentorship.
- Break or lose something -> Buy it again.
- Lose a client -> Buy a course to get more clients.
- Start freelancing -> Buy freelance invoicing software.
- Move to a new house -> Buy new furniture.
- Move to a new country -> Learn the language.
- Get a higher-paying job -> Buy fancy things like a new car, computer, etc.
When you say them out loud, they all sound like common-sense.
Trigger event categories
The fascinating thing is that most purchase trigger events can be grouped into a few categories:
- Financial status: More money, less money.
- Career: Becoming a founder, for example.
- Location: Moving to a new apartment, house, city, or country.
- Personal life: Loss of a loved one, ending a relationship, starting a new relationship.
The Crew’s Insight
For your own product, try to identify which category and which types of trigger events your customers are experiencing before they make a purchase.
This can help you determine how to position and sell your products effectively.
Good luck!
