Why That Lady Paid 80k For A Bag She Saw For 25k In Another Shop

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She knew it was expensive. She still bought it. Not because of the bag, but because of who the bag made her become.

Let me explain what identity marketing is and how you can use it for any business.

Let me start with three stories.

Story 1: My PureVita customer.

Two people asked about the same carrot juice. One asked, "How much?" One asked, "Does it really help with glowing skin?"

I answered both. The first one did not buy. The second one bought three bottles.

Why? The second person did not want juice. She wanted to be the woman who has natural glowing skin without bleaching. The juice was just a tool to become that woman.

Story 2: Why iPhones sell in Nigeria.

Tecno has better battery. Samsung has better zoom. But many young people will save for months to buy iPhone.

They are not buying phone. They are buying the identity of "I have arrived. I am not a small boy."

Story 3: Why a nurse will pay for my antenatal class.

She already knows how to push and breathe from YouTube. Free.

But she pays for my class because she wants to be "the informed mum who does things right, not the village mum they can shout at."

Do you see the pattern?

People don't buy products. They buy the person they become after buying the product.

That is what identity marketing means.

Normal marketing says: My product does this.

Identity marketing says: My product helps you become this type of person.

One sells function. The other sells identity.

So how do you build identity marketing for your business? I use 3 simple steps.

Step 1: Forget your product. Ask, who does my customer want to become?

Not what they want to do. Who they want to become.

A lady buying carrot juice wants to become a healthy, clean girl.
A mother joining your class wants to become a confident first-time mum.
A boy buying sneakers wants to become a street-smart guy.

Write it down: My customer wants to become...

Step 2: Find what they are tired of being called.

People buy identity when they are tired of an old label.

Tired of being called "you have bleached too much."
Tired of being called "you don't take care of yourself after giving birth."
Tired of being called "you are still using that old phone."

That old identity pains them. Your product should be the bridge to the new one.

Step 3: Use their new identity in your content.

Stop saying: Buy my natural juice.

Start saying: For the woman who wants to glow without bleaching.

Stop saying: Register for antenatal class.

Start saying: For first-time mums who want to walk into the labour room with confidence, not fear.

Stop saying: Quality bags for sale.

Start saying: For the woman who wants to look like a CEO even inside a keke.

Do you see? You are not selling the bag or the juice. You are selling who she becomes.

How to test it this week:

Take your product. Write two sentences.

Sentence 1: What it does. Example: My juice is 100% carrots.

Sentence 2: Who it helps you become. Example: It helps you become that woman who glows naturally.

Post sentence 2 only. Watch the difference in replies.

People will always pay more to protect their identity than to buy a function.

That is why that lady paid 80k for a bag she saw for 25k somewhere else. The 25k bag was just a bag. The 80k bag told people, "I am a classy woman."

What identity does your product give people? Tell me what you sell in the comments and I will help you write it.

#MarketingTips #SmallBusinessNigeria #BrandStrategy #IdentityMarketing #SalesTips

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