Have you ever walked into a room, smelled the aroma there, and, just for a second, been transported back to some point in your memory? Like, one minute you are walking into a bakery, but then for a second you have this flashback to the time you walked into Aunt Genevieve’s kitchen when she was baking tasty blueberry pie?

(If not, don’t think we’re weird. It does happen to a lot of people, we promise!)

In fact, the sense of smell is linked to memory and nostalgia. And making use of this idea can add another dimension to your marketing efforts.

Scentalicious Marketing

According the the Scent Marketing Institute, an organization devoted to sharing information about using scent in the business world, using pleasing scents can put customers at ease and help them to better connect with products being sold.

We’re down with this idea at imPress and have experience providing companies with good-smelling promotional items. A couple of weeks ago we mentioned a recent project that involved developing a lunchbox of fun for our clients to send to their potential clients. What we didn’t mention in that post was that the lunchbox included good-smelling products designed to conjure up pleasant thoughts of New England. In particular, we included an apple-flavored Yankee Candle in hopes of bringing our recipients back to a happy apple-picking memory.

The Smell of Success

Most of your marketing materials appeal to your audience’s sense of sight, but why stop there? Don’t neglect your clients’ noses. The right smell at the right time can influence your prospects to make the decision you want them to make. And because using scent in marketing materials isn’t something that every consumer experiences every day, it can give your marketing campaign a little extra oomph that pushes you past the competition.