Master Motivation in Marketing

If you read through this entire blog post to the end, you’ll be one step closer to establishing true loyalty within your company or brand. A truly loyal customer will generate more feedback and more sales than a one-time purchaser (Freedman, 2025). 

Motivation is a powerful tool when it comes to building genuine, long-lasting relationships with your consumers or employees. When someone is motivated, they will be more engaged and produce more results, no matter the context.

There are two main types of motivation; intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation comes from within. For instance, someone who goes to the gym to become a better version of themselves is motivated intrinsically.

On the other hand, extrinsic motivation comes from someone or something outside of the subject. For example, someone who goes to work every day so they can get a paycheck to provide for their family is extrinsically motivated.

One mode of motivation is not necessarily better than the other, but each one functions better in a particular context. Intrinsic motivation tends to work really well for tasks that are creative or require out-of-the-box problem-solving, like writing a book or starting a business; tasks like these are heuristic in nature. Extrinsic motivation tends to be effective when it comes to tasks that are more algorithmic—like doing chores or completing a homework assignment. 

When it comes to intrinsic motivators, they tend to fall into one or two of five categories: autonomy, mastery, purpose, progress, or social interaction. 

First is the idea of autonomy. This principle is about the human desire to want a sense of freedom and control in their lives. Think back to when you were growing up. Were you more motivated by your parents telling you to clean your room, or by noticing yourself that your room could use some organizing and wanting to switch up the layout of your bedroom furniture? 

As a marketer or employer, this principle can be employed by figuring out a way to turn something that you want your consumers or employees to do into something they want to do themselves. Using this method, “anything that is work can be turned into play” (Paharia, 2013, p. 30).

Next is the idea of mastery; this is the human desire to get better at things. If there is no room for improvement in a certain activity, motivation decreases significantly. A limitation to this principle, though, is the person must have a growth mindset. The prospect of mastery is not motivating to someone who doesn’t believe they can get better at something.

Having a sense of purpose is an extremely powerful motivator. Feeling a lack of purpose is one of the leading reasons people choose to leave their jobs to find a better one (Amire, 2022). When people feel like they don’t have a purpose, they feel like their efforts are useless and it de-motivates them. A perfect example of this is that Chemistry class that’s required to take in high school regardless of career goals. Most of us will never use that information again, and knowing that is very disheartening.

Lastly, social interactions are a way to keep people motivated. Humans are social creatures, created by God for relationships and connection. The Bible says that “two are better than one” (New International Version, 1973/2011, Ecclesiastes 4:9). 

People tend to want to be like those around them. You can set the tone as a business-owner or marketer to create the social norms in your specific community. By doing so, people are motivated to stay engaged to continue to be like those around them. Stanley was able to do this successfully, and many felt left out if they didn’t have a Stanley water bottle; this motivated consumers to continue buying from them, and influenced others to do the same.

Motivation is a powerful tool, and knowing how to utilize it and in what situations to use it in can help keep an audience engaged. Motivation is a driving force in decision-making; understanding what motivates people in the world of marketing could lead to a consumer choosing your business over a competitor who has slightly better prices. 

Congratulations, you are now one step closer to achieving true loyalty!