(Reading time: 06.43 minutes. Letters: 7809. Characters: 9699. Words: 1682. Sentences: 211. Paragraphs: 156)
Damn that headache!
It was too much to bear — staring at the laptop screen for six long hours and unable to create the presentation for tomorrow’s client meeting.
You get up and decide to make a cup of black coffee. The aromatic smell of coffee beans cuts through the haze and freshens your mind and spirit.
Ideas start buzzing in your head and you are ready to create the presentation.
Can you visualize the scene? It becomes easy with the use of sensory words.
What are sensory words?
Sensory words are those which stir any of the five senses: touch, taste, sound, smell, and sight. And if you think only poets and novelists use them, you are wrong.
In this fast-paced world, people’s attention spans have hugely reduced. As a Digital Marketer or a Content Marketer, you need to grab their attention and keep them engaged with your writing.
One of the best ways to do is with the use of Sensory Words. They bring to life situations, that would otherwise be mundane. They add the much-needed aroma that prevents your audience shift their attention elsewhere.
Sensory words create a connection to our five senses. They make your reader feel as if they experiencing a situation live. It’s a language that creates images in the reader’s minds and ignites feelings in them.
But it does not happen by magic. It’s science that does. Ready to know how?
Science and Sensory Words. What’s the connection?
Your five senses have their own sensors. Each collects information and sends them to the brain. The brain processes the information and lets you become aware of your surroundings.
Sensory words act as a catalyst to stir emotions that are otherwise lost, making readers discard your writing.
Which sounds better?
“The ice cream tasted good”
or
“The crunchy taste of butterscotch ice cream was so good”
“It was difficult to open the old rusted door”
Or
“The old door groaned and creaked when tried to open”
You can see the difference.
The brain processes information whenever you read something. And sensory words are those that light up certain areas of the brain. This makes you feel more attached to what you are reading.
The same goes for your reader. When they read something that connects to them, their brain finds it easier to digest it. This is what builds the connection between you and your reader.
It’s a natural tendency for human beings to hold to something which they feel good or happy about. Happiness is a state of well-being or satisfaction. When you are in a happy mood, you feel good about things.
This is what your writing should do when people read them. They should have positive thoughts about what you are offering them. And how it can make them happier.
The Amygdala is a part of the brain that controls your emotion. This gets triggered whenever the brain processes words that awaken emotions. And writing is all about emotion.
It is emotion which makes readers swing to your tune
It is emotion which makes them buy a product or service, return to you and read, hear or subscribe to your channel/newsletter.
Sensory words make you feel as if you see a rainbow, as if you are on a sea shore, as if you see the moonlight shining on a rain-soaked road. And the brain helps you visualise them easily with the help of Sensory Words.
And yes, you can use Sensory Words for your business writing too. With these words, you can boost desire, passion, and like for any product or service that you want to sell.
Results have shown sales increase by 3-5% when companies connect with the emotional quotient of their customers. Building these connections is not done by guesswork but is based on science. Companies should know what motivates customers to buy their products. They need to segment their customer base and find what each type wants.
The following graph displays the results of what takes place when customers are emotionally connected to a brand. The maximum returns come from customers who are fully connected and satisfied. What this graph actually displays is a pathway where customers transform from not ’emotionally connected’ to ‘fully connected’.
(Source: https://hbr.org/2015/11/the-new-science-of-customer-emotions)
What are the motivators which make them buy and stand out in a crowd? What helps them live a better life, forget financial worries and spend time with their family?
Voice of Customer (VOC) plays a major part in this, and companies should pay attention to what their customers want or need. What satisfies their emotional thirst? What makes them buy from a company repeatedly and what doesn’t?
As said before, sensory words help you trigger human emotions and motivate your reader to take an action. Whether you’re selling your own product or working for someone else, emotion will transform your words from dry to lip-smacking.
Ready to know more about this?
Sensory Words in business writing
Every content creator uses the same words for business. This makes your writing almost inseparable from others. And everyone wants to grab the attention of their readers and convert them to long-paying customers.
So, how do you create your space to stand apart from other business writers? How do you write words to make people gel with you? Love your writing and come back for more? How do you convince readers to buy your product or service or trust you?
You tap into their emotions with Sensory Words. Because it’s emotion that drives most sales and makes you more money. Remember, people, buy with emotion and justifies it with logic.
And not with one emotion, there is a wide range of Sensory Words that can evoke any of the 27 human emotions. Here is a sensory word list to make your writing jump off the pages.
Sensory language is one of your most potent weapons to make dry business writing into something delicious. It helps you dazzle in a sea of grey writing.
As a content writer or copywriter you can use them in your blog posts, e.mails, newsletters, video sales letters, and landing pages and bring to life writing — that would otherwise seem stale to readers.
The following section discusses various types of sensory words and their uses.
Words to tingle the five senses
Visual Words
These are words that make us feel as if we are seeing something. They paint pictures of colour, happiness, brightness, and others.
The dimly lit street was deserted except for a stray cat.
The silk ribbons on the wrapping made it more dazzling.
It was too bulky to be carried by one man.
Colourful
Light
Dark
Shiny
Crowded
Deserted
Bulky
Dazzling
Glitter
Glowing
Murky
Gloomy
Auditory Words
Words that allow your reader to hear what’s happening.
The rusted box refused to open and made creaking sounds.
The leaves started rustling as soon as the north winds blew in.
The transformer made a humming sound.
Loud
Quiet
Rambling
Buzzing
Groan
Squeaky
Hissing
Boom
Crackling
Hissing
Olfactory Words (Smell)
The word Olfactory means ‘of or relating to the sense of smell’. Our sense of smell is triggered by Olfactory words. These Sensory words transform text into mouth-watering writing.
The fragrant baked smell of cookies reminded him of his mother’s cooking.
The medicine was too bitter to be had without water.
The old cheese had become moldy and stinky.
Rotten
Fragrant
Lemony
Yummy
Juicy
Bitter
Gooey
Sweet
Spicy
Stinky
Moldy
Vile
Tactile Words (Touch)
These words refer to the sense of touch. These Sensory Words refer to things you can touch/feel, such as hot, cold, slimy, and sharp.
The snail left a slimy trail wherever it went.
The stairs were slippery from the rain.
It was icy cold outside the house.
Hard
Slippery
Soft
Rough
Smooth
Thorny
Prickly
Icy
Leathery
Spongy
Steamy
Cuddly
Gustatory Words (Taste)
The word Gustatory is an adjective that relates to the sense of taste. These Sensory Words for taste make you feel the five basic flavours: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami.
The soup was bland and not worth it.
The chicken was more spicy than usual.
Her sweet tooth made her buy more candy.
Sweet
Nutty
Bitter
Crunchy
Tangy
Salty
Sour
Tangy
Kinesthetic Words (Kinesthesia)
The word Kinesthetic refers to a person’s awareness of the position or movement of body parts by means of sensory organs in the muscles and joints.
In simple terms, this class of Sensory Words relates to the sense of movement. It can be yours or of something else.
The boat was difficult to navigate in the turbulent waters.
The cheetah chased the deer at a blazing speed.
She drew the painting with rapid strokes.
Pounding hearts
Flickering lights
Rushing waves
Blowing wind
Rapid strokes
Blazing speed
Staggering
Paralysed
Turbulent
Choppy
Gurgling stream
Flapping wings
Galloping horses
Turbulent
See, how Sensory words make any sentence alive?
They add much-needed flavour to your words and create engagement with your readers.
Sensory words and their benefits
Till now, you have seen what Sensory words are and what they can do to your writing. As a content writer or copywriter, you can transform your words from boring to lip-smacking.
This language makes words your words delicious and engaging as salt does to food. Sprinkle your text with Sensory Words to make people remember your writing and come back for more.
Whether you are a Content or a Digital Marketer, Sensory Words help you create content that resonates with your target audience. It gives you the edge to control what you want your audience to see or feel, and that’s a powerful skill indeed.
It’s not a skill that you can develop in a month. It takes time, patience, and lots of practice. But it can be done, with persistence, patience, and love for your craft.
Let me know in the comments section, what you think of this awesome skill. And how you plan to make the most of it.