Understanding the human mind can be an excellent tool to persuade and convert customers. Marketing is based on theories of applied psychology, that is, consumers act in a certain way because they are wired to do so.
The human brain and all it’s cognitive biases and tendencies are important aspects of the marketing process. Here are a few tips you can implement for your marketing strategy:
People are impulsive
The human mind is prone to impulsivity, and therefore, people are likely to make impulsive purchases. Research conducted by Chase, Gallup and Harris Interactive notes this tendencies applies regardless of demographic. As a marketer, you can capitalise on this by using asking customers to ‘buy now’, ‘subscribe now’ or ‘get it now’ – using words like now can trigger an impulse buy.
A picture speaks a thousand words
The human brain is capable of processing images faster than texts. Visual can be very powerful – it has been shown that people think in pictures. A good marketing strategy involves well thought-out images. Images should be front and centre on your social media and web page – an image often can make or break the deal when consumers are considering and online purchase.
Blue = Trust
Marketers can take into account the research done on color psychology – one of the key takeaways from this discipline is that people tend to associate blue with trust. That said, marketers should also consider cultural factors that can influence color associations – for instance, which western culture usually associates write with purity, there are many cultures in Asia where white refers to mourning and death, whereas red is used in weddings due to its association with luck.
Words can foster trust
Another way to optimize customer trust is through the use of words. While images are powerful in its own way, using the right words can deepen a customer’s trust. Words like authentic, certified, guaranteed, official and loyal are known to consistently work well in building trust.
The first yes is the most important
Getting to the first yes is the most important step. When the mind says yes once, it’s likely to do so again. For example, getting a customer to sign up to a minor request like signing up to the email list is more likely to lead to him or her saying yes to the next request. Sales people call this the foot-in-the-door technique, or FITD.
People act based on labels
Labels are likely to influence human behaviour. If you label someone a certain way, then it is more likely they will act in accordance with that label. The mind responds to labels – in one study, a group of participants were told they were more likely to vote whereas another group weren’t told anything. The group labelled ‘political active’ had a 15 percent higher turnout rate. Marketers can use labels to impact customers’ decisions to buy or not to buy your product or service.
