These 6 Principles of Persuasion Can Help You Boost Your Marketing Strategy

By Trevor Shorte

When you talk about persuasion, most people think along the lines of someone using some kind of Jedi Mind trick to get you to buy into whatever they are telling you.

But there is actually a scientific principle at work and when done right, it can do wonders for your marketing efforts.

In his 1984 book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, Dr. Robert Cialdini determined that there are six major principles of persuasion. Each of these principles can factor into how buyers are influenced into making purchases.

In a perfect world, people would consider all the available information on the products or services that they want to buy to guide their decision making. But the reality is that not everyone makes logical decisions when it comes to making purchases.Human behaviour is a complex thing and people will tend to look for ways to guide their process.

Here’s some simple ideas that you can start applying today in your marketing strategy to take advantage of these principles and boost your sales results.

PRINCIPLE #1: RECIPROCITY

People feel obliged to give back to others when they have received a gift or service. For example, if you get a gift from somebody, social norms will dictate that you would reciprocate in some way. If you share your expertise freely with your prospective customers, they will hold you in a higher regard. When they are ready to purchase, they would be more inclined to work with you.

What you can do:

·Create content that you can offer for free to prospects either as a blog or free e-book on topics that are relevant to your target audience.

·Invite prospective customers to free webinars, training sessions, or events.

Added bonus: Each of these tactics will allow you to build up your e-mail list which you can use to provide additional value and build a relationship with your audience.

PRINCIPLE #2: SCARCITY

When there’s a limited supply of something, the value of it increases and people will go to great lengths to acquire it. People have to know that they’re going to miss it if they don’t act quickly. It mainly relies on the fact that the FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) is real.

What you can do:

·Create an exclusive membership club.

·Exclusive, limited quantity or limited time offers can be powerful motivators to persuade buyers.

PRINCIPLE #3: AUTHORITY

In general, people tend to follow the lead of those that they believe are credible, knowledgeable experts. So, it’s important to let your target audience know what makes you (or your business) a credible, knowledgeable expert. They need to see that you have the relevant expertise to be able to solve their problem and determine if your product or service would be a good investment for them.

What you can do:

·Remind your target audience whenever you can of how many years experience you have in your industry.

·Look to get mentioned by the media or prominent social media influencers to increase your public profile.

PRINCIPLE #4: CONSISTENCY

People have a tendency to want to appear consistent in front of others. When it comes to making purchases, they need to be consistent with what they’ve done, what they said, and what they have bought. This is based on their desire to appear like a person with consistent attitudes and behavior over time. (This is the basic premise that drives brand loyalty!)

What you can do:

·Offer free trials or samples of your product or service so they can become familiar with your brand.

·Create a membership or loyalty program that rewards their support of your business.

PRINCIPLE #5: LIKING

We’re all more likely to be influenced by the people who we like and share our ideals or values. People are more likely to buy from those who are like themselves, friends, and people they know and respect. Rarely someone will buy something from someone they don’t like so building rapport with your potential customers is an important part of the sales process.

What you can do:

·When communicating with your target audience, use the same language that they do and show that you understand their problem.

·Build your brand image so that it aligns with the type of customer that you want to attract.

PRINCIPLE #6: CONSENSUS

People have a tendency to look to the actions and behaviours of others to determine their own. That’s why things like reviews and comments are used on e-commerce sites like Amazon. It can also be referred to as “Social Proof”. Whenever your potential customers are uncertain about making a purchase, they will look to see what others have experienced to help them make that decision.

What you can do:

·Add testimonials or reviews from satisfied customers to your website, sales materials and social media content.

·Create case studies to showcase how you solved a problem for a current customer.

When it comes to helping your potential customers make a purchase decision remember that people will only buy from people they know, like and trust. The more trust and rapport you build with your prospects, the more clients you acquire and the more sales you make.

If you aren’t sure where to start, we specialize in helping businesses connect with their customers and can set you up on the right track. Set up a free 20-minute consultation today!