To master persuasion is like sitting on a gold mine. Having the ability to convince your customers to buy your products or services is key and now you have the chance to take advantage of some of the most powerful persuasion techniques that have been tested and proved through time and apply them to your digital marketing efforts.
Dr. Robert B. Cialdini wrote about 6 principles of persuasion in his book “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion” from 1984. These principles are just as valid now as they were back then and this series of posts will give you tips on how they can boost your digital marketing strategy.
This is Part 2 of 3 and covers two of the six principles. Read the first post here.
Social Proof
The principle of social proof is all about the urge people feel to do what others are doing. If you see a bunch of people on the street looking up to the sky, you would probably look up yourself and if you see a large community online in your field, you might feel like at least checking it out.
If you manage to build a significant community online, that’s great. Let people know about it. Let your audience know how many others have done what you want them to do, like for instance “Join 100,000 others in receiving powerful marketing content.”
In addition, get people to comment on your content. If people see comments and discussions, they are more likely to join in and engage. Also, if possible, ratings of products or services are a great way for customers to see what other people like.
An even more powerful tool is testimonials. If you can get satisfied customers to give you testimonials, either written or in a video, it is golden. Showing potential customers that others are using your product or service and how satisfied they are with it can be the most important factor of conversion.
This principle of social proof can even be used as a tool in unfortunate situations. Like for instance, if your website crashes during a launch, you could send an email to your list saying that due to the immense popularity of your product or service, the site is temporarily down. Hearing that your product or service is actually that popular could convert even more customers.
Authority
The principle of authority says that people respect and want to follow authority figures, even if the authority figures are questionable. People want to know what the experts think. Especially if someone is uncertain about making a purchase, they likely look for expert advice on the matter.
If you are indeed an expert in your field, you should advertise it. However, even acting like an authority figure will make people want to listen to what you have to say. So the way you present yourself, in writing and on video, should give the impression that you are an important person who people in your field should pay attention to.
In addition to presenting yourself as an authority, you can try to leverage other authorities. For instance, ask an authority in your field to help you out in exchange for something they would find valuable. For example, you could ask the authority to join you in a webinar, maybe a webinar which you arrange where more authorities join in, or ask them to test your product and give you a testimonial which you can advertise. Even if you write a guest post on their blog and you let your audience know about it, just having your audience associate you with an authority can give you valuable credibility.
There are still two more powerful principles to go, so keep an eye out for Part 3 of this series to find out what those principles are and how they can contribute to a solid digital marketing strategy.