The ‘principles of persuasion’ of psychology professor Robert Cialdini is interesting reading material for marketeers. To give you a brief summary, the book talks about 6 principles that you can use to convince someone to take action. In this blog post we discuss the first three principles and give you tips to use them online!
The ‘principles of persuasion’ is a book with recipes for successful marketing. According to professor Cialdini it’s easy the seduce consumers if one or multiple ingredients are present in your marketing tactics.
Reciprocity
Cialdini assumes that consumers are more inclined to get into business with you if you have done them a favor in the past. For online marketing this means that consumers value added service.
If the consumer is subscribed to the newsletter and / or facebook page of a brick-and-mortar business from whom he regularly receives jobs which he regularly receives renovation and handy man tips, he will be more willing to buy his supplies at the shop.
Scarcity
This tactic works every time. If a product is scarce or unique, it provokes desire with your consumers. In online marketing you create that feeling by emphasizing that they’re dealing with a ‘limited edition’ or by adding a deadline. For example, if you’re organizing a seminar, you can send a mailing with the subject line: ‘only x seats left/available’
Commitment
In the social media era the ‘commitment’ tactic shouldn’t be underestimated. According to Cialdini the first interaction of the customer with your company has an influence on future interactions. By organizing a competition, asking for reactions on your images or blog articles or by sending a newsletter, you’re giving your customer a reason to communicate with your company, even when he’s not buying.
Curious about the following three principles? Click here