In 1984, Dr. Robert B. Cialdini wrote a book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. Since then his 6 principles are still widely used by marketers to help their content generate more traffic, leads, and conversions. Check them out, start embracing the science of persuasion and make your content irresistible to your audience.
1. Reciprocation
People feel indebted to those who do something for them. Give something, may it be information, free samples or positive experience, to your audience and they will want to give you something in return.
2. Commitment and Consistency
Human beings are consistent. Once the person has publicly committed to something, they are much more likely to go through and deliver on that commitment. This can be seen, for example, when asking people for their email address to access a freebie.
3. Social Proof
When people are uncertain, they tend to look at what everyone else, especially their peers, are doing. Showing testimonials from satisfied customers to your target audience can make them become customers themselves.
4. Liking
People say ‘yes’ more often to those they know and like. As similarity is one of the key building blocks of liking, show your audience the extent to which your product or service is similar to them.
5. Authority
People, in general, have a tendency to obey figures of authority. Given the incredible influence of authority figures, incorporate testimonials from legitimate, recognized authorities on your blog or website.
6. Scarcity
The less there is of something, the more valuable it is and the more people want it. Make sure you’re emphasizing the potential of a wasted opportunity (don’t miss the chance!) in your messages as well as highlighting your product’s uniqueness to increase the perception of its scarcity.
