6 Marketing Strategies of Persuasion

The Small Business Administration tells us that 80% of all small businesses will not make it more than two years, and in 5 years, 90% will have gone out of business. If we believe this to be true, we have to ask ourselves what makes a business a success or failure if not for sales. All businesses are selling something, whether it is a product or service. So what can we do to persuade people to buy from us?

Robert Cialdini, in his book Influence, The Psychology of Persuasion, specified Six Approaches or Strategies for Persuasion that we can apply to our business.

6 Marketing Strategies of Persuasion

1. Reciprocity

The principle of reciprocity is when somebody gives us something; we also try to give them something back to repay them. This creates a feeling that we owe something, that we have the obligation. We do not like to owe people and would always try to return the favor.

In Marketing or Sales, because of this principle of people returning a favor. The marketing tactic of “free samples” demonstrates the reciprocity rule because of the sense of duty that this principle creates. This sense of obligation comes from the desire to repay the marketer for the gift of a “free sample.”

2. Commitment and Consistency

The principle of consistency says that if we commit to something, orally or in writing, we are more likely to honor that commitment, primarily written as in contracts. When something is written, psychologically, they are concrete, factual and can create hard evidence of the commitment. Commitment is an effective persuasive technique. Once we get someone to commit, they will act based on the terms of the commitment, engage in self-persuasion, and provide themselves and others with the justifications and rationale to honor the said commitment.

If we commit, orally or in writing, to an idea or goal, we are more likely to honor that commitment because we are creating that idea or goal as congruent with our self-image. So even if the original incentive or motivation is changed after we have already agreed, we will continue to honor the agreement.

Consistency is a crucial facet of persuasion because it:

•  is extremely valued by society,
•  leads to a valuable approach to everyday life, and
•  offers a faster way through the complex nature of modern-day existence

Consistency enables us to be more efficient in our decision making and process information.

3. Social Proof

We will do things that we see other people are doing. Others influence us around us; we want to do what everyone else is doing. We typically base our actions and beliefs on what others are doing, how others act, and what others think and believe.

“The power of the crowd” is very powerful. We all want to know what others are doing around us. We are obsessed with what others do and how others act, that we then try to be just like other people.

We respond positively and tend to follow people who are similar to us, and we make the same decision and choices they make. We comply with, alter, adapt around individuals that are comparable to us.

4. Authority

This principle of persuasion says that we believe if an expert or professional claims something and hold that as true. We tend to obey authority figures, even if we are asked to carry out objectionable acts.

We listen and heed those who are knowledgeable and credible, so if we can be those two things, then we are already on our way to getting people to believe and listen to us.

5. Liking

This principle is simple. We say yes to people we like. We are easily persuaded by other people that we like. The two variables that contribute to overall likeness are first, physical attractiveness. Physically attractive people, beautiful people, with good looks seem more persuasive. They get what they want, and they can easily alter others’ attitudes. This attractiveness sends positive impressions of other qualities that a person may possess, such as skills, knowledge, and attitudes. The second variable is similarity. We are easily persuaded by people we see as similar to ourselves.

6. Scarcity

The principle of scarcity says that when something has limited availability, we give it more value. We all want things that are unattainable. If we see something that is readily available, we do not want it as much as something rare.

According to Cialdini, “people want more of what they cannot have.” When scarcity is an issue, the context matters, this means that within specific contexts, scarcity “works” better. To get people to believe that something is scarcer, marketers say what about that particular product provides what no other product does. Marketers get us to believe something is limited by telling us what we will lose, not what we will gain—using statements like, “You will lose $5,” rather than, “Save $5.”

The two primary reasons why the scarcity principle works:

•  We assign more value when things are more difficult to get. We believe that they have a better quality when they are limited.
•  When things are in short supply, we could lose the chance to obtain them.

When this happens, we give more value to the scarce item or service more value simply because it is harder to come by.

The perceived scarcity will create demand. For instance, saying offers are available for a “limited time only” encourages sales.

In Summary

Understanding the Six Principles of Persuasion is crucial to our business success. Once we know the psychology of how to influence people to buy, we can apply it to our businesses to increase sales. People buy from us because we have persuaded them to do so.

Source

Cialdini, Robert. (2009) Influence The Psychology of Persuasion. Harper Collins e-books

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persuasion