How I use
influence and convince concepts in marketing

Marketing involves a lot of psychology, the scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially how it influences behaviour in a given situation.

So, what exactly prompts someone to say "yes"? Is there a science behind persuasion?

Learning the psychology of what gets someone to a yes can help you stand apart and use proven methods for getting results

Here are 9 ways to help you be more persuasive.

1. Positioning 

It’s now what you say, it’s how you say it. 

The way a message is conveyed has a significant impact on how it's perceived. The framing of a message plays a crucial role in shaping our behaviour. 

Even subtle changes in the wording of a problem, no matter how minor they may seem, can lead to substantial shifts in preferences.

How a message is conveyed to the tones of the words in the context that we use is just as important, if not even more important than the message actually is section

Use positioning to positively affect someone’s perception of us and negatively affect someone’s perception of a competing solution

2. Stories, facts and evidence (SFE)

To persuade someone to take a particular action, you must show a compelling story while presenting facts and evidence.

Throughout history, we've used stories to communicate – a clear beginning and end, describing someone's journey.

However, as a marketer, it's not enough to just present facts loudly; you need to be persuasive.

The key is to combine both aspects – guide someone through a convincing story that illustrates why your product or service is the perfect fit for them.

There are 3 types of models for this:

The Hero’s Journey:

The Human Action Model:

Challenge-Desire-Solution:

In marketing, it works like this:

Spotting the Hurdles: Understand the issues and challenges your customers face.

Imagine a Brighter Tomorrow: Illustrate a happier world, encouraging them to dream of a life free from those challenges.

Your Solution in Action: Reveal how your product or service resolves their problems, utilising unique features that turn their dream into a tangible reality.

Many marketing messages miss the mark not because they don't talk about the product but because they forget to say who it's for and why anyone should care.

People want to feel certain that what's being offered is tailored to someone like them.

3. Loss Aversion 

People feel the sting of losing something more than the joy of gaining the same thing. In simple terms, losing hurts more than gaining feels good.

Examples:

• Negative headlines: How to get more X → How to avoid Y

• The loss in offers: Buy X and save $100 every month → Don't lose $100 every month on Y - by X

• Free trials:  Get started for just $99/month → Get started with your free trial

• Lazy registration: Create account » Choose a template » Add title » → Choose a template » Add title ... » Create an account

Figure out ways you can add additional value to your customers and that way they will feel they will be less likely to want to lose that same thing and you can make it easier to make your products and services more attractive and persuade them to make a purchase decision

4. Scarcity

Scarcity is the fear of missing out whereas loss aversion is the fear of losing something. 

The tougher it is to get, the more we crave it. People often connect how easy something is to get with how good it must be.

Think of it like this: If we're scared of losing something, that's loss aversion. If we're afraid we might miss out on getting something, that's scarcity – the fear of not being able to grab a good opportunity.

Example:

Reducing free trial duration: Start your 14-day free trial → Start your 7-day free trial

5. Trust in Likability

We often trust and find people more credible if we like them. When we share similar beliefs, interests, and language with someone, our minds naturally assume they are trustworthy. 

Whether it's our close friends or strangers we admire, liking someone influences our perception of their trustworthiness. This is why we tend to rely on recommendations from friends and trust products endorsed by influencers we admire.

Applying the principle:

• Relatable: Inject personality and act like a friend, be human, and avoid being too formal or corporate. 

• Aesthetic: Quality and credibility are conveyed through design. Ensure your website and brand have a clean look

• .Connect & Collaborate: provide a sense of community by working with others toward common goals. Join causes, missions, and values that align with yours.

• Associations: Align yourself with brands that share your target audience to effectively communicate your message.

Justifying actions through favouritism is common. Feel free to ask for favours from your customers and audience—whether it's answering surveys or resharing content. Their willingness to help can elevate their opinion of you.

6. Cues:

Cues are those little nudges that prompt us to take specific actions. They guide us on what steps to follow, and they can be either internal or external.

Internal triggers: this originate from within us, driven by memories, emotions, or situational cues that guide our next steps.External triggers: surround us in our environment. They appeal to our senses, reminding us to take a particular action.

The goal is to transform external triggers into internal ones, connecting your product to users' daily routines and emotions. Aim to integrate it into their workflow or habits.

Identify situations where users crave the desired habit or purchase and explore opportunities to link an external trigger closely to those moments or emotional states.

External triggers examples: 

• CTA button (the right text, colour etc)

• Google Search suggestions (encourages more exploratory search)

• Transactional emails (receipts, form submissions, confirmations)

• Broadcast marketing emails 

• Bookmark sites on your browser 

• Paid media 

Three crucial elements play a role: motivation, ability, and a trigger that not only grabs attention but also adds value.

If any of these elements are missing, the desired action might not happen. Even if someone is motivated and capable, they still need that prompt to get them moving. 

7. Guiding:

Guiding involves subtle designs, interactions, and suggestions aiming to shape how we see things.

By prompting gently, we make it more likely for someone to choose a certain option or behave in a specific way. This is done by tweaking the environment, triggering mental shortcuts favoring the desired outcome.

Despite our belief in rational decisions, emotions often steer our choices more than logic and facts.

Ethical guiding acts as a compass, helping potential customers make decisions wisely.

We process information and act through two cognitive approaches:

• Spontaneous response: It's fast, automatic, and easily influenced by the environment.

• Reflective response: It's slow, contemplative, and considers explicit goals and intentions.

When situations get complex or overwhelming, Spontaneous response takes charge of decision-making, relying on mental shortcuts easily influenced by guidance and persuasion tactics.

In contrast, Reflective response is less susceptible to guidance and persuasion tactics, as it can recognise and evaluate them.

Example:

Prominence, making something bigger, more obvious, and visually attractive can lead to a favourite outcome. Larger text or bigger buttons are seen as more important/easily read and seen. Using brighter colours gathers attention.

8. The need to finish:

As humans, we have a strong urge to finish what we start. We're driven to complete tasks, not just for rewards, but for the satisfaction of getting things done. It's not just a desire; it's a need to see things through.

Examples:

• Progress bars: This provides status updates and encourages continuous engagement. The positive effects of dopamine motivate users to repeat tasks, visually tracking progress and fostering a desire to complete the journey.

• Wizards: streamline complex forms by breaking them into smaller, digestible tasks. This popular design pattern allows for the display of progress indicators, reminding users of the invested time and motivating completion.

• To-do list:  To-do lists, exemplified by Dropbox's effective checklist, play a crucial role in user engagement. Platforms like Dropbox, Facebook, and Twitter began their journey with simple to-do lists, encouraging actions like inviting friends etc

The need to complete is a really strong persuasion tactic that essentially like I said is the OCD and all of us. We are more motivated to complete things that are unfinished and the further along that we get in that in the progress the more likely we are to complete it.

9. Social Proof:

Social proof is when we look at what others are doing to figure out the right way to behave. It's a psychological thing – if people around us are doing something, we might do it too to fit in or be accepted.

We often follow the crowd, wanting to be liked or approved by others. It turns out, that we're more influenced by seeing others do something than we realise, especially when we're not sure what to do ourselves.

When there's strong social proof, it adds credibility and trust. If we see lots of people doing something, we're more likely to think it's a good idea or the right thing to do.

Examples:

• Testimonials 

• ReviewsCustomer case studies / Video testimonials 

• Media Mentions Integrations with other platforms

• Raw numbers of number of current users

• Referral programs and brand advocates 

• Trust seals and badges 

• Utilising customer testimonials, data, and visuals can enhance credibility, address inquiries, and overcome objections, with the effectiveness hinging on the quality of social proof and the level of uncertainty in the customer's decision-making process.

• In cases of significant uncertainty paired with weak social proof, it may negatively influence conversion. However, strong social proof can result in a substantial conversion increase, up to 400%, making it a powerful tool, especially when strategically placed in various touchpoints such as headlines, pop-ups, and marketing assets.

• To optimise the impact of social proof, test its placement throughout the sales funnel. Whether in the form of testimonials, video endorsements, or case studies, employing social proof can humanise your brand, build trust, and resonate with customers, ultimately bolstering your marketing efforts. 

TL;DR

Marketing is about persuading people to say "yes" and buy, but skepticism is high due to the internet. Understanding psychology can enhance persuasion. Nine strategies for more effective marketing:

• Positioning: How you convey a message is as important as the message itself.

• Stories, Facts, Evidence (SFE): Combine storytelling with facts to persuade effectively.

• Loss Aversion: People fear losing more than gaining, so frame messages to highlight potential losses. Scarcity: Make things more desirable by emphasising their scarcity.

• Trust in Likability: Likable individuals or brands are more trustworthy; inject personality into marketing.

• Cues: Use internal and external triggers to guide actions and integrate your product into users' routines.

• Guiding: Subtle design tweaks can influence decisions by appealing to spontaneous responses.

• The Need to Finish: People are driven to complete tasks; use progress indicators and engage in completion.

• Social Proof: Showcase what others are doing to build credibility and trust.

Optimise the placement of social proof throughout the sales funnel for maximum impact.