Take advantage of Cialdini’s Principles of Persuasion in Marketing

What is persuasion? We can define persuasion as the set of techniques that help us convince another person through arguments or reasons. But, it is believed to be a talent that only a lucky few are blessed with… Unless you commit to understanding and applying the principles of persuasion.

Robert Cialdini, a professor at Arizona State University (and one of the leading scholars of the social psychology of persuasion) developed a whole technique around persuasive communication that revolves around unique patterns of behavior that help us get the response we expect from our target audience – and of course, you can apply his findings to your business and leverage the power of persuasion! 

Persuasion and its role in marketing

_{Photo by Tim Samuel.}

In marketing, persuasion is used to encourage consumers to purchase a product or service – or to engage with a brand in some way.

Marketing efforts often use persuasive techniques to communicate the value and benefits of a product or service to consumers. This can involve highlighting the unique features of the product, comparing it to competitors, or using emotional appeals to create a positive association with the brand.

Now, there are several theories and approaches to persuasion, including Cialdini’s principles of persuasion, which outline 6 key factors that can influence an individual’s decision-making process:

Reciprocity
Scarcity
Authority
Consistency
Liking
Consensus.

By understanding and applying these principles, marketers can create more effective persuasion strategies to encourage consumers to engage with their brand and make a purchase.

1. Reciprocity

_{Photo by Mikael Blomkvist.}

This is a powerful rule that changes human behavior and compels us to give something back because it generates a feeling of obligation. This principle is based on the fact that people respond to someone’s action with another compensating action.

If we offer quality, useful, well-structured free content, it will be much easier for the lead to respond satisfactorily to your campaign. So, to change the other person’s behavior and create reciprocity:

Give something personalized, memorable, and unexpected.
Offer free information and analysis, but in return, ask for permission to send an email.
Write a positive post about a person or business that applies to you, and in return, ask that person or business to spread the message.
Share great content on your blog and ask your readers to subscribe to stay in the loop.

2. Consistency and commitment

_{Photo by Anna Shvets.}

People tend to be consistent with their decisions. Once we have committed to someone or something publicly, either verbally or in writing, we will be more reluctant to act against that commitment.

If you use a form to ask your leads if they would like to receive information on a specific topic – and they say yes, you can send emails on that topic and they will be much more inclined to open it than if they had given a negative answer. 

Ask your online visitors about their habits and preferences, and then target your marketing messages based on the answers they have given you.
Use landing pages that ask users to define themselves in a certain way and, based on that information, show how your product or service is perfect for people with those characteristics.

3. Social approval

_{Photo by Pixabay.}

Most of us are influenced by what people think about us – to a greater or lesser extent. The influence of the people around us is powerful and can make us change our attitudes or opinions. This happens, especially, when we don’t know what decision to make, and the weight of the majority helps us to choose one alternative.

That’s why you can take advantage of it by applying a system of reviews in your e-commerce, showing the times an article has been retweeted, or showing how many people are using your product or service.

4. Empathy

Empathy is a fundamental principle in the art of persuasion. When someone we like, respect, and trust recommends a service, we are likely to pay attention to it and even follow the recommendation. In the end, we do business with people we know, like, and trust. Consequently, you can:

Start a blog and a Twitter account, and share your ideas in a friendly and personalized way.
Use influencer marketing to generate empathy with your product or services. 

5. Authority

_{Photo by energepic.com.}

Our power of persuasion will increase proportionally to the recognition of our public. It is based on the assumption that if we are specialists in a specific subject. Apply the principle of authority in online marketing by:

Looking for a respected individual or organization in your niche to endorse your product, service, or company. Let this endorsement be visible when you are looking for your visitor to perform the action you want.
Displaying information about your product or service that contains easily recognizable credentials.

6. Scarcity

This principle is based on a deep-seated need: the need to compete for a resource that is running out. The basic impulse of this need is that the fear of losing something is much more powerful than the desire to win it.

Applying this principle on the web is easy and effective: if you have an e-commerce, it will be enough to show how many units of a certain product are left in stock – and even tell the user how many people view that same product. Similarly, we can also create promotions for a certain number of users (for example, for the first 100 subscribers to a newsletter) or offers limited to certain units of a product or to a specific period.

---

You can use persuasion principles to your advantage to make your business thrive. There are many ways to apply these principles in marketing and your daily life. Just adapt these principles to your market and audience to increase your earning potential and you will see the results.