If you want to know the factors that influence purchasing decisions to attract more customers or simply want to delve deeper into topics related to neuromarketing (the branch of neuroeconomics that merges traditional marketing principles with psychology and neurology), this article is for you.
We would like to emphasize that, with the techniques presented, we do not want to encourage any kind of manipulation to induce certain behaviors; instead, we propose specific methods only to speed up the user’s decision-making process and avoid wasting too much energy on ineffective marketing actions.
In our previous article on persuasion levers, we introduced the topic by highlighting how they are extremely important for creating effective social media posts, setting up ad campaign copy, boosting e-commerce sales, and much more.
We described some of the levers through concrete examples, specifically:
- Social proof;
- User benefits;
- Urgency;
- Scarcity;
- Risk aversion.
Now let’s analyze five other types of persuasion levers.
1) RECIPROCITY: “I receive and I give back”
This lever covers all those situations where a real exchange takes place between the company and the user. A classic example is when, to download a free PDF guide offered by the brand, the individual must enter their email address to proceed with the download, thus obtaining the full version of the file.
In this way, the person feels obliged to return the company’s “favor.”
The secret to getting a great reward is to be the first to give something personalized and unexpected. A small gesture of value is enough.
This phenomenon is also called the theory of the gift or reciprocal favor. According to this principle, if, for example, someone invites you to their birthday or graduation party, you will feel obligated to return the favor by inviting them in turn.
2) AUTHORITY: “Trust as a weapon”
From a young age, we are taught to obey authorities, such as school teachers, police, doctors, and so on. More generally, we grow up respecting those who are older as wiser people thanks to the experience accumulated over time.
In marketing, this principle adapts well by associating the company with authoritative figures, such as influencers or testimonials, who are considered experts in a particular sector to promote a product or service.
3) COMMITMENT AND CONSISTENCY: “The commitment made determines consistency”
This persuasion lever is based on a simple concept: getting the user to make a small commitment at the beginning, and then proposing a more demanding one.
Imagine your goal is to collect as many donations as possible for a worthy cause. Approaching complete strangers and asking for a small sum of money is probably not the best solution. If, instead, you introduce yourself by asking for a signature on a petition, after the person has agreed, you can then ask for a donation. This is how a small commitment transforms into something more significant.
This happens because once a choice is made, a series of personal and interpersonal pressures come into play to be consistent with that commitment.
This principle can be applied, for example, to an e-commerce wish list: the user adds all the products they want without any obligation, thus creating a commitment, and will subsequently purchase them to respect the criterion of consistency. The same principle can also apply after using a free trial of a product or service.
4) PRODUCT VERTICALITY AND/OR BREADTH: “The customer is always satisfied”
This lever is a valid alternative to using promotions and discounts that result in a loss of the desired margin for the company.
You can enhance your offer based on verticality (“more than 300 types of skis”) or breadth (“over 10,000 gardening products”). In the first case, you convey authority on a specific product; in the second, you communicate a wide choice to the user, reassuring them that they can find what they are looking for.
5) UNIQUENESS: “Standing out from the crowd”
Robert Cialdini, the world’s leading expert on the social psychology of persuasion, provides many different examples regarding this lever, starting with “precious mistakes” found on rare collectibles (e.g., banknotes, stamps, coins…) which, thanks to manufacturing defects, suddenly acquire intrinsic value due to their uniqueness.
In people’s minds, a sort of psychological equation takes shape where the desire for an object increases as the possibility of others owning it decreases.
If your service consists of specific features or you sell something exclusive (perhaps because competitors do not own the rights or because it is something only you create) exploit this aspect as much as possible.
Phrases of this type help you emphasize this concept: official brand X shop, exclusive brand ® retailer, 24-hour shipping, handmade, and so on.
Your goal is to convey this strength to users!
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With this article, we have further explored persuasion levers.
Before letting you go, however, we want to return to a concept mentioned at the beginning of the article and focus on an important difference: that between persuasion and manipulation.
Persuasion is the ability to align people’s thinking with one’s own to lead them toward our positions, respecting the win-win principle—I win and the other wins.
Manipulation, on the other hand, leads to obtaining a certain result by deceiving the person in front of you based on false promises or by leveraging guilt.
We at ARS, as an agency and as “people,” adopt a fair and correct approach toward the user and, in general, the final consumer, and we invite you to use what is explained in our articles in the best possible way.
Do you want to integrate neuromarketing principles into your communication?
We are here to help!
