persuade [per sweyd] - to prevail on a person to do something, as by advising or urging; to induce to believe by appealing to reason or understanding; to convince.
The Anatomy of Marketing
"How quick come the reasons for approving what we like." ~Jane Austen, Persuasion
What is it about our human brains that allows us to be influenced by newly introduced considerations? In a nutshell, sex, empathy, and logic.
The human brain is made up of three systems: primal, emotional, and rational. When marketing works, it appeals to all three of these systems: using images to trigger the primal brain, empathy and a good story to engage the emotional brain, and proven justifications to support the rational brain. Another part of this "anatomical" equation rests in the attention span of an average online consumer.
"The current generation of internet consumers live in a world of instant gratification and quick fixes, which leads to a loss of patience and a lack of deep thinking." -Rob Weatherhead, The Guardian
That can seem daunting to businesses, especially when you consider that the average attention span of an Internet user (8 seconds) is one second less than the average attention span of a gold fish. Think back to the three brains: In an online setting, how do you grab a consumer's attention, tell a story they find compelling, and provide a rationale for acceptance within barely a tenth of a minute?
The [Secret] Psychology of Online Persuasion
Psychology plays a large role in just about everything we humans do - whether or not we realize it. Our behaviors, thoughts, and beliefs are constantly shaped by the environment around us, as well as by our own experiences. When the world was less technologically advanced, psychology tended towards the simple black and white of internal and external influence, nature and nurture forming our personalities one metaphorical brick at a time.
Now, however, we have the added influence of the Internet and the online environments we inhabit. It's a good thing, then, that Nathalie Nahai came along and created a whole new subset of psychology. Web psychology describes the study of how online environments influence our attitudes and behaviors. Using web psychology, as well as broader concepts from cognitive, personality, and social psychologies, Nahai helps businesses craft persuasive websites, marketing strategies, and user experiences.
"In an online context, it's about designing an environment that will persuade your users to behave a certain way." -Nathalie Nahai, web psychologist
So if you're a business with an online presence, and you have less than 8 seconds to make a lasting impact on prospective customers, how do you ensure your success?
The Fundamental Secrets to Online Success
Nahai postulates that there are three fundamental rules to understanding the secret to online success, and that every business - from the smallest mom and pop shop in the tiniest town, to the biggest fish in the vast Fortune 500 sea - could employ these secret rules to make their venture an absolute success.
1. Know Who You're Targeting
"To succeed online, you need an informed, intimate knowledge of your target market."
When you make a decision, do you do it based on rational considerations or on your intuition, the way your gut feels? Understanding that basic tenant of human behavior will go a long way to ensure success with your intended audience.
2. Communicate Persuasively
"You have to show your clients that you can meet their specific needs."
Now that you know who you're targeting, take a few moments to consider how best to communicate with that audience. Will they respond better to video or images? Social media or email campaigns? Whatever the medium, be sure to tailor it to fit your audience; there's a positive correlation between believing your business can meet their needs and their engagement level.
3. Sell With Integrity
"You must demonstrate that you can quickly and reliably deliver exactly what your clients want."
Reciprocity, consistency, social proof and conformity, liking, authority, and scarcity - these are the six principles of influence developed by Professor Robert Cialdini to describe the heuristics (shortcuts) our brains use to guide our behaviors and decision-making processes throughout the day. For your business to truly succeed online, it needs to be able to apply these principles of influence; only then will your audience see you as valuable and engaging - a company with integrity. A company they want to do business with.
Well, dear reader, could I persuade you to leave a comment below? Let me know what you think about online persuasion, the fundamentals of online success, and the principles of influence. I'm interested to see where the discussion leads us!
online psychology / shutterstock