The ultimate goal of branding and communication is to trigger a behavior. We want our customers and potential customers to do something (for example, buy a product) or not do something (for example, not switch supplier).
A major mistake many people make is equating behavior with attitude – that is, believing that if we make our product known to the target group and help them understand our advantages, we just have to wait for the orders to start rolling in. Unfortunately, that’s not how it works.
Since 2001, Robert Cialdini, Professor of Social Psychology, has studied the mechanisms that make us act in a certain way. Or, to use Robert Cialdini’s own terminology, which stimuli trigger an automatic reaction or a specific behavior.
In his books, Cialdini thoroughly explains the social-psychological background behind these automatic reactions. For our purposes, it is enough to acknowledge that this background exists – if you want to dive deeper, his books are available under the titles Influence (Påverkan) and Pre-Suasion (För-Påverkan). Here Cialdini reveals what makes people say “yes” and provides concrete examples of how this knowledge can be applied in different contexts.
One of the explanations may already be familiar to you from the previous blog post about Kahneman’s research, namely System 1, which constantly looks for simple shortcuts instead of handing decision-making over to System 2. We have also given a summary in the series about “9.5 ways to yes”. Both these series are good example of how we can influence decisions by making small changes in our offer and/or communication. You find them in a number of earlier posts.
We will discuss Cialdini’s six principles in separate blog posts together with practical examples of how you can use Cialdini’s research to get customers to do what you want with focus on how you can use them to improve your marketing – from concept development to increasing conversions on your web.
The “Six Principles of Persuation”:
- Reciprocity — the behavior you give is the behavior you get
- Commitment & Consistency — we think and act in line with what we have previously thought and done
- Social proof — we do what other people do
- Liking — we like to say “yes” to people we like
- Authority — we rely on authorities and experts
- Scarcity — we value most what is hardest to obtain
And if you want to discuss communication, you are always welcome to contact ulf@sfinxconsulting.se
