Using Psychology with Marketing

Any good marketing professional can tell you that the best way to move a product or service is to “know your audience.” However, an understanding of how your consumers think, and what they desire can prove to be more valuable than one would realize.

If you are looking to improve your marketing with the use of some basic psychology understanding, see below for some basic principles to implement in your marketing strategies.

The theory of Reciprocity. This theory refers to the feeling that a consumer may feel they “owe” your business something after you have done something for them. In marketing, this can be as simple as providing a discount code for loyal customers, or those who have signed up for an email. The consumer feels gifted with this code, and therefore feels the need to use it to buy your product or service. This can also be applied in social media giveaways, where SLC SEO company has strategically made it to where a consumer has to give something first, like a tag or a “share” in order to be entered to win.

Using a decoy. Consumers are attracted to what they believe is the best “deal” for what they want to get, even if part of the deal is relatively useless or not needed at all to them. If you price one object low, and another object high, but then offer them together for only a slightly higher price or the same price as the more expensive single option, more than likely the consumer will choose this deal because they see the combination as more valuable.

Building a following using Social Proof. This is particularly powerful with social media, as the ability to build a following is easier when the consumer is doing the work for you. The idea of social proof is that when one person shows interest in something or gives a rave review, others will follow. People all over the world are paid as “influencers” who use this effect to the advantage of the company. Keep your content engaging, and your posts may be shared more times over than you thought possible in a short amount of time.

Supply and Demand. By making your product appear to be almost sold out, you can create a higher demand for it. This is the theory of scarcity, but it can be a tricky one to implement. If you have a product that is popular, but you are looking to push it, adding a quick note that there are only a few left due to popular demand will increase the consumer’s desire to have it, but if you don’t make it appear to be gone due to hot sales of it, the effect will not work.

Choose your headlines wisely. How many times have you heard someone say “I didn’t read the article, but I saw…” about something they remember seeing online? Consumers rarely take the time to read the entire work, so if you make your headline intriguing, the theory of the verbatim effect suggests that the person will recall your article enough to search it again, or even share it. even share it.