There is no need to write about the fact that company marketing should influence its recipients and attract potential customers. The question is – what to do to influence effectively?
For the answer, it is worth turning to Robert Cialdini, who highlighted it 6 rules for influencing others. How can their use help us in marketing? You will find out by reading this article.
1. The rule of reciprocity
The rule of reciprocity is to reciprocate in the same way, i.e. what we receive, we give. What does this mean exactly?
Let’s assume that our client is nice, focused when talking to us, is really interested in what we have to say and respects our opinion. In such a situation, we are required to at least reciprocate. These are rather the basics of communication with another person.
What if a client takes advantage of us and sacrifices their free time because we are late for a meeting? Then you can reciprocate in various ways. Sounds simple, right? However, not everyone will think of such an idea.
In the work of a salesperson or marketer, you can reciprocate through a discount, a free trial period or additional free services – we will put a little more heart into our work, and the customer will feel appreciated.
2. Unavailability
People want things that are rare, special, unique – this appeals to them. Limited editions and time-limited offers sell better because instead of considering the full meaning of the purchase, people focus on the fact that the product or service may disappear and they will no longer have access to it.
Please note that when certain products or entire store chains are withdrawn, crowds go shopping just to not miss the opportunity. But what can we do about it? As humans, we feel special when we have something that no one else has 😉
How can we use this? Instead of releasing a mass of products at once, you can release only a few products at a time to intrigue customers with their unavailability. We can also mention the time limitation of the availability of a given product or service. It is also worth remembering that people react differently to the idea that they will save or lose money. Most often, when we hear that we can save 30 cents a month, we don’t worry about it too much. However, when we hear that we will lose such an amount, we are more willing to listen to the offer and consider it.
In short, people want to know what and how much they can lose.
3. Authority
The principle of authority consists in inspiring trust and having an appropriate reputation. Experience, and especially certificates of experience or expert knowledge, allow us to gain trust in a given field.
The most effective form of using the principle of authority, the so-called word of mouth, i.e. recommending our company as an expert and authority directly by other satisfied customers.
What if we don’t have a customer base yet or the customer hasn’t heard about us before? It is worth preparing, for example, a website where, in addition to product or service descriptions, we will also include opinions from existing customers.
97% of internet users read reviews before making a purchase, and 85% of consumers trust online reviews as much as recommendations from their friends.*
Therefore, it is worth encouraging our customers to post reviews, e.g. on their Google My Business listing
4. Consistency
As a rule, people want and like to be consistent. So what do they don’t like? They don’t like it when they are accused of being inconsistent and inconsistent.
If it happens that customers call and make an appointment, book a table or make a preliminary reservation in a given facility and no trace of them is lost, it is best to apply the principle of consistency instead of a financial penalty.
How?
This policy proposes, among other things, that with each booking we ask for verbal or written confirmation that the customer will contact us if they wish to cancel. Then, instead of waiting for a customer who does not intend to show up and wasting an empty room or table, we receive information in advance that the customer will not show up, and we can make the product available again to those interested. This is not just a theory, but a rule proven and confirmed by Robert Cialdini.
Why doesn’t a fine have to work? Let’s assume a customer wants to book a table at a restaurant. If the booking service has previously been free, customers may be afraid of being penalized if they are unable to show up. For this reason, they may not make a reservation at all. Verbal confirmation of a given action is usually binding on a person, it is a form of promise, and we rarely like to break it. The written form is even more effective because we cannot deny it. We know that somewhere there is evidence that we have agreed to something, concluded some form of contract, which makes us keep our word even more.
5. Consensus
Society relies on the opinions of those similar to itself, i.e. its peers, friends, and people with similar interests. When people see that people they know are interested in a given product or service, they automatically become interested in it as well. In the age of social media, this is especially visible – a recommendation from a person we follow, like and who is similar to us is enough to make us want to get to know the recommended product or service.
6. Liking
The principle of liking represents common knowledge, which is that we prefer to say “yes” to the person we like. And we like those who like us, we like people similar to us and those with whom we can achieve a goal together.
If we want to use this principle in marketing, the most important aspect will be establishing a relationship. Let’s focus on the details, collect data about our potential customers and talk to them on this basis – by referring to what they like, we will be liked, and this is a short way to establishing cooperation.
Information such as a customer’s interests should not be ignored, even if they seem trivial, because they are the gateway to establishing a real connection. There will always be a topic for conversation that will allow us to get to know another person better, which in turn will help us abandon an overly official approach and make our contact easier.
This principle also works the other way around – if the customer thinks that we like him, he is able to trust us more quickly. Why? Because it is commonly believed that we don’t want to cheat on people we like. Therefore, it is worth building relationships based not only on monetary gain, but also on mutual understanding and liking.
If you want to communicate better with your potential customers, write to us – we will help!
Feel free to write to kontakt@evostudio.pl
*https://smallbiztrends.com/2017/11/2017-local-consumer-review-survey.html
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