Robert Cialdini is no stranger to many. Indeed, he is the expert on influence and persuasion. In the 1980s, he wrote his world-famous book 'Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion'. In it, Cialdini describes six proven ways how to psychologically influence people. Below, we highlight the six principles of influence and also tell you how to apply them digitally.
#1 Social proof
Everyone is uncertain when a decision has to be made. So we fall back on a primal instinct: to see what others do. As soon as it appears that other people have (benefited from) a certain decision, we tend to go along with it.
This is why customer reviews and sales figures work so well to sell something. And yes, this is also why fake laughter can still be heard among American comedies: we hear laughter and are more likely to laugh along.
#2 Reciprocity
Give away a sample of your product or share your knowledge for free. This generates positive experiences among your target audience. As a result, they are all the quicker to grant you something in exchange for what they got from you. This is the effect of reciprocity.
# 3 Commitment en consistentie
Humans are creatures of habit. We therefore like to stick to our opinions. Once we have chosen a particular brand of toothpaste, we often stick to it for years.
The psychological element of commitment and consistency is particularly valuable for cementing brand loyalty.
#4 Sympathy
Say it now: you'd rather do business with someone you like than someone you don't? That's what the principle of likability is based on: make sure your target audience likes you and your sales will automatically increase.
Charisma, compliments, humour... these are all things that make someone likeable. And keep it personal too: we prefer to buy from a seller whose name we know. That creates a bond.
#5 Authority
People with authority are always right. At least, we often think so. That's why, in advertisements, we often see a man in a white coat touting things. As if he is the expert.
This is also why complaining customers often ask for 'the boss'. They feel that only then will something really be done with their complaint. So if you want to sell something, make sure you are the authority in your field.
#6 Scarcity
Ever notice how you suddenly become a lot more interested in a particular product when only a limited number of products are available? That's because of the scarcity principle. You're probably thinking "If it sells this hard, it must be good!" Nowhere based on anything, of course, but it works.
Hence, many retailers use sell-by signs. Put on your website the number of products left (and not 9,876 or something similar, but only if there are really few). This gives the visitor an incentive to buy the product.
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