8 Online Psychological Triggers to Maximize Business Success

Consumers are bombarded by hundreds, if not thousands, of messages throughout their daily lives. While some of these are personal or work-related, many of these messages are psychological marketing triggers designed to influence our influences and purchases. These are subtle and done in ways that keeps the public unaware they are being marketed to. Consistent exposure and contact, even without full consumer attention, has been shown to increase action on behalf of a brand. And in today’s ultra-competitive markets it is important to take advantage of every opportunity you can get. By gaining a deeper understanding of these marketing triggers you too can use psychological tactics to maximize the outcome of your own business. Here are 8 online psychological triggers to maximize your business success.

SMALL BECOMES BIG

Small actions lead to big actions. Think of a consumer who subscribes to an e-mail newsletter. When the originally visit a site or store there are often pop-ups, links or places where they are directly asked to sign up to be part of an e-mail newsletter. This small action is the initial spark in creating a big prospect. Once they sign-up for the e-mail newsletter businesses are not only able to send consistent messages that may inspire the consumer but can now directly follow up with a bigger call to action. These include everything from purchasing an item to scheduling a consultation to providing referrals to their friends, families and colleagues.

CONSISTENT EXPOSURE GENERATES TRUST

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The more we hear or read something the more we believe it to be true. This consistent exposure phenomenon is viable across all media and messages and is maximized by finding the most important message for your customers to believe. That means assessing your own goals and desires and critically thinking about how to present it to your target audiences. Once this message is found you want to repeat it throughout your website and general online presence. This can then be enhanced by featuring customer testimonials reiterating the same message.

PERCEIVED DEMAND INCREASES DESIRE

Customers are afraid of missing out on a product or service they see valuable, especially when that product is popular or new. They want to have the best and not be left behind, and your business should take advantage of this psychological trigger. To best utilize this tactic you should mention not only the limited availability or perceived demand of a product but you should also communicate to your audience what they will be losing if they do not choose your product. Make them see value in what you offer and take it to the next level by showing how their lives would be negatively impacted without it.

THE COMMON EFFECT

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Consumers want to feel that they are being catered to. Moreover they want to feel as though your services are tailored to them, especially in today’s informed online market. One of the best ways to implement this on your website is to provide testimonials throughout your website that present a unified message. Find some of your top customers or clients and ask them to submit a testimonial. Once you do this you can enhance the trigger through mirroring. Find a common denominator in the testimonials and use the same words throughout your website, portfolio or online accounts.

THE BANDWAGON EFFECT

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When consumers see something trendy or popular they are more keen to pay attention to it and eventually purchase or act on it. And let’s be honest, we’re all guilty of this. From the sporting arena to influencers online audiences are swayed by what is trending. This stems from the fact that we want to know what we are purchasing or subscribing to is useful. When the options we choose are also being picked by many others we feel safer in the eventual outcome. This is exactly why companies always like to highlight positive customer reviews or how many products they have sold. Make sure this is something you instill across your web presence in order to drive consumer action and demand.

SHOWCASE ONE OR TWO REVIEWS

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While consumers are happy to see a company has many positive reviews they often do so casually, especially with so many businesses being reviewed online by just about anybody with access to the internet. This means you have to find ways to set the most positive or impactful reviews apart from the others. One way of accomplishing this is to have one or two video testimonials of how great your product or service is. This makes it easier for people to relate to on a personal level and often make all the difference. That’s because your target audience will establish a deeper connection to not only the reviewers but also to your business.

DON’T OVERWHELM THEM

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As mentioned previously consumers are met by a barrage of messages each day. They are overstimulated and often intimidated by all they see. If not done properly businesses, especially small businesses, actually hurt their marketing and exposure efforts by bombarding audiences with overwhelming content that end up turning them off from business. While it seems great to have plenty of options and exposure, if that exposure is not executed strategically consumers will be overwhelmed, shut down and opt to choose nothing instead. Make sure to choose one promise or centralized message and create a presence around this. Doing so helps guide clients and make them feel as though as you are on their side. The less you make them think, the better.

AIM HIGH

Anchoring effects are strong in all aspects of life. Humans tend to latch (or anchor) on to the first piece of information they hear and subsequently compare everything else to this piece of information. Use this psychological trigger to your advantage to generate business success. List the highest price on an item or product line first. As customers continue to browse your website or online everything else starts to seem like a bargain, thus making them more likely to purchase at least one item or service.

Learning how to establish a successful online presence is critical in today’s world. Consumers are exposed to thousands of daily messages designed to make them act. These eight psychological tips to maximize your business success online could mean the difference between customers taking an action or getting lost in the sea of everybody else. Make time to strategize how to best implement them across your online presence and you will see successful business returns. After all, how many times do you know realize one of these psychological triggers influenced one of your purchases?

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