The seven key elements of influence to use on your website, marketing and sales material
There are seven principles of influence that dive into the human psychology and subconscious that can have a positive impact on the result you see with your website and marketing and sales materials, making people more likely to convert into prospects and customers for your product or service.
Here are the seven ways to use influence make friends and influence people through your website
1 Give give give give ask
It’s built into our DNA to want to give back to someone who has given to us.
Give away as much FREE quality content as possible, and it will subconsciously influence people to give back to you in the form or sign ups, sales or recommendations.
Here are some ways you can use this technique
- Blog post, whitepapers, video training or podcast content
- Landing pages – try to give as much value as possible in exchange for their contact details.
- Free tutorials on your product or service.
- Don’t forget about your existing customers either. Give them something extra occasionally to reward them for their loyalty.
- Think about what value you can add to your prospects. Every business can give away valuable information or value at every stage – before someone becomes a client and after becoming a client.
2 Authority
People trust credible, knowledgeable experts. By displaying that you’re an authority in your market or niche through content and other credibility elements. People are a lot more likely to choose you than your competition if they don’t use these elements on their website.
You can use the following elements on your website to show your Authority.
Display your accreditations, qualifications, industry association logos, etc.
Have your best content upfront to help position you as the expert
- Tell people in your copy. For instance, you could say: ‘Best Selling Author, or As featured in (magazine, TV show or radio show)’.
- You can use images and videos of you presenting from a stage or working with groups of clients.
- Images of you dressed in a suit, or uniform relevant to your sector. People trust people in uniform
- Professional design will help with how your prospects perceive your business
3 Likeability
People buy from people that they know, like and trust. They buy from people that are similar to us and people that pay us compliments. That’s one of the key reasons personality out there!
Here are some design elements you can use to help with having people like you more…
- Have ‘face-to-camera’ videos on your website, so people can get to know you, your facial expressions and body language, etc.
- Use images of you or your team around the website
- Be as helpful as you can.
- Email support and how you interact on social media
4 Consistency
As humans, we are wired to recognise patterns, and we are far more likely to remember something that’s consistent. Here are some things to consider to improve consistency…
Release content consistently or sending emails consistently. Same day and time weekly
Same look and feel with the visual branding and identity across all of your multiple touch points from your website, emails, social media and printed materials.
Be consistent with your messages and values.
5 Scarcity
It’s human nature to desire what there is less of. When the demand is high and the quantity supplied is decreasing, suppliers can increase the price to compensate for scarcity. So when posting offers on your website, it can help influence people to take action if you let them know how many products are available or its a time limited offer.
Most of the time, people put off buying something because there are still a lot of it out there or there is still a lot of time remaining before the offer ends.
- Add a countdown timer if there’s an end date. It’s a far more effective and engaging way to show the user there is an end date than just displaying just an end date.
- Display a number of products in stock
- Add the number of slots available for your service or event
- Use seasonal offers or free shipping for a limited time only
6 Social Proof
People love reviews; it’s one of the key buy in factors we use. Think about how you choose a product on Amazon or a programme to watch on Netflix. The rating score plays a massive role in what we choose to watch.
People usually turn to others to see if you’re stuff really works so having testimonials or case studies from existing clients will help prove that your products or services do work.
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How to use social proof:
- Have logos of the businesses you have helped.
- Display before and after images
- Have written or video testimonials
- Show case studies from existing clients and really emphasise the results
- Use numbers: Show how many customers have purchased from you already, How many downloads, How many people you have helped, etc.
7 Calls to action
People respond well to direction – Without being told what to do most people will do nothing.
It’s crucial to get clear and obvious call to actions around your website and marketing materials.
- Make the next step clear – if you want them to download your app or take a demo – put that on the button
- Make your key call to action the same colour so readers recognise that this is an action point around your website.
- Use a copywriter to help you to make this compelling and action focused
I hope you found these seven insights helpful. If you would like any help applying these principles to your website or marketing materials please get in touch
