Marketing
What Are The Best Psychological Motivators In Marketing?
Running a successful business is about more than simply having a good product or service. It’s about knowing how to sell it. Sometimes, it’s not enough to be able to clearly state the benefits of what you offer. An extra psychological push might be just what your customer needs to cross that threshold and convert. As such, here are some of the most powerful psychological motivators that can act as that push.
FOMO
Also known as the fear of missing out, this is the natural anxiety we feel about missing out on an opportunity. One of the reasons that we crave instant gratification is that we’re worried we’ll be left behind or lack something if we wait too long. You can stoke that FOMO in your marketing by highlighting scarcity when it makes sense. For instance, venues will often highlight that they only have so many seats available for their events, while limited supplies of premium stock can prove highly effective in the e-commerce world.
Social Proof
Not all psychological motivators are based on inherently negative or fearful emotions, of course. Humans are social creatures and, as such, we look to others for cues on how to behave. From a marketing perspective, we’re a lot more likely to assume that we’ll be satisfied with a product or service if we can see others’ satisfaction. Reviews, testimonials, and case studies are all great examples of positive social proof propping up a brand. However, if you can go even further and have customers create user-generated content, such as by incentivising them to take photos with your product to win a prize, it can create a surge of community support.
Urgency
Related to FOMO but, to some degree, even more powerful, is the fact that people tend to make decisions more clearly when they feel they have limited time. If they’re already leaning towards wanting your products and services, then countdown timers and expiring bonuses can push them to make the right call. Many brands are using live times on their websites and emails through tools like Sendtric to that effect. Timers and other concrete figures tend to work better than vague statements like “limited time offer” or “while stocks last.” Effective urgency is specific and credible.
Reciprocity
Just as we are social creatures, most people with regular morals tend to follow the rule that when we’re given something, we feel compelled to give back. This can be true in marketing, as well. Businesses will often offer guides, free trials, consultations, or otherwise helpful services or resources. If you want your customers to feel truly compelled to show reciprocity, then you have to be willing to provide something of real value, too. It can’t feel like bait, it has feel like help.
When you know the right buttons to push and how, then you can make your marketing all the more effective across every market. You still need to back it up with results, but knowing how the mind ticks can be a huge help.