#Infographic How to use Principles of Influence in Online Marketing

Ted Chong, Digital Marketing Director, Ice Cube Marketing shares his two cents on how to use the 6 Principles Of Influence for online marketing. 

Making an informed decision is something that most of us think we do, regularly, but when it comes to buying decisions, who’s in control? For over 60 years, researchers have found that people follow a relatively narrow path known as a customer journey, buyer persona, or audience demographic. When this path is executed properly, success is usually made, especially in business.

Psychologist, researcher, and author, Robert Cialdini, writes about a 6-step path in his books Influence and Pre-Suasion. Let’s skip the boring fluff and jump straight into what it takes to develop the perfect funnel!

1: Create Scarcity
Scarcity is the limitations placed on something that is in demand. Effectively using scarcity means instilling that sense of limited availability. Best practices create scarcity through “limited time offers” or highlighting available inventory on commerce sites to show that there is a fixed number of products available.

2: Produce Commitments Through Consistency
Commitment in this sense refers to the ability to remain consistent with what the brand has done and is currently doing. While going for the big ticket sale may seem like a good idea, research shows that developing a multi-step micro-commitment process actually helps build consumers up to big ticket sales. Use 2-step opt-ins with limiting fields on the first step, and provide a free value or low commitment, just to get them on board for bigger buying decisions.

Consensus: People follow People
When it comes to the masses, people, even you, tend to hover around spaces that share similar interest with you. It’s no secret. We all feel comfortable following people whom we can connect and share commonalities with. Implementing “Social Proof” to your landing page can increase the number of followers. Social Proof is best used in the form of testimonials, number of likes, or how many followers you have.

Also Read: Infographic: Content Marketing: The journey from Casual Reader to Promoter

4: Giving to Get: The Art of Reciprocity
It’s known, that when people receive something from someone else, they develop a sense of obligation to give back. If a friend helps you out on a project, you would feel like you need to return the favor. For digital marketers, this is basically a normal practice by most. Some examples of ways to give:

• Informational Blogs, Articles, Posts
• Free Giveaways (Digital or Physical Products)
• Free Guides, Tools, Tutorials or Other Useful Resources
• Free Trials
• Free Limited-Services
• Free samples and Exclusive Offers (one-time only deals for those who sign up or join)

5: Charismatic Likeability: Do You Have It?
People enjoy doing business with businesses, organizations, and people they like. Plain and simple. For digital marketers, creating likeability is a matter of developing a bond with the consumer in order for them to feel comfortable to buy their service or product.

Some top marketers use images of their staff to increase likeability. Another critical way to grab their attention and increases the chance of them liking you is to develop copy that has a personable and relatable language. Consumers want to connect with a story. They want to feel that you understand their problems and the reasons they need your service. Get on their side, so they’ll get on yours.

6: Networking Your Authority
This is one of the most vital concepts in marketing. Consumers buy from experts in their industries. They follow those who have authority in certain fields they resonate with. While finding celebrity endorsements can be expensive, making use of media features, scientific research studies, and industry associations can help offset the need for such high-profile endorsements. Keep in mind, as you become more authoritative in your field, more of these doors will open.

Ted is from Ice Cube Marketing, a digital marketing agency in Singapore that helps local small businesses acquire leads from channels such as Facebook and Google.