8 Psychological Tips for your Marketing Strategy

by Eden Ames,

American Marketing Association

Key Takeaways

What? Eight reminders for marketers on the critical role psychology plays in consumer behavior.

So what? Understanding the psychology behind consumer behaviors and decision-making  can provide guidance when developing an effective marketing strategy.

Now what? Marketers should keep up with psychological research in order to assess and encourage certain consumer behavior.

“According to psychological research, “the reptilian” brain (the neocortex) expresses itself in: people's obsessive-compulsive tendencies, the flight-or-fight response and the actions people take in response to urgencies. These are precisely the factors that inspire impulse purchases.”

A recent article from Entrepreneur highlights eight useful reminders that can help you to implement psychology in your marketing efforts.

1. The human mind is prone to impulsivity.

Regardless of demographic, most people make impulse purchases, as shown by data from Chase, Gallup and Harris Interactive. This is why it works to ask customers to subscribe, buy and try it now.

2. Images are processed faster than text.

A picture can say a thousand words—and it only takes a fraction of the time that it would take to read those thousand words. More importantly, it’s been shown that people think in pictures. Powerful visuals go a long way. Sometimes, the image makes or breaks the deal when consumers are considering an online purchase.

3. Blue is associated with trust.

An infographic from KissMetrics shows that blue is significantly associated with a sense of trust. Marketers can make use of the research available on color psychology. Of course, marketers should be aware that social factors are at play in these associations. For example, in American culture, white symbolizes purity making it a preferred color for wedding dresses. In contrast, Chinese culture attributes death, mourning and loss to the color white and use red in weddings because of its association to luck.

4. Trust can be fostered by products and websites associated with appropriate words.

Words can lay the foundation of trust, especially when they are crafted thoughtfully. According to Entrepreneur, these are the words that work well consistently:

·         authentic

·         certified

·         guaranteed

·         loyal

·         official

5. Saying yes once means a high likelihood of saying yes again.

Otherwise known as the foot-in-door technique (FITD), salespeople have been taking advantage of the phenomenon that customers who say yes to a small request like an e-mail sign up are far likelier to say yes again.

6. The first number a customer sees can impact how the customer evaluates price in the future.

For example, a consumer in search of an affordable television with a budget of $1000 may see a TV is priced at $3,999 and consider that much too high. However, if that same consumer were to see that same television marked down to $1,499, the dramatically reduced price has an effect that may compel the purchaser to buy the TV even though it is over the original budget.

7. Every decision is based on emotion.

According to Entrepreneur, neuroscience has proven that every single decision—even those made by more “rational” types—are informed by emotions. Marketers illiciting emotional responses as a way to gain more sales should instead approach this method as a way to align products/services and campaigns appropriately to the emotion to which customers might be most prone.

8. People often act according to how they’re labeled.

We see ourselves through the eye of the other, making the expectations and perceptions placed on us crucial to the formation of our behavioral inclinations.

“The message here is that it’s okay to tell your customers who they are, what they believe and how they will act. Your labelling will impact their decision to buy or not buy your product or service.”

Source: American Marketing Association