Last Updated: November 25, 2020

Imitation is the most sincere forms of flattery, at least, according to advocates of the “mirror technique.”

By mirroring a target’s physical posture and gestures (while maintaining casual conversation), you can develop an unspoken bond with that target, making them feel that you two are “in sync.” Then, introduce a gesture of your own—if the target copies your gesture, you know you’ve gone from following to leading. Only now can you interject your own ideas in conversation, hopefully extracting a response of “That’s just what I was thinking.”

So much of communication and decision-making occurs at the subconscious level, requiring marketers to consider the psychological underpinnings of purchasing behavior. By understanding the factors that apply at this level, they can be far more effective at persuading people to choose what they want them to choose (and buy).

What is persuasion marketing?

Persuasion marketing applies what we know about human psychology to develop techniques to market products or services. In this case, it specifically applies to the promotions aspect of the marketing mix, and builds on a customer’s impulsive behavior to lead them to purchase.

In terms of Internet commerce, persuasion marketing includes how a web page is designed. Again, applying human psychology to web design—focusing on the part of the decision-making process that’s not consciously controlled—elements such as layout, copy, and typography, combined with the right promotional messages, encourage website visitors to follow pre-planned pathways on the website, and take specific actions, rather than giving them free reign of choice in how they interact with the website. (See also Consumer Psychology)

Who implements persuasion marketing?

Salespeople have been using persuasive techniques for as long as they have been around, and now work to translate these techniques on the web. Persuasion marketing, in fact, was a top subject discussed by keynote speaker Susan Bratton at the 2011 SES (Search Engine Strategies) San Francisco convention, attended by more than 1,000 marketing and advertising professionals. It’s a topic, and a strategic approach, that appeals to marketers in a variety of industries. If you have an e-commerce website, then you want to convert visits to sales—and persuasion marketing techniques ease that process. (See also E-Commerce Marketing)

For what kinds of customers is persuasion marketing effective?

One of the insights of persuasion marketing is that customers’ sensitivity to persuasive arguments varies according to a number of factors, including their immediate emotional state. Therefore, in order to increase the chances of converting a customer, a salesperson or marketer needs to look for a “persuasion window,” open one if they can, and make the deal before it closes again.

Consider a visitor who has just registered for a newsletter or promotion on a website and lands on a “thank you” page. Since that visitor has already engaged with the website and is in an “interactive state”, additional offers on “thank you” pages typically earn a 39% conversion rate.

Another way to generate persuasive windows is to “alarm clock” a website. Many marketers design pages in a way that people have reasons to regularly check it to avoid “missing out” on opportunities or offers. When people visit a website on their own time, they arrive already open to persuasion.

How is a persuasion marketing campaign developed?

There are four primary elements of persuasion marketing: structured communication, storytelling, copywriting, and neuromarketing.

• Structured communication, like the “planned conversation” of interpersonal sales, is about controlling the order of the dialogue, or how information is presented to the consumer. The goal is to move a customer along his or her “impulse curve,” initially encouraging a customer’s impulse, and making a call to action after that impulse level has been raised to its highest point. In website design, it means that the first page the customer sees does not immediately seek a sale, but instead presents the initial message and encourages further exploration of the website.
• Storytelling uses a narrative framework to invoke a customer’s emotional and subconscious responses, so that they join—or dominate—their more analytical responses. Use of particular words and images evoke habitual emotional responses, such as affection, familiarity, empathy, and desire for triumph/resolution.
  Weapons of Persuasion

  • Reciprocation — obligate people emotionally by giving them something
  • Commitment — secure a small commitment, then build on it; people don’t want to back out on the initial commitment, so they are more likely to comply with new terms
  • Social Proof — testimony of peers
  • Authority — perceived expertise
  • Liking — people are more likely to buy if they like you, so be friendly (and be physically attractive—never show ugly people in your pictures)
  • Scarcity — of either the product, the offer, or the time; this does not need to be real, only perceived
• Copywriting is using the right words and phrases for headings, captions, product descriptions, and other text. For example, when people scan material (and most Internet pages are scanned before they’re read), questions stand out more than statements, so “What is the best way to capture attention?” catches more attention than “How to capture attention.” The persuasion marketer field-tests different kinds of copy, in order to determine which is most likely to produce the emotion or answer he or she’s looking for.
  Different words describing the same thing can have very different connotation. “Choices,” for example, produces a positive emotional response, but “trade-offs” produces a negative one. Additionally, the copywriter and marketer must remember that the fear of loss is more motivating for most people than the promise of gain. Thus “don’t miss out” has more impact than “this can be yours.”
• Neuromarketing (See also Neuromarketing) is perhaps the most important component of persuasion marketing, applying psychology to the marketing message. Psychological research reveals information about the diverse factors that contribute to a decision—and as much as 90 percent of that all takes place beyond our conscious reasoning. For example, research demonstrates that visual and olfactory cues are important for “priming” a particular mood; therefore, grocery stores display flowers in the front in order to “prime” customers with the image of freshness. In terms of website design, it means using color scheme and particular visual imagery to improve visitors’ response to the website.

Another major feature is testimony from other people. Businesses typically display customer testimony on therir websites, developing a “wall of social proof” approach. Businesses post photos of happy—and attractive—customers, so new customers are comfortable being associated with them.

What career titles work with persuasion marketing strategies?

Marketing Manager

Advertising Account Manager

Web Developer

How can a marketing school help you succeed?

Persuasive messaging is an important component of all product promotions. A marketing program will specifically equip to create more effective marketing messages, by providing you with in-depth analysis of consumer behavior.

In a marketing program, you’ll learn about the components of the marketing mix—product, price, placement, and promotion. To understand products, you’ll learn about research and development in a business setting. Classes in economics will prepare you for advising on price. For placement, you will learn about product distribution methods and logistics, and how to develop business relationships with resellers. Finally, promotion will focus largely on communication skills.

In addition to taking specific classes on various communication environments, you’ll be required to practice and develop your communications and presentation skills in all of your classes. You’ll learn how to apply persuasive techniques to both verbal and graphic messages. Classes in market research and consumer psychology will further increase your ability to understand consumer behavior in the economic environment, and develop appropriate messaging for them.

To learn more about what a marketing program can do for you, request information from schools with degrees in marketing, and don’t miss out on an this exciting and lucrative career.