Five Modes of Persuasion You Need in Your Marketing Campaigns

 

by Timothy Carter

Marketing is all about persuasion.

Of course, you could argue that some of the most successful brands of all time—Coca-Cola or Nike, say—got to where they are not by convincing people that their products were the best but by simply making their name more visible.

However, even visibility is a persuasive event: For example, seeing a Nike product worn by a professional athlete gives you the impression that Nike's quality is high.

So if marketing can be boiled down to persuasion, then highly effective persuasive techniques should be able to take any campaign goal to that proverbial "next level," whether that means attracting more traffic, earning more conversions, or sparking more customer engagements.

Rhetoric and Persuasion

According to Aristotle, there are three "modes" of persuasion to be used in rhetoric—the formal name for the study and practice of persuasion. Those modes are...

1. Ethos, or appeals to authority and moral values
2. Pathos, or appeals to emotion
3. Logos, or appeals to logic and reason

I'll expound on their modern iterations in the next section, but I'll add two other modes that are important to modern marketers—not because I think Aristotle "missed" some, but because classical rhetoric was used for political debate rather than marketing messaging.

The Five Modern Modes of Marketing Persuasion

The following five modern characteristics of marketing, if used properly, can increase the persuasive power of any marketing campaigns:

1. Authority. Rooted in Ethos, the modern appeal to authority is all about demonstrating your trustworthiness, experience, or values as a brand. Earlier, I mentioned Nike's strategy of associating its products with professional athletes; that's an authoritative appeal because it makes people think highly of their products, but that isn't the only option. Mentioning and elaborating on your company history, experience, capabilities, clients, and partners are all useful ways to show off your authority. You can also associate yourself with other industry organizations, companies, or publishers to show off your brand's reach. On a product level, this could manifest itself as a "best-seller" display, or star ratings you've received from major industry organizations.
2. Emotion. This is Pathos, the emotional side of persuasion. The goal here is to tap into a powerful human emotion to make your arguments more compelling, whatever they might be. For example, you could use a "don't let this happen to you" worst-case-scenario advertisement to tap into consumer fear, or a "remember the good times" ad to tap into consumer nostalgia. Comfort, fear, pleasure, excitement, humor, disgust, and sympathy are all powerful emotions that can be used in different ways, depending on your brand. For example, making people afraid of the consequences of not buying a taco wouldn't be an effective way to encourage more taco purchases, but appealing to the joys of eating a taco with friends would be. Know your audience, and know your industry.
3. Logic. The logical appeal, Logos, is less colorful and requires less creativity than an authoritative or emotional appeal. That's because logical arguments are rooted in facts and data. For example, you might objectively prove that your software performs better and costs less than a competitor's via an interactive chart on your homepage, or you might calculate the average ROI your clients receive and use that as a highlight in your advertising campaign. There aren't any strict rules here, as long as you're making an objective case for your business's superiority. This approach tends to work better for B2B brands and those that rely on serious, important consumer decisions, but in theory it could apply to any company.
4. Impulse. The appeal to impulse is one of my "new" modes of persuasion, and I refer to it because of the fleeting nature of consumer attention today. By some accounts, human attention spans are shorter than that of goldfish, and it's no secret that if a consumer doesn't take action immediately on your website, he/she probably won't come back to finish the job. Accordingly, you need to apply a sense of urgency—a sense of impulse—to your persuasive methods. For example, you could include a "limited time" offer with a clock ticking down, or reiterate the consequences of procrastination vis-à-vis a major decision.
5. Social. People trust other people far more than they trust brands, a problem that didn't necessarily exist in Aristotle's day. But there's an easy way to take advantage of that fact: Let your customers do the persuading for you. Some 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations, so include any reviews and testimonials you can in your messaging, and get involved actively on social media (though that should be a given). Think of this one as a kind of spinoff from the authoritative appeal: You're still convincing audiences you're worth your salt, but you're doing it through the mouth of consumers.

It's definitely possible to specialize in one of those modes, and some brands in some industries might be able to benefit from doing so.

For example, fast food restaurants can benefit from an appeal to impulse more so than life insurance companies can, and financial institutions can benefit from logical appeals more than a hairdresser might.

Still, you stand to benefit most when you use all five modes of persuasion in unison; it just takes some practice and experimentation.

https://bitly.ws/3gKML

Dr. Robert Cialdini's 6 Principles of Persuasion

Over the past few weeks, we’ve explored the 6 principles of persuasion by Dr. Robert Cialdini, with more than 50 real-life marketing examples.

Here’s a recap of how these 6 principles work, and how to use them in your own marketing strategy:

In many social situations, we pay back what we received from others.

When you offer something first, people will feel a sense of indebtedness, which will make them more likely to comply with your subsequent requests. We’re deeply wired to be reciprocal.

There are three factors that will make this principle more effective:

• Offer something first – allow them to feel indebted to you
• Offer something exclusive – allow them to feel special
• Personalize the offer – make sure they know it’s from you

Learn more: Giving Before You Get: 10 Examples of Reciprocity in Marketing

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We tend to stick with whatever we’ve already chosen.

We are bombarded with hundreds of choices to make every single day. For convenience, we simply make a single decision and then stick to it for all subsequent related choices.

The way to earn customer loyalty using this principle is to make them commit to something (a statement/stand/identity). They will then feel an automatic compulsion to stick with it.

Follow these three ways to leverage off this principle:

• Ask your customers to start from small actions – so they’ll have to stick to it.
• Encourage public commitments – they’ll be less likely to back out.
• Reward your customers for investing time and effort in your brand.

Learn more: A Foot in the Door: 7 Examples of Commitment and Consistency in Marketing

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We tend to have more trust in things that are popular or endorsed by people that we like.

How to work it:

• Experts – Approval from credible experts in the relevant field
• Celebrities – Approval or endorsements from celebrities (paid or unpaid)
• Users – Approval from current/past users (ratings, reviews and testimonials)
• ‘Wisdom of crowds’ – Approval from large groups of other people
• Peers – Approval from friends and people you know

Learn More: I’ll Have What She’s Having: 15 Examples of Social Proof Used in Marketing

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We are more likely to comply with requests made by people we like.

That can range from our closest friends to complete strangers that we are attracted to.

This explains why we trust word-of-mouth recommendations from our peers, as well as stuff endorsed by our favorite singers.

Follow these factors to make the Liking principle work:

• Physical attractiveness – [Make your website] well-designed, function and suit what you’re selling.
• Similarity – Behave like a friend, not a brand. Show them that you can relate to, and understand them.
• Compliments – Have a voice; use social media platforms not to broadcast, but hold intimate conversations and form relationships with your customers.
• Contact and Cooperation – Fight for the same causes as your customers. Nothing builds rapport and closeness like good old-fashioned teamwork.
• Conditioning and Association – Associate your brands with the same values that you want to communicate and possess.

Learn more: Laws of Attraction: 7 Examples of the Liking Principle Used in Marketing

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We follow people who look like they know what they’re doing.

This hold especially true in fields where we aren’t experts. Most headlines utilize this principle by including phrases like “scientists say”, “experts say”, “research shows”.

You can give off the air of authority if you pay attention of these factors:

• Titles – Positions of power/experience
• Clothes – Superficial cues that signal authority
• Trappings – Accessories/indirect cues that accompany authoritative roles

Learn more: Trust Me, I’m a Doctor: 7 Examples of the Authority Principle Used In Marketing

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We are always drawn to things that are exclusive and hard to come by.

We assume that things that are difficult to obtain are usually better than those that are easily available. We link availability to quality.

You can learn to trigger your customers’ sense of urgency with these methods:

• Limited-number – Item is in short supply and won’t be available once it runs out.
• Limited-time – Item is only available during that time period.
• One-of-a-kind Specials – Sometimes utilize one or both of the above techniques. Also from one-off events (e.g. collaborations, anniversaries)
• Utilising Competitions – Our inclination to want things more because other people also want them is often utilized in auctions or bids.

Learn more:  Hurry, While Stocks Last: 13 Examples of the Scarcity Principle Used in Marketing

Conclusion: Use these principles to your advantage, but remember to get the fundamentals right.

These principles are powerful because they bypass our rational minds, appealing to our subconscious instincts. They elicit what Dr. Cialdini terms the “click, whirr” automatic response in all of us.

However, do note that while these principles can help bring more awareness for your brand, the biggest factor that ultimately drives customer satisfaction, loyalty and sales is a great product.

All marketing efforts will only work when they’re supporting a product that brings true value to customers.

Full list of links:

1. Giving Before You Get: 10 Examples of Reciprocity in Marketing
2. A Foot in the Door: 7 Examples of Commitment and Consistency in Marketing
3. I’ll Have What She’s Having: 15 Examples of Social Proof Used in Marketing
4. Laws of Attraction: 7 Examples of the Liking Principle Used in Marketing
5. Trust Me, I’m a Doctor: 7 Examples of the Authority Principle Used In Marketing
6. Hurry, While Stocks Last: 13 Examples of the Scarcity Principle Used in Marketing

 Samuel Hum