When it comes to digital marketing for your business, concern yourself with one key question.

How do I get the most amount of people possible to take action?

Actions are what make your marketing efforts worth it. They drive results.

Actions can be anything from someone buying a product on your site to liking a post on your social media page.

We all want to increase these conversions. So, how do you inspire your consumers to follow through? 

A great way to do this is by analysing your audience’s psychological triggers. These are the mechanisms that make them tick.

What will grab their attention? What will it take for them to choose your product over another? 

Here are some ways you can use psychological triggers to improve conversion.

1. Give Back

The truth is, humans are selfish beings.

We respond favourably in situations where we receive something. Sometimes, we may also give back because we feel morally obligated. 

If we receive something first, we’re more likely to give something in return. Click To Tweet

Social psychologists refer to this as the reciprocity principle. Multiple studies support the concept, such as this one from The Behavioral Insights.

In this study, researchers gave investment bankers a pack of sweets. Then, they asked them to donate a day’s worth of pay to charity. The researchers asked the same question to a control group that didn’t receive any sweets. 

The results? The bankers who received the sweets were two times more likely to say yes than those in the control group.

The proof is in the pudding. If you give someone something, they are more likely to give back. 

The good news? This principle works wonders online. By offering your audience a little something-something, they may be more compelled to purchase something, provide their email address, etc.

Some small gestures that can have big results include:

• Responding to comments: Check your blog and social media pages every day. Take a few minutes and reply to any comments you get. Not everyone does this; your audience will take notice. 
• Providing free guides/videos: Your consumers will appreciate a little sneak peek of your products/services. They’ll see you as a reputable source of information and want to give you something in return (find out more about this in our guide to getting more leads!).
• Giving surprise gifts: Reward your best customers with surprise gifts. It doesn’t have to be anything extravagant. A small bonus will leave them feeling appreciated and loyal to your brand. 

2. Build Trust

When you look for something online, you don’t just go with the first website you land on. 

In most cases, you do a little research. You scroll through pages to see if the company is worth working with.  

Customers will only interact with you if they trust you. When they know they can depend on you, they’ll be more likely to take action. 

So, how do you build trust? Try the following:

• Create a trustworthy blog: Provide useful, relevant information about your industry. Your blog will show consumers that you are a reliable, knowledgeable expert in your field. 
• Design a simple, easy-to-use website: Users shouldn’t be confused when they land on your pages. Dr. Marianna Pogosyan notes that negative emotions impact our trust for others. Avoid frustration and make it easy for them by sticking to current web standards, and never lose focus on the user experience.

• Research your audience: This will help you figure out what they are looking for. Then, you can design their user experience accordingly. When you target a specific audience be glad to know that they can rely on you for a simple, consistent experience. 

3. Take Advantage of Social Influence

Especially in cultures like the U.S., we tend to value our own identities. We celebrate our uniqueness and what makes us different. 

That being said, we still look to others for validation. We care so much about what others think that we adapt our behaviours to follow the crowd. 

You probably could have guessed that most people want to be part of the group. In fact, multiple studies support this claim. 

Psychologist Solomon Asch conducted one of the most famous conformity experiments in the 1950s. He showed small groups of participants the picture below. Then, he asked them to voice which line (A, B, or C) was the same length as the line featured on the left.  

In each group, all of the participants were in on the experiment except for one. Asch told the fake participants to choose the incorrect answer. After hearing the others say the wrong answer, a majority of the real participants also chose the same wrong answer. 

Why would so many people get a super easy question wrong? It’s simple—they want to fit in. 

You can take advantage of this principle when it comes to increasing conversions. Pry at your audience’s instinct to look to others for approval. 

Start simple. A great way to do this is to brag a little on your website. 

Display glowing testimonials and customer reviews. Showcase trust badges or other awards. 

This will tell customers that others are using and loving your products/services. They’ll feel that they’re missing out and want to hop on board. 

Here are some great examples of companies using the power of social influence:

Copyblogger

When you go to Copyblogger’s website, you’re met with this message: 

Consumers are bound to notice the impressive 334,000 number. If this many people are using the website, it must be good, right? They’ll be compelled to sign up and benefit from these free resources. 

Fitbit

Fitbit also does a great job of using social influence. As a fitness tracker company, it relies on other reputable sources to support its claims. 

In the “Buzz” section of its website, it prominently displays glowing reviews. These convince users of the value of their products and encourage them to jump on board. 

Psychological Conversion Tips: Summary

These are just a few ways you can psychologically convince consumers to interact with your brand and improve your conversion rate. 

Sure, there are other tricks you can implement. But, at the end of the day, after giving back, building trust and taking advantage of social influence it boils down to having a good relationship with your audience.

This will keep them coming back and even encourage them to share your brand with others!  

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