What good is a brand unless customers don’t feel the urge to make buying decisions in favor of it? Customers need a pathway that directs them towards a brand and that pathway is best paved with the help of persuasive marketing.

It’s quite bizarre to see how little brands emphasize persuasive marketing because they assume that persuasive tactic focuses more on the number of products a brand sells, rather than creating brand loyalty – you know, the terrible ‘quantity over quality’ cliché. However, in reality, persuasive marketing is an underrated marketing tool that packs a punch – literally! It holds the power to convert customers and generate positive perceptions about your brand.

Did you know persuasive marketing is best for influencing the minds and actions of customers? Although it might feel as if this marketing approach is sort of cheating, let us tell you something. The agenda behind persuasion is rather a psychological one. Brands that focus on persuasive marketing target customers’ impulsive buying behavior and mix it with the promotional aspect of the marketing mix to get the desired results.

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How Does Persuasion in Marketing Work?

The idea of persuasion in marketing sounds like a daunting one, but the good news is, it isn’t. The rules that this marketing tactic abides by are straightforward. Since persuasive marketing is all that happens up here (points at brain), hence what’s better than understanding the science behind persuasion from someone who knows what goes on in our brains, right?

Thus, to understand persuasion in marketing, we’ll turn to Robert Cialdini. Cialdini is the world’s renowned psychologist, who wrote in his book ‘Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion’ that there are six basic principles, which revolve around the science of persuasive marketing. Those six principles identify as:

• Reciprocity
• Social Proof
• Authority
• Liking
• Commitment
• Scarcity

Now let’s shed some light onto each of these principles:

1. Reciprocity

To build a broader customer base, you must give customers what they want. If you don’t meet your customers’ expectations, how can you expect them to fulfill yours? Customers are wired to the idea of ‘giving back’ to the brand that offers most discounts, offers, etc. Therefore, to persuade your customers into buying your brand, you must stick with the rule of reciprocity.

2. Social proof

The initial perception that customers have before using a brand is a very speculative one and it can change once there is proof that someone else from their social circle has tried that brand and approves of it. Brands can use this principle to convince customers by showing them proof of what others did in similar situations.

3. Authority

Buying something from a brand is akin to placing your trust in that brand. Authority of brands works somewhat similarly to the concept of credibility. For example, you’re at the supermarket looking for detergent and you see a newly launched brand placed on the front shelves, whereas, the old detergent brand that you’re familiar using is placed on the last aisle. Since you trust your old detergent brand more than the new one, you would walk all to the way to the last aisle and get that detergent. This is how authority works. The credibility of the old detergent brand is what drove you to it.

4. Liking

Another factor that persuades customers’ buying decisions is how much they like a brand. Customers are more comfortable buying goods from a brand that they like using and thus, they’re easily persuaded by it. But what exactly drives customers to develop a liking for a brand? The compliments. When brands portray themselves as entities, which ‘like customers’, then obviously, customers would like them back, too.

5. Commitment

Brands that focus on building communities with satisfied customers are the ones that do particularly great. With the help of communities, brands get a chance to gain insights into what customers’ needs are. These insights help brands in overcoming their weaknesses and allow them to gain the trust and loyalty of their customers.

6. Scarcity

With scarcity, brands create a sense of urgency in their customers – an urgency that is best defined as FOMO (fear of missing out). Brands that cleverly create a scenario of offering scarce products end up doing great business. There is this understood perception that customers tend to rush for products, which are ‘limited edition’ and because of FOMO they prefer investing in that product as soon as they can.

In a Nutshell

Persuasive marketing is the best approach to generate revenue, without reeling in your customers through faux hopes. Brands that go down the route of influencing the minds of their customers through persuasion get a chance to place themselves ahead of their competitors. So, in a nutshell, if you’re a brand that is striving to gain importance in front of your prospects, then consider opting for the persuasive approach. Not only would your customers start seeing you as a credible brand, but also your long-time wish of running a successful business would turn into a reality.