The Power of Word
There is a very effective technique to increase sales: use the Power of the word to persuade your customers. The truth is that through words, you can create a need, awaken a desire, and offer the solution that your future clients are looking for.
There is a very common phrase in the world of Internet Marketing that says that people buy solutions to problems that many times they do not know they have. And that is where the art of persuading comes in, an art so broad and with so many points that one often does not know how or where to start.
Let us take a look at the six principles of persuasion with words.
- Reciprocity: The principle of reciprocity says that we all tend to return favors, pay off debts, and treat others as they treat us. This is because we people hate feeling indebted to others and feel compelled to offer concessions or favors to others if they have offered them to us before. So, if you give something of value to your desired customers and make sure it is personalized, you will receive a return from them. For example, BufferApp, a company offering social media management tools to manage posts and stories across handles, got its first 100K users through guest blogging. They allowed guest bloggers to post their blogs on the Buffer App website. The bloggers were more than happy to return the favor by promoting that post more vigorously.
- Consistency and commitment: By getting your prospects to commit to something relatively small and usually at no cost, such as downloading a report, you are increasing the likelihood that they will become your customers. Most of the download forms ask for the name and email address. What if you just add the number of people who have downloaded that report already? It suddenly strengthens the thought of joining a large group of people who already downloaded it. The action seems a lot smaller when everybody else is already doing it. In your own behavior, when you search for a topic on YouTube, your first preference is the video with the most views.
- Approval: In general, people are influenced by the actions of other people, and we look at what the majority think or do to determine what the right thing to do is. This is the same reason why Glassdoor, G2, Capterra, and other review sites are so important to have a solid presence. Most buyers research information and see how your product and company stack up.
- Authority: People follow the advice of experts for the credibility they offer them. So, try to build authority and show credibility, and your sales will increase as a direct result. This is just the nature of the human being. Therefore, a sales lead will accept without a “but” what a person with authority says. Why else do you think that many companies use doctors in their advertising campaigns to sell certain health products? Because the customers, in this case, see the doctor as a person of authority and credibility, so activation of leads won’t be as hard.
- Scarcity: When we believe that something won’t be available again in a short while, then our need and desire for it increase. And that is one of your best weapons to persuade your future clients. Basically, a product or service is more attractive when its availability is limited. Or, for example, when we feel we are losing the opportunity to purchase it on favorable terms (either a product with limited sales or a special offer about to expire). Keep that in mind, apply it consistently, and you will be able to see the changes in a short period of time. While using this technique for activation, even in email marketing, it is important that these claims are true.
As you can see, it is not enough to tell people what they will achieve if they buy your product. Instead, you need to awaken their desires, create affinity, and give them plenty of reasons to identify with you and want to be your customers.
This is an excerpt from my book on Growth Marketing and Hacking. There is a lot more on the five stages of the growth funnel with examples to drive effective SaaS marketing campaigns.
