It’s conference season, which means everyone’s trying to acquire new skills, make new connections, and LEARN.
So in theme with the learning I wanted to bring back one of the most instrumental Marketing books in my career, “Using Behavioral Science in Marketing” by Nancy Harhut.
I cleaned up my scraggly notes and put them into this beautiful email, just for you!
So without further adieu, here are my 5 biggest lessons from reading “Using Behavioral Science in Marketing”:
1) The Power of Choice Architecture:
POV you’re standing in an aisle full of 40 different spaghetti sauces completely paralyzed as to which one to buy. Outside of a few subtle packaging differences, Prego, Rao’s, and Ragu all look identical to you.
Decision paralysis has fully set in and TBH you might not choose anything. Which is HORRIBLE if you’re the brand selling spaghetti sauce.
There are so many options with no clear differentiator amongst choices, that the time it takes for consumers to act increases.
Now imagine a selection of 6 spaghetti sauces with one feature “Arrabiata” sauce that the grocery store recommends, the choice becomes increasingly easier to make.
This is the power of choice architecture, LIVE in effect. Limiting the options of consumers and placing an emphasis on specific choices nudges the consumer in the right direction (aka BUYING).
Audit your brand’s website, make sure you’re not offering too many products/services that paralyze your consumers when they visit the site.
2) Harnessing the Scarcity Principle:
Picture a limited-edition Stanley Tumbler release with a countdown timer (I’m picturing this because I have yet to be able to snag one of their limited edition Tumblers – LOL). You’ve been seeing this countdown timer allll week.
The hype is building as the timer nears 0 and your desire to own the exclusive Tumbler increases, because you want to grab it before it disappears and is never sold again.
Meet the scarcity principle.
By highlighting limited availability, you trigger consumer’s FOMO and encourage immediate action. Our job as Marketers? Capturing attention and encouraging action.
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On top of that, increased scarcity leads to increased perceived value. If a product is a commodity, nobody is rushing to buy it. But if consumers are uncertain whether or not this product will be available in the future, the likelihood they add to cart skyrockets.
A prime example of an industry that leverages the scarcity principle exceptionally well, is the airline industry.
If you book a flight, oftentimes the limited number of seats available will be thrown in your face. The process of buying flights and coordinating travel comes with tons of distractions, but the airline’s ability to leverage the scarcity principle forces consumers to make a quick decision and act on buying before seats run out.
(Screenshot from me booking flights from Inbound to Digital Summit Philadelphia LOL.👇)
3) Framing Matters:
Framing matters.
Why does the milk in your fridge say “2% fat”, not “98% fat-free”?
This subtle shift in framing subconsciously positions the product as healthier and more appealing.
Taking it a step further, emphasizing desired outcomes in your copy is substantially more effective than listing your offer.
If your product is a social media content scheduler, listing your products’ many features and benefits is fine, but to really crank up the effectiveness, put yourself in the shoes of your consumers and place emphasis on their desired outcome in your copy.
For example, giving hours of time back to those who implement the scheduling software.
If you alter the framing of your messaging, that alters the perception of your messaging, ultimately, influencing decisions.
Look what Motion does with their hero copy, solely framing around desired outcomes. So effective.
(Photo creds: Motion)
4) Storytelling Sells:
Forget dry product descriptions, captivate your audience with stories. Don’t cut corners, the smallest things count.
By weaving emotional narratives around your brand or product, you connect with customers on a personal level (just look at Oatly below), making them more invested and likely to engage.
Storytelling is ALL about forging connections that drive action.
(Photo Creds: Oatly)
5) Temporal Discounting:
Consumers have a built-in bias towards immediate gratification, which is known as temporal discounting. Leading us to value immediate rewards more than rewards received later, EVEN if the future reward is objectively better.
The farther away a reward is in time, the less valuable it seems to us.
How do we apply this to your Marketing efforts? Highlight instant benefits, advantages, and gratification that comes along with your service or product.
All of us know the common tactics like: free trials, immediate discounts, or time-sensitive offers, but one of the most clever ways to tap into this bias is by framing future rewards in the present.
Health insurance companies are MASSIVE users of this technique. No matter which health insurance company you search for, you will see the temporal discounting bias in effect.
Highlighting the present benefits of peace of mind and financial security, instead of focusing on potential future situations that would cause you to lean on health insurance, this makes consumers more inclined to buy now.
(Photo Creds: United Healthcare)
Just one more thing…these principles are not about manipulation, they open the curtain behind human behavior, allowing us to use that knowledge to create positive interactions that benefit your brand and customers.
So don’t be afraid to use them!
