5 Psychological Triggers that Drive Sales

We’ve all seen the way emotions can drive human behavior. And when potential customers come to your website, your goal is to make them feel emotions that navigate those purchasing decisions inside them.

So, if you’re trying to come up with new ways to boost revenue, then check out these psychological triggers. You can apply these to your social media campaigns, email marketing, within the ads on your website, and other places you see an opportunity.

#1: Anticipation

Building up momentum for a product that’s only going to be available for a limited time is an excellent way to get customers excited. Anticipation has been utilized by many technology marketers as smartphones and tablets have advanced, and new models offer different features. You or someone you know probably fits into this category as you wait for the latest iPhone to come out or the next version of Kindle.

#2: Reciprocity

People are more willing to give when they get something in return. By offering them free tutorials with product purchases, access to an e-book when they subscribe to your website, and bonus deals during the holidays, customers will be more willing to reciprocate by converting.

If you don’t give customers a reason to reciprocate, then they simply aren’t going to. Your mission is to create an engaging lead magnet that will grow your email list so that you can amp up your conversion rate.

#3: Fear

When something is rare or scarce, customers don’t want to miss out on the opportunity to buy the dwindling inventory before it’s gone. People don’t necessarily want to gain an item as much as they don’t want to miss out on getting it while it’s available.

When you integrate sales content with great web design, people will feel uneasy about passing it up, you have a better chance of capturing their attention and getting them to convert.

#4: Guilt

Just think of how many tasks and events you’ve attended because your mother or best friend made you feel guilty. Marketers have noticed that using guilt for certain products can be an effective technique. We’ve all seen those commercials that show sad animals or ads that let people know part of the proceeds go to charity, and they are tapping into those guilty emotions we feel.

#5: Competitiveness

For some of us, we’ll take out our wallets when we’re trying to keep up with Joneses to have better gadgets, clothing, and trendy products that will one-up our friends, neighbors, and co-workers. When you incorporate a competitive edge into your content, you’ll see the results as everyone tries to get it before the next guy.

For your content marketing strategy, develop a plan that allows you to segment your customers into an emotional category, and then start sending targeted emails and ads to drive sales. With the data you gather, you’ll soon have a more refined approach when using these triggers and you’ll see success over and over.