The secret tactics behind all great marketing
Psychology plus copywriting is a money-printing cheat code.
Unfortunately, schools fail to teach this and leave you with crippling debt.
So I spent 6 months studying the psychology behind great marketing. I read some of the top books on the subject.
I analyzed some of the top-performing digital entrepreneurs and businesses to see how they’ve utilized these triggers in the real-world.
Here are 17 *must-know* psychological triggers to 10X your marketing (with examples):
→ People perceive clean design as easier to use.
Show, don’t tell (when applicable).
Give:
- Product tours
- User videos
- Examples
FlutterFlow does an incredible job with this on their site.
→ Anchoring is the idea that people rely heavily on the first piece of information they see.
Twitter user, Barrett J. O’Neill wrote a Twitter thread that provides a masterclass on price anchoring.
Steve Jobs used it in his playbook to sell a record amount of iPads during its launch.
→ Users tend to adopt beliefs in proportion to what others have done.
Anytime you include:
- Case studies
- Testimonials
- Referrals
It highlights the bandwagon effect. Entrepreneur and creator of Hypefury, Yannick Veys uses this to showcase the users who have used Hypefury in the past (and found it favorable).
He uses both social proof and real-time purchases for this effect:
→ Cognitive load is the total amount of mental effort that is required to complete a task You want to reduce the load.
Do this with one-click purchase buttons:
Reduce steps to purchase. Founder of Customer Camp, Katelyn Bourgoin, uses this to help reduce the cognitive load of company’s checkout.
→ A decoy is when you create an option primarily to skew people towards a “smarter” option.
This is used in:
- Technology sales (iPhone)
- Saas products
- Media
Twitter writer and creator of TweetHunter, JK Molina, uses this effect to sell his product.
→ When users know what to expect before they take action.
Giving someone a foreshadow of their:
Increases conversions.
UserGuiding does this with their CTA.
→ Individual items seem more attractive when presented in a group.
Use this for:
Merely grouping the individual products will result in increased conversions.
Internet entrepreneur, Dan Koe, groups his bonuses together. Well done.
→ Users change their behavior when they know they are being observed.
Used a lot in management, it can also be used in product/software sales.
- VPN
- Identity theft
- Cybersecurity
Use the Hawthorne effect to drive conversions (page source: nflbite)
→ When user partially create something, they value it more.
Similar to the “endowment effect”
- Social media platforms
- Personalized Saas
- IKEA (obviously)
Have all used this to build entrenchment with their products (it’s a part of you).
→ People are more likely to favor something when they see the work that’s put in.
This is used a lot by travel sites (think: “we’re looking for your flights”) Below, we have Twitter user, Blake Burge, using this with his new offer launch.
→ People prefer to avoid losses more than earning equivalent gains. In other words, people are more effected if they:
I love how
This can be used to create urgency. Digital writer, Writingtoriches, does this well on his landing page.
→ Use FOMO to increase conversions. Scarcity drives action.
When there is limited:
- Time
- Amount
- Exclusivity
- You will see sales increase.
Freelancers and coaches, Vedika Bhaia and Unnati Bagga showcase scarcity with their offer multiple times here:
→ The psychological truth that people are likely to interact with prompts they set up for themselves.
Online insurance companies like:
Have utilized this trigger to increase the follow-through on purchasing quotes:
→ A person’s impression is greatly influenced by the views and opinions of others.
Social proof isn’t limited to reviews. It can also be showcased via past customers. VeryGoodCopy boasts the heavy-weights they’ve worked with.
It helps with getting new clients.
→ People enjoy an unexpected reward.
This is why slot machines are money-makers in casinos.
Linkedin entrepreneur, Austin Belcak, uses this with his site to entice you to subscribe.
→ People notice items that stand out more.
Utilizing this effect is as simple as highlighting one of your payment options.
Use terms like:
- “Recommended”
- “Most popular”
- “Best deal”
With your offer selection. Testimonial.to uses this on it’s pricing page.
→ People put an emphasis on and remember incomplete tasks better than completed ones.
This is why
- “Abandoned cart”
- “What you missed”
- “Finish setting up your account”
Emails work so well. Remind people of what they’ve left incomplete.
17 psychological triggers to 10X your marketing & copy:
- Group attractiveness effect
- Aesthetic-Usability effect
- Self-initiated triggers
- Von Restorff effect
- Bandwagon effect
- Hawthorne effect
- Variable Reward
- Zeigarnik effect
- Cognitive load
- Loss aversion
- Labor illusion
- Decoy effect
- Feedforward
- Social proof
- IKEA effect
- Anchoring
- Scarcity
Ready to make more?
If you want to excel and earn more than what you’re currently making by doing what you love — regardless of your experience — check out my guide.
