What is the relation between persuasion principles and banner advertising?
Back in 1984, Robert Cialdini published “The psychology of influence and persuasion“. Since then, the book went on to be one of the most popular works on the science of persuasion.
Why? Because the six principles inside the book have proved true time and time again.
Here’s what any good designer and marketer should need to know in order to build a more persuasive argument when creating banner ads.
1. Social Proof
According to this principle, people tend to observe and follow what other people are doing. We, as humans, tend to trust things that are endorsed by a high number of people. The more people like something, the more likely it is that we will like that thing too.
This principle runs on the psychological need for validation – as individuals, we need recognition for who we are. And there’s nothing like feeling validated based on what others are doing.
When people don’t know what option to follow, they look around to see what others are doing.
It’s about safety in the numbers. If you go with the option most people choose, you’re safe and you’re more likely to be recognized that you belong to a certain group.
There are a few ways in which you can use social proof:
- Experts’ and authority approval
- Celebrity endorsements
- Users’ ratings, reviews and testimonials:
- Large groups’ approval – e.g. Over 10 million users, 20,000 satisfied customers
2. Authority
People have a hard time living with uncertainty and will look for almost any means to beat it.
One easy way to do that is to look to people that appear that they know what they are doing. And that’s what the authority principle uncovered: that we’re more likely to follow the advice and the recommendations of people that are perceived to be in a position of authority.
Because people respect authority, they follow it without questioning it too much.
That makes authority figures and trust marks extremely influential. And highly persuasive at the same time. Business titles, elegant fonts, sophisticated design – anything that builds on the impression of authority can render a design more persuasive.
3. Scarcity
The less something is, the more valuable it seems. And that’s what the scarcity principle found as well: that we are drawn to exclusive and limited items.
The underlying assumption is that things that are hard to get are better than the items that are easily available.
People unconsciously make the connection between availability and quality and place a higher price on items that are in limited supply.
You can use scarcity either by offering a limited quantity, items that are in short supply or by offering a limited time availability. However, you should use scarcity with caution – don’t over do it. Avoid using a two day limited discount that lasts an entire month for example.
4. Reciprocity
We don’t feel psychologically comfortable when we feel we’re in debt.
That’s why the reciprocity principle works. We feel obliged to return favors or concessions that others have previously made to us.
That’s why free samples work.
People who receive a free gift or a free sample are more likely to return the favor, one way not another.
And it doesn’t have to be a physical good – the reciprocity principle works well with favors and information as well.
5. Liking
Liking someone turns out to be a powerful thing after all.
According to the liking principle, we tend to make choices that are similar to the ones people we like make.
Liking someone is pretty meaningful as it implies that you share some similar characteristics with that person. It can be deep, like sharing beliefs over work or it can be shallow and superficial, based entirely on looks.
This can be linked in a way with our innate need for recognition and control. By choosing things and people we like, we want to show that we exist as well and we’re just as good as them.
That’s why it pays off to know your clients. The more you know what they are like, the more you can build an image they will like and will be more likely to respond positively to.
6. Commitment and consistency
According to this principle, we have a deep need to be seen as consistent. Hence, if we publicly committed to something, we’re much more likely to follow through and stick to related choices.
From a psychological perspective, this is explained by the fact that people have established that commitment as being in line with their self-image.
