Persuasion architecture, 7 user manipulation mechanisms

The cognitive perception of ourselves and the people around us prevents us from giving an objective assessment of what is happening. The world around us is perceived through the prism of our own convictions and indulging our instincts.
Think about how you make decisions? What are they based on: logic, emotions or psychological attitudes?

For example, Masha, believes that Vova, who is always late for work, is a terribly unorganized person who does not know how to manage his time.
At the same time, Vova is late for work, because he has to wash, feed, put his little daughter in the morning and take her to kindergarten. Masha herself comes almost on time only to work, in all other cases she is always late. Masha blames for her late traffic jams, the alarm clock that did not work, and the relatives who distracted her.
95% of businessmen fail in the first 1-2.5 years, believing that they know their consumers and can force them to buy their goods. The thought: “I know how my buyer thinks,” is the main mistake of a novice businessman.
In fact, the buyer himself does not know how he thinks.
That is why large companies contain several marketers to sell their products.
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Internet marketers, who have learned the characteristics of cognitive perception, have developed several mechanisms that can "turn on" hidden mechanisms of behavior.

A hen that has heard the call of a chick will take care of any object that makes such sounds. The human brain is much more complex than the chicken. However, with the help of certain installations it is possible to induce a person to perform certain actions.
Are you ready to become an architect of conviction?

Here are 7 mechanisms that can change human behavior.

• Dar-touch;
• Confirmation of intent;
• Crowd effect;
• Authoritarianism;
• Deficiency;
• More less;
• Highlight.

Consider these mechanisms in more detail.

1. Dar-touch.

The essence of this mechanism can be expressed in one short phrase: I tell you - you tell me.
Some hidden mechanism set by nature, encourages a person to provide reciprocal service to the disinterested gift. Many people say in such cases: "I just do not want to have to."

The first to understand this mechanism was the followers of Buddhism. People in bright orange clothes constantly distribute something: flowers, cupcakes, books, and then ask to make donations. If you have been served, you also want to do something nice for this person.

How to apply?

Users must give something useful. For example, book publishers offer free reading of several chapters of a new book on the Internet. If you are selling a product, first present the user with a mini-book on how to use or care for this product. A gift can be a ticket, a discount coupon, a product catalog, and so on. After completing the deed of gift, it is important to immediately ask for a response service, for example, to subscribe to the distribution of useful information materials, leave your email address, evaluate products, take a test, leave a comment about the service.

The one-touch technique involves redirecting the user to an offer to purchase goods immediately after the gift is presented.
The touch series technique involves strengthening relationships with a potential client through 3-5-7 touches.

2. Confirmation of intentions.

The essence of the method: each person is responsible for his words, if once he confirmed his commitment to the brand in writing, he would not give up his words.
Briefly, this can be expressed in the following phrase: "I said that I like it, it means that I like it."

How to apply?

Using the mechanism of Dar-touch, you can force the user to leave an entry in the social profile. Writing on the "wall" in the profile is a kind of "act of intent." So that the words do not disagree with the case, many are willing to pay money even for unnecessary things.

3. The effect of the crowd.

The bottom line: the desire to go with the flow, to be like everyone else is indestructible in a person, because 1000 people can not be wrong ?!
Every person is trying to determine for himself what is the norm in society. Having defined it, he tries to follow generally accepted principles. The crowd with its mass always attracts new members. On this topic was conducted a lot of research.

How to apply?

A previously unknown musical composition with a large number of “likes” is often downloaded and evaluated positively than the same composition with a minimum of positive reviews.

A product with more comments is bought more often. Hits, blockbusters, bestsellers are becoming popular precisely because they were originally declared as such. It has long been observed that the book has the best sales, if it says on its cover: bestseller.

Now think about how the first edition of the book could become a bestseller, if it just came out from under the printing press?

In online stores you can often see the following messages: "The people who bought this product were also interested in ..."; "Recommended ...".
Another marketing trick of this series: the default settings.
Our subconscious mind tends to consider the basic settings only true. As a rule, the necessary installation is put into such settings. For example, insurance or an additional item is automatically added to the cart: a table for a TV set, a soft chair cushion, and a mirror cleaner.

4. Authority.

People always listen to the opinion of an authoritative specialist in a particular area.
Famous personalities are often involved in the filming of a commercial. People in medical coats touting toothpaste have more confidence than people in sweaters or sportswear.

How to apply?

On Twitter, users more often follow links and purchase goods if the tweet belongs to a famous person. In the store, the comment with the most votes becomes authoritarian. That is why some stores allow guests to rate comments from other users.

5. Deficit

Psychological effect: "I will leave, and I will not get anything, others will take it."
The word "deficit" is well known to all natives of the former Soviet Union. In the USSR, practically everything that was of some value was swept from the shelves: from soap to television sets. And it doesn’t matter that the size is not yours, you don’t smoke, you don’t have children - you must take them!

The shortage of goods in the country of the Soviets is the dream of a marketer of the Western world. In the United States, a study was conducted that confirmed the hackneyed truth: less is always more valuable. Water in half-liter bottles are bought more often. Packing with two crackers is taken more often than packing with ten.

Of course, the buyer finds for himself a number of excuses that are not related to the psychological effect, for example, “it is more convenient for me to use small packaging”, “I don’t need more”.

It is not known who first thought of creating an artificial shortage. But the most successful example of creating an artificial rush is well known: dietary supplements by Karl Rehnborg. It was Rehnborg who used artificial shortages in order to distribute goods that no one needed at that moment - it was a truly brilliant move.

How to apply?

Musicians and artists periodically give the last concert in their careers or arrange the sale of paintings on the occasion of the completion of their creative career, and then continue their activities until the next closing.
The latest concert tickets are always sold faster and better than the first. Closed beta testing of the product attracts more users. The last three units of goods in the catalog are bought more readily.

This mechanism came to us from distant ancestors, when the shortage of food was the main cause of high mortality.

Closing sales are the most effective way to attract a lot of buyers and sell goods.

6. More - less.

“Everything is relative,” Friedrich Nietzsche argued.
Most people can not adequately assess the value of the goods, which is why they are compared with the available offers, choosing the optimal ratio of price and quality.

How to apply?

In the restaurant business there is such a thing as an anchor dish. The price of the anchor dish is always overpriced, other positions compared with him are perceived as relatively inexpensive.

Internet service providers often use several package deals when selling services; one of them has a very high price and includes a lot of services that are not necessary for an ordinary user.

When selling a product, you can offer the buyer several options: just a product, a product with lifelong maintenance, a product complete with an additional product, consultation or a specialist home visit and service for 5 years.

7. highlight.

The human brain always seeks to optimize the cost of information processing resources. We pay less attention to familiar things, objects, events happening around us. The eye stops at the brightest element of the environment, best of all we notice unusual, unusual things.

How to apply?

A bright button of unusual shape will attract more attention and ensure a high level of sales.

Experts say: a bright big order button raises the level of sales - this is a true and incorrect statement at the same time. This conclusion was made due to lack of knowledge and lack of skills for a more detailed, in-depth study of the issue by experts.

The bright red button does not work by itself, it works because it is a bright spot on the general background, that is, an irritant. If large red buttons are installed on all sites, the irritation effect will subside, sales will fall.

The most successful sellers use interesting, bright design elements on their websites: buttons, order forms, product card design, etc. Periodic design changes have a beneficial effect on sales. But you need to change only the individual elements.

Anything can be a highlight: an unusual design, a non-standard offer, an action, a competition, an appeal, a slogan, a gift.

Each method is good in its own way and contains a lot of possibilities. For each type of business, it is necessary to test certain elements: change the price, quantity of goods, the essence of the proposals. In the end, trial and error will be the ideal formula for your business.
By applying the obtained theoretical knowledge in practice, you will get positive results, and then you will be able to feel like a real architect of conviction.

The material was prepared on the basis of the book “The Psychology of Influence” by Robert Cialdini.