Dana on Marketing Messages: Behaviorial Triggers Work

Did you know that we are motivated to act in predictable ways, based on certain behavioral triggers—as well as the use of particular words? It's something I learned about in May at a direct marketing conference hosted by NEDMA (the New England Direct Marketing Association).

My favorite session was given by Nancy Harhut, who spoke on "Scientific Secrets Revealed: 7 Ways to Motivate Behavior." Nancy's the chief creative officer for the Wilde Agency in Westwood, MA. The agency is a division of Universal Wilde. According to Wilde's Website, Nancy has more than two decades of senior creative management experience, primarily at major ad agencies including Hill Holliday, Mullen, and Bronner (now Digitas).

She's a speaker who doesn't need to lean on any special effects. Her insights and ideas are strong enough to carry themselves. I hear her speak whenever I can: she's that good. I always come away with practical knowledge that I can use. Go hear her present if you ever get the chance.

What I learned from Harhut is this: You can make your marketing efforts stronger if you realize that sometimes people have automatic, instinctive behaviors—and they are in predictable ways. There are triggers, including certain words, that can motivate people to act.

These triggers are shortcuts to decision making. Isn't this what direct marketing is all about? Finding ways to tap into people's shortcuts. You can learn how to prompt or "nudge" some of these automatic behaviors, which is what we marketers strive to do. I'm guessing that you can find a few ways to put these triggers to use in your marketing campaigns—no matter what channel you choose.

These are the seven human behavior triggers shared by Harhut in her presentation:

1| Principle of Consistency. People saying "yes" to a certain request often have an easy time saying a second "yes" to a related, but larger, request. Nancy cited a study in which homeowners agreed to display a small sign on their front lawns, supporting safe driving. They were then asked to post much bigger signs (billboards, in fact) on their lawns, and 73 percent said yes. This behavior's especially true if the first "ask" is smaller, and public in some way. We almost feel physically bad if we depart from how we see ourselves, said Harhut.

In another example, a savings bank sent a letter to customers beginning with, "Because you're already a valued customer..." The same principle applies: Once we've said yes, it's much easier to keep going. And if that "yes" is public, the second one is even easier.

2| Loss Aversion. We are more motivated to avoid pain than we are to achieve pleasure. Loss is twice as powerful as gain, noted Harhut. How can you use this in your marketing? One suggestion is to talk about what someone will miss out on if they don't use your service. So the phrase, "Don't miss this opportunity" is better than, "Take advantage of this opportunity."

Similarly, the headline, "How to Avoid the 5 Most Common Mistakes of Small Business Owners" is better than saying, "The 5 Most Common Mistakes…" Nancy used the example, "What Never to Eat on an Airplane!" as a great campaign. Who wouldn't want to read that?

3| Cognitive Fluency. With this behavior, we prefer things that are easier to think about and understand. Not only that, contended Harhut, we judge them to be truer. And we feel more comfortable in our ability to make decisions about it.

The same principle applies to visuals. Messages are more persuasive in easier-to-read fonts. Picture a marketing brochure or a Website done entirely in some florid font like Apple Chancery—with insufficient leading. And the paragraphs are long and dense. How far would your prospects get reading that? One slide showed an e-mail Nancy got from a local wine shop. It was horrible: all reversed type (which reduces readership by 50 percent). Then they finished it off by italicizing it.

The language you use also matters. It must be easy to understand. Make the recipients feel smart, not stupid.

4| The Reason Why. People are more likely to do what you ask them if you give them a reason why. Professor Ellen Langer of Harvard did a study of people lined up to use a Xerox machine. A woman cuts in front to use it first, asking if it's OK. If she gives a good reason why she wants to jump the line, she's more likely to get to do it.

Similarly, the word "because" is a compliance trigger. We're used to hearing it followed by a good, solid reason. Nancy cited an AARP letter that begins with, "Because more members like you have asked..." Another good example is, "Weight Watchers works because it's not a diet."

4.5 The Reason Why (Reason to Believe). Related to behavior #4, this one deals with giving some kind of context. The example shared was about selling a shipment of surplus raincoats. If the salesman just says, "Hey, I've got a shipment of raincoats I need to sell," you might not be motivated to buy. But if he said something like, "I'm selling these raincoats cheap because we had a really dry spring," more people would buy.

5| Eye Magnet Words. As a writer, I admit that this one is my favorite. This behavior trigger is all about language, because some words are worth more than others. When we read, we skim and scan. We don't write that way. So, the very words you use in marketing efforts matter (tell all of your copywriters you're now a believer in their skill!).

Here are some examples that Nancy gave:

FREE—It just works. Your eye is attracted to it. We're hardwired to go for "Free."

INTRODUCING—Words revolving around the notion of "news" are important to use. They include "Now," "Announcing," "Finally" and "Soon."

LEARNING vs. DISCOVERING—There's a huge difference between these notions. The latter is fun and cool, not arduous.

YOUR NAME—A person's name is an eye and ear magnet word. That's why personalized printing is effective.

EASY—In his book, "The Power of Persuasion: How We're Bought and Sold," Dr. Robert Levine (Cal State University) discusses how the words "easy," "quick" and "improve" have all lifted product sales.

6| Social Proof. This one's pretty cool. When we're not sure of something, we tend to look to others like us, and we'll do whatever they're doing. That's why sites like TripAdvisor and Yelp are so powerful and successful. Amazon uses the same principle. The number of likes on a Facebook page is social proof.

How can printers use it? Testimonials! They're really, really powerful. Make them even better by having a testimonial come from someone as close to your prospect as possible.

Harhut also suggested we have the testimonial start out where the skeptical prospect is. On the Website of a local women's health club, she read, "I was a little skeptical at first, but I tried it and what a great workout..." The online grocer Peapod used this principle with this message: "Find out why so many of your neighbors use Peapod."

7| Scarcity Principle. We want what we cannot have. Exclusivity is a very powerful principle, as is urgency. "Were holding one of the last 15 seats for you..."

The word "secret" is also powerful. It ties into a hard-wired need we have for insider information. "Exclusively" also has that same effect. Other phrases to use include "last chance," "quantities limited," "offer won't be repeated" and "limit 2 per customer."

There you have it: Secrets shared by Nancy Harhut that you can use to motivate prospects and customers in your marketing efforts. I'd love to hear from you if you've used any of these principles in the past and had success with them. Happy marketing! PI

About the Author

Long regarded as a print buyer expert and trade writer, Margie Dana launched a new business as a marketing communications strategist with a specialty in printing and print buying. She's as comfortable working in social media as she is in traditional media, and now she's on a mission to help clients build customer communities through carefully crafted content. Dana was the producer of the annual Print & Media Conference. Although she's exited the event business, she is still publishing her Print Tips newsletter each week. For more details and to sign up for her newsletter and marketing blog, visit www.margiedana.com.