7 Tips to Use Psychology to Improve Your Business Marketing

Whether you’re running a local café or you’re combining the perks of existing online with your brick-and-mortar business, human nature plays a crucial role in how you approach your customers on all fronts. Simply put, you want to appeal to their preferences and habits, and you want to naturally build your brand as part of their everyday existence. Now, it’s one thing to provide a wonderful set of products or services online and offline, but a whole other issue to portray them as an invaluable part of their lives.

This is where some principles of human psychology come into play. Here, we’ll deal with a few key strategies to present your business as desirable as possible, by appealing to our most fundamental human traits. Ultimately, you’ll be able to use them to expand your marketing strategy, grow your brand, and establish a stronger presence in your industry over time!

User-generated content

Although social media contests are great for inspiring user-generated content, to which we’ll get shortly, you don’t have to limit your use of this form of content to social media or contests alone. In fact, the more you encourage your customers to post and tag you in their videos, live-streams, photos, and comments, the greater the chances are for increased engagement. 

You can ask customers to write blogs for your site, to share their stories with your brand that are somehow related to your industry. You can organize podcasts and live-stream sessions where customers actively participate in creating content along your side – all of which lets them know just how much you value their point of view.

FOMO on your website

The fear of missing out, or FOMO for short, is not a new concept – we all want to see what’s that incredible new shirt everyone’s gathering around to buy. Since people naturally gravitate towards what’s tried, tested, and approved of, you can mimic that same feeling online and on your website. You can utilize a social proof tool such as Cue to generate short and informative pop-ups when someone makes a purchase on your website.

These notifications prove that other people trust your business and are actively making purchases on your site. As a result, your visitors who are still in doubt will be inspired to take action rather than wait until your supplies run out – afraid to miss out on all that hype!

Reviews and testimonials

What your customers have to say about your business is much more valuable, relatable, and believable than what your content creators can come up with. Why? Because we tend to believe users and like-minded individuals rather than brands. To appeal to your customers’ trust even more, you can leverage customer reviews and testimonials both on your site and on the premises. 

You can build case studies to showcase your past projects and portfolio of successful collaborations, while reviews on your website, social media pages, and on Google and other review sites allow you even more credibility. Positive reviews serve as your word of mouth and attract more customers over time.

Rewarding loyalty

Those “every fifth coffee is free” cards might seem outdated, but they are in fact, more relevant than ever. With so many brands and so many customers, such a simple gesture can make someone’s day, enable them to feel special, and allow them to treat themselves to something nice. Your role in that process is a great way to boost your marketing with the help of loyalty programs and increase sales for the long haul. 

Encouraging inclusion with contests

Another human trait that’s present in most people is the desire to belong, paired with the desire for recognition. Social media contests and giveaways are perfect for helping your customers become part of your brand story, and you can organize giveaways at your physical store, as well. 

Inspire your followers to post a picture with your product or when they use your service, such as when they are at your beauty salon. Let them share their experience and use a custom hashtag just for the occasion, and then let them rate each post to decide the winner, who can then get a free treatment, a free annual subscription to your service, or something else that will benefit you both. 
 

Offering freebies 

Simply put, people love free stuff. Whenever you visit a conference, convention, any kind of an event, and get free branded pens, flash drives, or umbrellas, you’re actually being advertised to, and you’re serving as a walking ad for those brands whenever you use the freebie. Giveaways work the same, and companies offering freebies in exchange for reviews also try to accomplish something long-term, rather than just make a sale.

By offering a little bit of information for free or something valuable that doesn’t cost too much, brands establish a connection with customers and inspire them to trust the brand in question. You can do the same, be it by offering a free cookie with the cup of coffee they buy, a free e-book to help with their marketing, or a template they can use. 

Trust and security seals 

Cybersecurity, making credit card purchases directly in your brick-and-mortar store, and similar transactions are still vital components of running a safe operation. However, security doesn’t go without saying – you need to let your customers know precisely what kind of steps you’ve taken to make sure that their most sensitive information is safe and that their purchases with your business are secure. 

Both on your website and on the premises, place trust and security seals of your customers’ most trusted payment providers and security systems. These seals will give them the peace of mind they need to complete any transaction and feel safe in your hands. 

The business world is brimming with all kinds of brands trying to steal the spotlight and thus your customers’ attention and loyalty. By appealing to their nature and intrinsic values, you can create a presence both online and offline, and most of all, engage your customers in exciting and versatile ways. Use these tips to fuel your marketing campaigns and infuse your brand presence with values every step of the way.

About the author

Lauren Wiseman is a digital marketing specialist and business consultant from Melbourne. After getting a marketing degree she started working with Australian startups on business and marketing development. Lauren writes for many relevant, industry related online publications and she's interested in digital marketing, startups, cybersecurity and latest business and finance trends.

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