Did you know flying champagne corks kill more people than shark attacks? That’s right. Sharks are responsible for 10 deaths a year. Champagne corks, 24.
As a marketer, you should care. And not just because it’s a fine topic to bring up at the next New Year’s Eve bash. Rather, it illustrates one of the missed opportunities in marketing introduced by CMC keynote by Nancy Harhut. (Catch the recording.)
Nancy kicked off the Content Creation sessions for Content Marketing Conference 2021 with an example-packed presentation. It showcased brands that nailed five science-based decision-making tactics too many companies miss.
Those tactics are:
- Availability bias
- Framing
- Social proof
- Loss aversion
- Reason why
Availability Bias
If you had not read about the champagne corks above, you would have probably thought shark attacks killed more people every year. You hear about the shark attacks. You’ve seen photos of the shark attacks. You’ve watched “Jaws” more than once.
When people can readily recall an example of something, they judge the overall likelihood of that something happening. If that something is related to your product or service, they’ll be more inclined to buy.
So ask them to recall or imagine a time when your product or service would be invaluable.
Framing
Framing involves presenting your product or service in a way that makes it the most attractive. If your company offered free shipping but now is switching to a $5 shipping charge, you can frame it to make it rather painless.
Instead of announcing a “$5 fee,” mention a “small $5 fee” now applies.
Social Proof
Things become much more alluring if everyone is doing them. That’s why phrases like “most popular” and “fastest-growing” are effective descriptions for products, services and companies.
Loss Aversion
People are twice as motivated to avoid the pain of loss as they are to achieve the pleasure of gain. This is a good one to think about for headlines, especially. “Mistakes to avoid” can rank better than “Steps to take.”
Reason Why
“Buy this” is not all that compelling. But give people a reason why to buy, and you’ll start seeing results. The word “because” works magic here. Because it’s a trigger for automatic agreement.
Nancy is passionate about the impact behavioral science can have on marketing. And you will be, too, once you see what these tactics can do. Get more in-depth info, examples and pro tips for success by checking out her keynote. CMC 2021 runs from April 27 to 29. If you miss any live keynotes, their recordings will be posted shortly after their presentations. You also get an extraordinary agenda with more than 50 sessions from marketing pros covering the six pillars of content marketing. Join us now.