PERSUASIONHerding the digital sheep

“… best presentation in years!  Some guy, Slideshare

1. The Theory

Life = making choices

more information=

more difficult to choose

more choice available=

more difficult to choose

During evolution, man has developed

semi-automatic reactions to helphim make choices

Must. Buy. Stuff. Online.

Some guy we’ll mention at theend of the presentation boiled it

down to 6 BASIC PRINCIPLES

1. Reciprocity2. Scarcity3. Liking4. Authority5. Social Proof6. Commitment/Consistency

1. RECIPROCITY

« you scratch my back,I’ll scratch yours  »

Use reciprocity to give things awayfor free and people will return

Do you consider going back whenyou got something for free?

Do you consider going back whenyou got something for free?

Do you consider going back whenyou got something for free?

People are inclined to returnfavors you have done them

What do you do whensomeone follows you on twitter?

If you just read a good article and theauthor asks you to promote it, will you?

Chances are you’re already givingstuff away for free

Free newsletterFree RSS feedFree tutorialsFree tipsFree webinar/podcastFree softwareFree trial…

Ask your users/visitors to promoteyour content in return for what they get

2. SCARCITY

We all love a goodstampede

When something is scarce,people automatically perceive it

as more valuable

« …created scarcity around a virtual good and that creates buzz. »

Scarcity is particularly effectivein e-commerce environments

Scarcity in time

Scarcity in amount

« Triple Whammy »Limited accessLimited timeLimited stock

3. LIKING

Ever denied a requestfrom a friend?

If people like you, they’ll be back

Problem: they’re not talking to you,they’re looking at a computer screen

Put a face on your activity

Use handwriting,it’s human

Are we seeing reciprocity here?You consume his content, he asks

you to check out the banner

Fair deal or fair deal?

4. AUTHORITY« The doctor said so »

Establishing authority makes iteasy for people to choose youover the next attention sucker

Endorsement from influencers

Endorsement from experts/users

Once your authority is established,

you can start rolling

5. SOCIAL PROOF

We are all sheep

In a world of ever increasinginformation, we rely on other people’s

choices to make our own

From reviews to reviews of reviews

Ninja Squirrels watched496,663 times?

That must be good, right?

6. COMMITMENT/CONSISTENCY

The moment you decide on something,You start convincing yourself it’s the right choice

People want to be engagedmake it as easy as possible for them

Security OK in headerlowering threshhold

Why shop with us?feed the masses

1. love your selection2. easy online site3. delivery out of this world

Did we mention « triple whammy »?

Combine these elementsto herd the digital sheep

Social proof + authority: « nr 1 »

Social proof Scarcity

Scarcity

The logo: likingScarcity

Appealing to childhood: liking

Liking (handwriting) + commitment (free)

Social ProofAuthority

In one place – easy – instant : lowering threshhold to increase commitment

Social Proof (3 million) +Commitment (simple way)

Authority

Authority

Liking

Liking + Authority + Social Proof

This presentationWould not have been possiblewithout

Robert Cialdini

Read his widely acclaimed book INFLUENCE, I personally recommend it

I’m ThomasThis is actually one of the first pictures when googling my name – don’t ask

I do e-commerce:www.bagazoo.comwww.chocolateque.comwww.essentialist.beand others…

If you liked this presentation, please follow me:twitter.com/thomasvdc