For years, marketers have successfully implemented neuromarketing tactics into their campaigns to improve their performance. In short, neuromarketing is the technique of hacking into the minds of consumers to influence their purchasing decisions. The goal is to identify and capitalize on certain psychological quirks that have been shown to influence us. So, how exactly do you use neuromarketing to increase conversion?
In this article, I’ve brought you 12 secret neuromarketing tactics you can apply to your business.
#1. Use the herd effect to increase conversion
One of the most effective neuromarketing tactics makes use of the herd effect, which is quite similar to the principle of social proof. Human beings have the tendency to follow the herd. Consumers look at what the majority of people are doing before making a decision. This can be applied to your advantage. For instance, Pura Vida Bracelets showcases a collection of “best selling items.” This is highly useful for first-time customers who might feel more comfortable buying something that many people have bought.
A study by BrightLocal discovered that 88% of consumers used online customer reviews to determine whether or not a local business is good. Adding reviews and testimonials to your landing page could be a successful method for generating more conversions.
#2. Give small gifts to compel reciprocation
Like the persuasion principle of reciprocity, this neuromarketing tactic involves giving away small gifts to get something in return. It could be anything from a free eBook to a free trial or free consultation. Allow yourself to be different from your competitors. The Moz Pro free trial is a good example of how this strategy has been applied. By offering a free 30-day trial, Moz gets users hooked to their premium service and encourages them to pay for continued service.
#3. Find excellence by association
No one wants to buy from a brand they haven’t heard about. What’s the best way for start-ups to convince people that they’re reliable? Aligning yourself with established and recognized brands can help you with brand recognition. convert and Kissmetrics does a great job with these neuromarketing tactics by adding icons of well-known, associated brands to their site. This is an excellent way to prove the relevancy and legitimacy of your brand, which generates more conversion.
#4. Aim to draw on emotion
Our emotions play an important role in influencing our decisions. Marketers have long been taking advantage of this fact to improve sales. Make use of images, videos, and stories to trigger your audience’s emotional responses. Adding emotion to your neuromarketing tactics can help you build a connection with consumers and compel them to purchase. The Budweiser commercial from the 2014 Super Bowl is a good example of how ads can be used to draw an audience’s emotions.
#5. Publish easy-to-understand content
When your audience understands what you’re trying to say, there’s a much higher chance of getting them to buy. Psychologists have discovered that people tend to prefer simple things that are easy to process. Write your content in such a way that readers can easily comprehend. For instance, break up long sentences into two or more parts. This is because long-drawn sentences can be distracting and difficult to digest.
#6. Ask people for help
People tend to be more open when they’re asked for help, so this is one of the important neuromarketing tactics for building connections. Ask customers for their opinion on how to improve your services or products. Show that you value these opinions by showcasing the changes you’ve made through social media. By asking people to participate, you have a greater chance of improving engagement and then generating conversions.
#7. Offer fewer choices
When you’re offering too many choices, it may be difficult for people to make a decision. If they’re too confused, consumers may end up not making a choice at all. Keep things simple and guide your audience towards the action you want them to take. Dropbox uses simplicity to get users to either watch a video or download the software.
#8. Create scarcity
The persuasion principle of scarcity is also useful in neuromarketing tactics. It can be used in a number of ways, such as limiting availability or posting a deal deadline. Applying this tactic helps to increase the perceived value of a product, service, or offer. In turn, this helps generate more Conversions and promote better conversions. Amazon’s daily deals are an example of how the scarcity principle has been applied to create a deadline for special offers. However, keep in mind that false scarcity won’t be good for your brand reputation long-term.
#9. Choose images correctly
When visitors open your website, you only have the first 50 milliseconds to make a good impression. This makes it imperative that you use the right images on your landing page to generate more Conversions. For instance, if you’re using images of people, the direction of their gaze can be used to guide your readers to the right place. The image below shows a good-looking girl gazing towards the opt-in box of Leadpages.
#10. Type with the right fonts
It may seem insignificant, but your choice of fonts can influence your audience’s decisions. A study titled “Are You an Optimist or a Pessimist?” was featured in The New York Times. With more than 45,000 participants, the true goal of this quiz was to determine whether or not the choice of typeface influenced the decision of readers. The results showed that Baskerville improved agreeability by 1.5%.
In a test run by Click Laboratory’s John Paul Mains, he found that simply increasing font size and spacing can improve a site’s performance. By just increasing the sizes of fonts that were 11px and under, the view time and bounce rate improved by at least 30%.
#11. Use the right colors
Color has a big role in neuromarketing tactics. A study at the University of Winnipeg found that people make up their minds about products or services within the first 90 seconds of interacting with them. The same study found that 62% to 90% of consumers’ assessment is determined by colors alone. Of course, certain colors have a different impact on a person’s mood. For instance, yellow can translate to clarity and warmth, whereas blue can give off an impression of strength and dependability.
(In a popularly cited A/B test found in Hubspot, a comparison was made between a green button and a red button. As you can see above, both of these colors have interesting connotations. Red communicates youth and excitement while green connotes ideas of peace, growth, and health. In this test, it was found that there was a 21% higher click rate for the red button over the green button. It’s a good idea to test various colors on specific parts of your website and see which works best for what. You should try to use colors that best communicate what you want visitors to feel during their viewing.
#12. Be confident
It’s essential that you apply all of these neuromarketing tactics with an air of confidence. Don’t be shy about showcasing your brand because this will help you create an image of cockiness and authority. Research at the Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh discovered that people tend to easily accept the opinions of confident people. Be confident by writing content that shows you have expertise in your niche. For example, a plumbing service could publish articles providing useful plumbing tips and tricks only a professional would know.
Take a good look at neuromarketing tactics highlighted above to understand how you can implement them to your own business. You’ll need to run several tests to determine which neuromarketing tactics work best for increasing your Conversions. The most important goal is to provide your customers with what they want or need and generate sales in the process.
If you have any more ideas for using neuromarketing tactics to trigger purchase decisions and increase conversion, then feel free to comment below and discuss!
Images “ Author’s Own“
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