The art of persuasion in marketing is vital for marketers to make sales. Marketers must persuade prospective customers to purchase products and services. Large efforts go into convincing people and influencing their behaviors and thoughts. In order to do this, there are various persuasion skills and techniques that marketing professionals can utilize.
The first persuasion technique that can prove useful to marketers is to have a plethora of information on the product that they are trying to market or sell. For a marketer to try to push a product, they must exude confidence and be well versed on the details of the product or service they are promoting. It is also important for a marketer to understand the needs and expectations that a customer has of a product or service. Why does a customer need a particular product? Once a marketer it able to understand the mind of the person they are marketing to, they can fine tune their persuasion techniques to try and make a sale. This would essentially be determining the psychological need of a product, which is an important first step in persuading a customer to make a purchase.
Once a marketer has determined a need for a product, they can move onto the reciprocity persuasion technique. When we receive something from someone, we feel appreciative. When we feel appreciative, we want to reciprocate and give something back in return. In the case of marketing, a brand may offer something such as a free gift or an exclusive discount upon registration or upon making a purchase over a certain limit. This works in persuading customers to not only register for an account on the company website, but to make a purchase and become a loyal customer as well.
Another useful technique is using the scarcity principle. This is a technique that is often seen used on e-commerce websites. Have you ever been to a website that advertises a sale on a particular product and has a message notifying you that there are only 3 items left in stock? When a customer feels that an item is running low, they feel a sense of urgency and may make the purchase immediately. This tactic also goes hand in hand with the idea of exclusivity. Victoria’s Secret is a brand that is known for using this tactic. Victoria’s Secret often runs exclusive sales for customers who have the Victoria’s Secret Angel credit card. This makes customers feel that they are “special” customers and have access to products before other customers do, so they are more willing to make a purchase in order to have the product before anyone else does.
Social proof is also a very strong persuasion tactic. Think of how many customers follow social media influencers. People are very likely to endorse a product that has been endorsed by someone that they like and trust. The clothing brand Fashion Nova is known for using this tactic by using celebrities such as Kylie Jenner to endorse their clothing. Because customers trust her sense of fashion and she is well-liked as a celebrity, a customer is willing to invest in that product. Marketers who understand that likeable people tend to have an impact, will have a sense of influence and persuasion over their target audience.
There are a variety of persuasion principles that can be used in the world of marketing as an advantage to make sales. The tactics referenced above are only a few examples of principles that can help bring awareness to a service or product, but each business must find techniques that fit with their goals and mission.