Persuasion Marketing

While there is really no way to get people to starve for your product or services, there are ways to make them hungry or possibly get them to indulge, even if they aren’t hungry. Below is a list of tactics utilized by major marketers to whet people’s appetite. It is based on a seminar given by John Walker.


1. Social Proof- When people see everyone else is doing something, they are inclined to do it as well. We follow what everyone else is doing. When everyone gets off the plane, they’ll follow the people in front of them out of the airport. If one restaurant has an empty parking lot and the other is full, you will be inclined to go into the one with the full parking lot.

2. Scarcity- When something is scarce, people want it more. Create a feeling of scarcity by incorporating a deadline. Insert “for a limited time only” or “limited slots available” into your advertising. Even is something has unlimited capacity, try to create a sense of scarcity. Idea- Create “add-ons” or sales that are only for a limited time.

3. Stories- Build stories into your product or service. Even if people don’t really desire or need your product, they may buy into it for its story appeal. Buying a product with a history or story makes them feel like they are living that story. It’s similar to the concept of people spending tremendous amounts of money on art, just for its history or story appeal.

4. Anticipation- Turn your launch into an event. Seed it: “Coming soon”, “in 10 days..”, “countdown to the greatest….”. Anticipation creates excitement, which builds desire.

5. Community- Have communities get involved in the project. Run contests where everybody participates and everyone knows that everyone is participating. Have a blog where anyone can comment. When people see everyone else involved, they become involved (this is different from social proof where others are actually buying or taking the exact steps we want the target mimic). If everyone else is expressing a desire to get involved- they’ll also get involve and hopefully buy.

6. Reciprocity- If you give something to someone, they will want to give something back to you. Give them time, a free report, a free sample etc. Let them you know you expect reciprocation in a very subtle way: You can tell them "I believe that if I am good to others, they will be good to me". "I am giving this away for free because I am certain that if it truly meets your expectations, you will buy it", “I don’t give away things because I am an altruistic person but rather because I know that when you are ready to buy, you will remember to use me” "I am giving away this free stuff because I know just how useful it is to people like you and I am sure if you had access to it like I do, you would have done the same for me." etc.

7. Commitment and consistency- People like to act in accordance with their commitment. Get them to admit they need your product on some small level and they will want to follow through with their previously stated position.

8. Controversy- controversy breeds interest. When people see controversy, their eyes and ears pick up and they want to know what’s going on. This follows with them developing an opinion about you. Once they take sides, they either love you or hate you. If they love you, they’ll often show you that love with their wallet. Even if they hate you, they will often hate you for what you stand for but admit you offer an excellent product or service. Once they do that, they’ll buy into you as well. Idea- Center the controversy around something that has nothing to do with the quality of your product or service. Ie. Support a controversial cause.

9. Proof- Show proof that what you sell works. If they really believe your promise through the proofs you show them, it usually makes logical sense to buy it and they often will. “No proof, no launch”. Show proof and more proof and more proof and then ask for the sale. Idea- always include testimonials showing your products value to be much greater than its cost.