Three little tricks to be more persuasive
- Fri, January 06 2012
- Filed under: Marketing essentials
I just started reading the fascinating book, Thinking, Fast and Slow. It’s an amazing tour of the mind and the two systems that drive the way we think. Expect plenty of posts on these topics this month.
The Nobel-prize-winning author Daniel Kahneman talks about the importance of cognitive ease. Things that are easy to read and easy to remember can be processed with cognitive ease. On the other hand, things like instructions in a poor font or faint colors or complicated language cause cognitive strain. When you’re in a state of cognitive ease, you’re in a good mood. You tend to believe what you hear, trust your intuitions and feel the current situation is familiar. Kahneman says when you feel strained you are vigilant, suspicious and less comfortable. You put in more effort and make fewer mistakes. You may be grouchy, too.
If you want to be persuasive, you want people in a state of cognitive ease. Here are three tips for that:
1. Make your message very easy to read.
2. Keep the language simple and clear.
3. Make it memorable. Catchy and even rhyming phrases are more likely to be taken as truth.
“Woes unite foes” is a better aphorism than “Woes unite enemies” for a reason.
Is your message causing ease or strain?
Comments
Starting out 2012, it is good to assess fundraising strategies for 2011 to see what has worked and what hasn’t. We have researched social media, e-commerce strategies, crowdfunding and email marketing for nonprofits. Our research is available from our website in a downloadable paper at <a >http://thedesignpress.com</a>. Good luck to all in 2012!
It’s interesting that even something as simple as using rhyming words can have an effect on your business. Implementing these actions and changing the language on your ecommerce website can see a sales increase. Great Stuff.
What an interesting book on the importance of cognitive ease. It’s so interesting that simple things like colors and fonts can affect the cognitive process. Like you mentioned, you want people in a state of cognitive ease and that can be achieved if your message is easy to read and your language is clear, simply and memorable. The readability of your message is particularly important for online retailers because it can effect the buying process. Happy customers make purchases and contribute to wom marketing which leads to more traffic and sales. Thanks for sharing that interesting insight.