Please might be the magic word, but it probably isn’t helping you with your website conversions. Your website is your most powerful communicator, and you need that communicator to be persuasive. Persuasion is an ability based on an understanding of human nature. While being persuasive is a prized skill it can also be learned. With that in mind, here are 5 tips you can implement on your website to persuade your way into a website conversion.
Be Memorable
People place importance on information they remember simply because they are able to remember it. That’s it. The mere fact that someone can remember your business makes it important. People also tend to place importance on new information. Using memorable anecdotes as well as humor on your landing pages and in your copy is a great way to make your business memorable. Additionally, making your customers laugh increases their trust level in your business. Another way to be memorable is to use case studies from familiar clients. If your visitors recognize your client they can begin to associate you with that client, and there is a chance that they’ll see you as important.
You can even go the extra mile and be cheesy with your humor. People are naturally drawn to, and remember, things that sound good, like rhymes. Try to come up with memorable lines using rhythmic poetic verses. If rhyming isn’t your strength try writing copy using antimetaboles. An antimetabole is a literary device in which you repeat a phrase in reverse order. A popular example is, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”
Mimic Your Customers
While mimicry might be easier to do in person, it can also be done on your website. We tend to like people more when they mimic our behavior which makes it an effective persuasion tool. You might not be able to mimic your customers’ behavior online but you can mimic their language. Using the same words that your customers use when describing your product or service is an excellent way to mimic them online. Create and send surveys to your customers with open-ended questions so you can see the way they describe your business. Another mimicry tool you can implement is to show users when their friends have purchased something from you. Customers will often mimic the behavior of their friends.
Limited Time Only
Because people place more value on limited resources, customers are highly motivated by the scarcity effect. Your scarcity effect might be a specific time frame for a sale, a limited quantity of stock available, or a special deal for a limited number of customers. The key to using the scarcity effect for persuasion is that you have to stick to your word. That means no bluffing. If the sale ends at midnight, it ends at midnight. If the first 20 customers in the door get a free pair of sunglasses, then there are only 20 pairs of sunglasses. Convey that scarcity to customers by showing a countdown timer or the available stock left.
Involve Your Customer
Your customers want to be involved in the creation process. Even if the end product turns out to be measurably inferior, people believe that something is better if they had a part in creating it. During the order process, find opportunities for people to customize their order. In addition to being part of the creating process people also like having freedom of choices, and customizing their order can utilize both persuasion techniques. But don’t give your customers too many choices. While people like choices more than two options can cause anxiety and negative feelings.
Another method for involving your customer is to ask for feedback on how to make your product or service better. And if you do end up using a customer’s suggestion for improvement make sure to let them know.
Provide a Solution
The PAS Formula stands for problem, agitation, solution. The persuasive part is the solution, but first, you have to point out the problem and agitate that problem just a little bit. The first step in the PAS formula is identifying a problem that your customer is facing. To do this you’ll need to know your target audience and already understand their problem. Then you need to agitate that problem, maybe by pointing out things they have already tried, and failed, to fix their problem. The last step is offering the solution. A major component of that solution needs to be your Call to Action to get customers to convert and take the next step.
Persuasion techniques aren’t one size fits all for every business. Different businesses will benefit from different persuasion techniques. Use A/B testing to find out which techniques are most effective for your website. Improve your website communication by using these 5 tips to persuade your way into a website conversion.
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