Incorporating and analyzing psychological principles into a company’s content strategy is not an easy task. Understanding customer behavior, why they make a purchase or follow a link can turn your strategy from good to great in just a few days.
Many people use content as a way to attract traffic, build an audience, convert leads, etc. But only behavioral psychology makes it clear why all this is happening.
Here are Frasca Digital’s 6 key psychological traits that can help you improve your content strategy.
1.) Reciprocity
Reciprocity is the psychological reaction of a person to a positive action towards him. If someone shows friendliness, then the person will also be friendly in return.
Companies can use this principle by providing free services, building loyalty. Content marketing in this regard is simply an irreplaceable tool. Each article can be a source of inspiration, benefits, new ideas that readers can apply immediately, absolutely free.
For such content, the following are great: tips articles, guides, e-books, webinars or podcasts.
If you can show the user that they are getting tons of goodies without spending a dime, you will have a loyal audience.
2.) Information gap theory.
In psychology, this theory manifests itself as follows: a person will definitely show interest if he discovers a lack of information between what he knows and what he wants to know.
Using the theory of the information gap involves creating that very curiosity for new information by creating triggers. The easiest way is to write catchy headlines.
Only those topics in which your subscribers already have interest attract attention. Therefore, be careful when choosing topics and headings.
Capture the user’s attention with a headline and give a free answer to a question of interest using the principle of reciprocity.
3.) Public approval.
Content marketing and public approval go hand in hand. People are more likely to use a product that others are already using than something new.
The very concept of the concept of “public approval” pushes the public mind to be wiser than its own.
In content marketing, this feature manifests itself in the form of likes, shares, reviews, comments and mentions on third-party resources.
4.) Fear of Missed Opportunities (FOMO)
Marketing very often addresses a person’s fears, just look at social advertising. The buyer very often attaches more importance to limited time offers, discounts or promotions than other similar products or services.
When people are nervous that they cannot get something because of the limited amount or time, they start wanting it more.
Have you ever visited a discount site? Remember how you wanted to buy the coupons you liked right now? So much for this principle in content marketing.
You need to show that it is your content that is valuable and unique. If you have a book that you allow to download for free – set a time limit or the number of downloads. And in the blog mailing list, you can indicate that the site has content that is available only to registered users.
5.) Loss avoidance
In economics and decision theory, it has been noticed that people are more often trying to simply avoid loss than to try to accumulate benefits. From a psychological point of view, loss is twice as strong as gain.
The best way to use this feature in content marketing is to think about what makes your audience act. If you understand that you are so afraid of losing your target audience, you can write an article that prevents this fear. Emphasize the reader’s attention on the benefits of the product and on the risks that they can avoid.
6.) The paradox of choice
The paradox of choice is that the more choice a person has, the less satisfied they will be. When a person makes an important decision and he is offered many options, over time he will begin to wonder what would have happened if he had chosen another option.
Freedom of choice is important, especially when it comes to marketing. But when a business starts offering its customers too many options or options, the effect is in most cases the opposite – negative, dissatisfaction, bad reviews.
In content marketing, this feature is best taken into account as follows:
After reading the article, offer the subscriber only 2 possible ways – to share information or read something like that. Too many opportunities can only lead to the fact that the user leaves your site.
Making the Connection
Connecting with new customers is a romantic process. Contact Frasca Digital today and let us help connect you with your future customers.
