Group items tagged

 @copyblogger Here are the five most persuasive words we can use. Indivdually, each of these words appeals to a certain kind of person. If we use the Eisenberg Modes of Persuasion as a guide, we can assign each to a different mode.

"You" - Humanists are relationship oriented. When your voice shifts from "We" and "our company" and you speak to them in the first person, it feels more human -- and more Humanistic.

"Free" - This word appeals to the Spontaneous reader. These visitors are just looking for an excuse to take action.

"Because" - Methodicals want to understand the details. They make decisions deliberately and logically. Credible proof is important.

"Instantly" - This also appeals to our Spontaneous reader, who wants immmediate gratification.

"New" - This appeals to the Competitive, who wants to know what will make them better. New technologies, new versions, new looks get their attention.

So, two of the words are very Spontaneous, and we tend to act spontaneously when we've decided to buy something. "Free" and "Instantly" are bottom of the funnel words.

Read the research in this excellent post.

If you love the science of persuasion like we do, you should definitely be following my friend Roger Dooley's blog.

Here's a great example of how he uses research to deliver actionable advice to marketers and business owners like us.

Ironically, one of the best models for agility and persuasion is found offline, in the world of traditional retailing. Merchandisers at brick-and-mortar chains continually experiment with displays and layouts, offers and messaging, in order to find what works best at each store, then share their findings among stores.

Most interesting part of this article, is the way that people make up stories about why they do what they do. This is why self-reported data is always we use it for qualitative research, that is but never to find answers to questions. Humans are very good at making up stories about why they do, and these stories are usually lies.

This is a great roundup of the biases and psychological effects that drive humans to act. Every marketer should be comfortable with these concepts.

 @conversion_team-I'm speaking about "flipping" you message when writing copy that converts at #convcon West in San Francisco. Basically, "flipping" prevents "blending" your message, which makes it lose impact and relevance.

The catch is that you must understand something about the Web visitors that you're flipping your message toward.

The Conversion Team has a solution, and this article does a great job of helping you get an actionable understanding of how to write for your visitors in a persuasive and relevant way.

If you enjoy studying the psychology of persuasion the way we do here at Conversion Sciences, you'll love this infographic from the folks at Help Scout.

Good sense advice if you want your pages to reel in more leads and sales. I especially appreciate being reminded that "clarity trumps persuasion" a wisdom of Dr. Flint McGlaughlin of MEC Labs.

While Kickstarter isn't a typical landing page, this Kickstarter project does a great job of using video in a persuasive way, and including a call to action tied into the page.

If you're using video on your landing pages, you should point to or reference the form on the page in the video.

"The Internet isn't passive. When you search online, you plan to do something:  buy, learn, play, find.  As soon as you go to Google, Yahoo or Bing, you're on the hunt."

There are those among us who have a true command of words and their use. I marvel at them. It is a power that is critical to persuasion, conversion and selling. Gabriella Sannino clearly sees it as a power to help people solve their problems. What better brand experience can you deliver than to help someone find answers to their questions?

I've always argued that wireframes should come later in the web design process after copy and persuasive elements have been established.

Zakary Kinnaird argues there may be no good time for wireframes.

I can't test wireframes, esp. if they contain Lorem Ipsum copy. So wireframes lock in design elements before we even know what visitors prefer. Good comments as well.

When designing pages that are informational and persuasive, "visuial sugar" will often have a very meaningful negative effect on leads and sales. This is a great summary of what NOT to do on your landing pages and websites.

 @crestodina I spoke at the Conversion Conference #convcon this week about flipping your message according to your Web visitor. This can be applied to subject lines, search ads, display ads and landing pages.

One of the most powerful "flips" is between the four kind of visitors outlined by Bryan and Jeffrey Eisenberg in their book Waiting for Your Cat to Bark?.

Here is a creative twist on the four kinds of visitors you'll encounter on your website: video game characters.

Is the page, post or email you're working on right now targeting Frogger or Mario or Galaga or PacMan?

It should.

 @KISSmetrics offers a fantastic tour of landing page best practices. They offer 50 points with an example for each from businesses that have been successful on the Web. From seductive headlines, to creative copy to building trust to design, you will be inspired for your next landing page development task. 

The things that make us effective marketers or stand in our way often aren't external, but internal. Being a good marketer, copywriter or Conversion Scientist means coming to terms with our own demons, limitations and neuroses.

Dr. Aaron Balick maps out how our overburdened Ego does it's best "while being goaded on by the Id and being told off by the Superego."

Dr. Balick knows how to help us relate to these kind of issues.

A simple video that talks about story and how effective it is in communicating by Jennifer Aaker @aaker.