Psychology Hacks to Boost your

Marketing
We all have the same primitive part of the brain.
 It’s called the
amygdala, it controls
our gut reactions &
emotions

We all have the same primitive part of the brain.

 It’s called the
amygdala, it controls
our gut reactions &
emotions

It works much faster

than our conscious
mind

We all have the same primitive part of the brain.

We have gut reactions in 3 seconds or fewer.
We have gut reactions in 3 seconds or fewer.

Emotions make a more lasting imprint than rational thoughts.

We have gut reactions in 3 seconds or fewer.

Emotions make a more lasting imprint than rational thoughts.

Emotions are processed 5 times faster than conscious thoughts.

 So keep this in mind when it comes to your marketing:
People don’t buy products or services.

Source: http://www.fastcompany.com/3032675/hit-the-ground-running/5-psychological-tactics-marketers-use-to-influence-consumer-behavior
 So keep this in mind when it comes to your marketing:
People don’t buy products or services.

People buy answers to problems, solutions to needs,

pathways to wants or a secret door to their heart's
desires. It’s not a costume, it’s becoming a superhero.

Source: http://www.fastcompany.com/3032675/hit-the-ground-running/5-psychological-tactics-marketers-use-to-influence-consumer-behavior
Aim for the
gut reaction Marguerite’s cat Bombalurina,
takes a selfie

Use words and images that

create excitement, urgency or
even low-grade anxiety.
 Promote exclusivity
Near the top of Maslow’s hierarchy of
needs pyramid sits self-esteem. People
want to feel important, like they’re part of
an exclusive group. That’s why advertising
copy sometimes says: "We’re not
for everyone."

Source: http://www.fastcompany.com/3032675/hit-the-ground-running/5-psychological-tactics-marketers-use-to-influence-consumer-behavior
 Set minimums

Brandon’s dog, Riley,

jumping through hoops and
throwing shade

Help customers break “action paralysis”. Research by professor Robert

Ciadini showcased how adding a minimum to a request increased
donations for the American Cancer Society by 78%
Remove the stress of potential roadblocks

Remind your customers how easy it is to get started (no

payment for the first month, etc).
Invoke the power of labels

Most people would say that they don’t like to be labeled.

Individualism is certainly a strong trait that many people
believe in …or think they believe in.
Fact is, labeling and encouraging
association to a specific social
group has shown to increase
people’s participation and
interest.
In a behavioral study examining voting patterns, researchers found that
people who were randomly labeled as “politically active” were 15% more
likely to vote.
Despite the fact that they were
randomly chosen, the label ended up
affecting their actions.

Label your customers as a part of a

superior group and their actions will
reflect those characteristics.
Our brains love
images

The primitive brain is

particularly drawn to
images of danger, sex and
food.
But don’t overdo it in your marketing; the jury is still out on
whether a sexy bikini-clad motocrosser eating a
cheeseburger gets more conversions.

(Ladies, send any photos of that nature to Bill, our COOl, at

Bill@MovingTargets.com, he would love to see that.)
Our brains process images 60,000 times faster than text.
90% of all data that the brain processes is visual.
We comprehend and remember pictures
with text more than text alone.
We comprehend and remember pictures
with text more than text alone.

How could you

possibly forget
these faces?
 Design for scanning

79% scan online content rather than reading it word for word.
 Design for scanning

79% scan online content rather than reading it word for word.

100,500 digital words consumed by the average US consumer daily.

Frame messages as a
story

Use a strong title and interesting hook to hand your

audience the information you want them to have.
Show faces
Natural selection favored humans who were able to quickly
identify threats to build relationships. We’re all able to do that
today by simply reading facial expressions.
Human beings are hard-wired
from birth to identify the human
face.
Part of the brain that processes images is right next to
the area that processes emotions.
All images of faces grab
our attention, but babies
light up emotion
receptors.
Consider using a face that looks toward your call to action.
Close-ups work best and eye-tracking studies show we’ll look
where they’re looking.
Speaking of calls to action…
If a call to action creates urgency or fear, people will block
it out unless they have specific follow-up instructions.
Here’s how
1. Prime to act with a sense of urgency
2. Give instructions on what to do in order to get started
3. Assure that peers already use the service for their own benefit
Color matters
There is more to color choice than what looks good.
Different colors send different signals to our brains.
84.7% of consumers cite color as the primary
reason they buy a product.
Personality/Emotions:
- Evokes strong emotions
- Encourages appetite
- Increases passion and
intensity

In Marketing:
- Increases heart rate
- Used by restaurants to
stimulate appetite
- Creates urgency; often
seen in clearance sales
-Used for impulsive
shoppers
Personality/Emotions:
-Increases cheerfulness,
Yellow
warmth
- Causes fatigue and eye
strain
- Makes babies cry
- Stimulates mental process
and central nervous system
- Encourages
communication

In Marketing:
- Represents optimism,
youth
- Used to grab attention of
window shoppers
- Shows clarity
Personality/Emotions:
-Associated with
Blue
water/peace
-Most preferred by men
-Represents calmness or
serenity
-Curbs appetite
-Increases productivity

In Marketing:
-Signals productivity
-Often used in corporate
business because it’s not
invasive
-Creates sense of security
and trust in a brand
Personality/Emotions:
-Reflects excitement,
Orange
enthusiasm
-Shows warmth
-Warns of caution

In marketing:
-Signifies aggression
-Creates call to action: buy,
sell, subscribe
-Attracts impulsive
shoppers
-Represents a friendly,
cheerful, confident brand
Personality/Emotions:
-Constitutes health,
Green
tranquility
-Symbolizes money
-Denotes nature, new
growth
-Alleviates depression
-Envy, jealousy guilt

In marketing:
-Used to relax in stores
-Associates with wealth
-Green M&M’s are said to
send a sexual message
-Has long been a symbol of
fertility
Personality/Emotions:
-Showed royalty, wealth,
Purple
success, wisdom
-Mystery, moodiness

In marketing:
-Often used in beauty or
anti-aging products
-Used to soothe or calm
-Represents a creative,
imaginative, wise brand
Got it? Let’s recap
1. Trigger emotional responses
2. Sell benefits, not features
3. Promote exclusivity
4. Make it easy on your customers
5. Use images to contextualize and
reinforce copy
6. Tell stories
7. Support call to actions
8. Colors are more than just pretty
things to look at