Persuasion: How to get someone to do what you want them to do.

If you want a simple system for wiring compelling copy, you've come to the right place. Yes, mastering the art and science of writing great copy is a complex, multi-faceted topic. It has been boiled down to some simple formulae you've probably seen, like AIDA and PAS. Most of us have heard of these, but oftentimes they are used without the context behind how and why they work.

Here, we're going to look at what really drives human behavior, and how to use that for influencing it.This will give you a deeper understanding of what you need to actually influence people to do the things you need them to do. 

A Few Simple Truths About Persuasion

1. You can't make anyone do anything they don't already want to do. And if they truly want to do something, nothing in the universe will stop them.

2. People don't make rational decisions; they make emotional decisions and rationalize them.

3. As a marketer, your job isn't to get someone to do something: it's to get them to want to do it, give them the information they need to convince themselves it's the right decision, and then make it as easy as possible for them to do.

The key, then, is understanding how to make someone want to do something they don’t realize they want to do… yet. For that, we need to poke around under the hood and see what makes people tick. 

Understanding What Drives Behaviors

This article isn't really about schools of thought on human psychology, but we can use some of their concepts as a framework to organize how we think through our marketing messages. We'll start with the ideas of the Id, the Ego, and the Superego. These can be thought of as three aspects of your psyche. The Id is the "primitive" part, driven by base needs. The Superego is really what keeps the Id in check, it's the rules and social norms of the external world that would be scandalized if your Id were allowed to run around and do what it wants.

The Ego is, well, you. It is how you see yourself. You know you're not just your Id, which wants to act immediately on all of its primal urges at all times. But you also know that you are more than just an automaton, programmed by society and family to respond in certain ways to certain inputs. You have your wants and needs you are driven to pursue, but you're going to pursue them appropriately, for a variety of selfish and altruistic reasons.

Understanding the interplay of these three forces can help us discover the message we REALLY need to send to our prospects in order to convince them to take a particular action. So... let's dive in.

Wrestling with the Id.

The Id is the primal part of our psyche, driven by our base needs. The Id doesn't care about rational or logical thinking: it wants what it wants and will do anything to get it. It is preoccupied with primal, biological drives designed to keep us alive on the African savannah more than 100,000 years ago:

- Can it eat me?

- Can I eat it?

- Can it give me kids?

- Will it increase my value to my tribe?

In marketing terms, this means you're not going to convince someone that your product/service is a good idea because they want something else more. You have to find a way to make them want your product/service more than whatever it is they are currently using.

The problem with the Id, of course, is that it doesn't care about consequences or what will happen in the long run. And since the Id is often a subconscious underpinning of other desires, addressing it directly will often lead a prospect to cringe or draw back from it. Eating oatmeal is a healthy and nutritious option, can help you become more fit, and shows you make thoughtful decisions about your future-- all factors that might make you a good mate. That doesn't mean you should use sex to sell your oatmeal like it was Axe body spray.

But, it's not a bad idea to be aware of the primal drives that underlie the behaviors that might drive one to choose oatmeal. "I need to lose weight, and I know oatmeal is healthy," is a valid, conscious reason why one might choose oatmeal. But "can I eat it," "can it increase my value to the tribe," and "can it give me kids" are all at play subconsciously. Let them be at work subconsciously in you as well as you create your messaging.

Stroking the Ego

The Ego is the part of our psyche that mediates between Id and Superego, often trying to find a middle ground where everybody (including yourself) gets what they want with as few negative consequences as possible. It makes up most of our decision-making process in almost every situation...and it's susceptible to a lot of the same techniques that work on other parts of our psyche.

Essentially, according to Tamsen Webster in her book “Find Your Red Thread,” (also, check out her Ted Talk), everyone wants to be seen as smart, capable, and good. As marketers, this means that if you can make your product/service seem like the best option for someone who wants to be smart (or capable or good), they will take it.

This is where you need to know your target persona like the back of your hand. The more specific and targeted you can be, the better: do they want to look smart? Capable? Good? Find out what drives them; then figure out a way that using (or buying) your product/service will make them feel that way.

This might require a shift in their perspective about a problem. In this case, it's best to attach this new perspective to something they already believe.

For example, if you want them to believe that a certain product/service will make their lives easier, attach the ease-of-use benefit to something they already know and believe: recently, at work, we launched a 401(k) retirement plan with a 3% corporate match that was open even to part-time hourly wage earners. The problem was, we realized most people weren't familiar with what a 401(k), or what it meant for them in the long-term. What's the real benefit? By setting aside just $3 out of every $100 you earn starting in your 20's, when you reach retirement age, you should have a healthy, six-figure retirement account when you retire.

It's a great benefit... but it's still not quite meaningful at a gut-level. What's $3, the price of a fast-food cheeseburger? Everyone can wrap their mind around that. Everyone can wrap their mind around a $100 bill. So, for the cost of a cheeseburger out of every $100 bill that you earn, you could buy yourself a comfortable retirement-- nearly 10x more than if you just stuck that $3 in the bank or a coffee can.

Now you can relate. You know what a cheeseburger is... and it's not that all impressive. Could you agree to NOT eat a cheeseburger now and then to give yourself the luxury of NOT working when you get older? Of course you could, you believe that a cheeseburger might be tasty, but it's not something you can't live without once in a while, right?

So your job, as a marketer, is not just about trying to get someone to do something: it's about trying to help them feel like they're making the right choice. When your new perspective is rooted in something they already believe, then the new perspective feels like something they already believe... or should.

Behaviors are often determined by what we believe. But belief is a personal and stubborn thing. Questioning someone's belief can seem like a personal attack, so it might be necessary to reframe an old belief in a way that creates distance and provides objectivity.

"Many people feel [old belief], but when *we* actually [new belief], [desired outcome]."

This provides the ego a layer of protection. "I'm not attacking you, but you know that "they can be." But "we" know better... we're good, capable and we're smarter than that, aren't we?"

That just leaves one last gatekeeper: the Superego.

Subverting the Superego

The Superego is the moral and ethical part of our psyche, which often tries to keep us from giving in to primal desires that might result in negative consequences for ourselves or others. It can be highly susceptible to persuasion techniques used by marketers: they want people to do what's right and will often follow the instructions of someone they trust.

This is why most people will purchase something on sale or participate in a promotion despite it being a loss-leader: they're trying to find the middle ground between saving money and spending as much as possible.

Fear of judgment is a powerful motivator.

The Superego is always watching, its judgment ever ready to cause self-doubt and put us in our place. It doesn't want you to do the wrong thing more than anything else... it just wants whatever "the right thing" is done by someone capable of doing it correctly every time.

This is why being "right" often feels better than getting a good deal: we've satisfied the part of our psyche that wants to be perceived as capable and smart. As marketers, you can tap into this desire with messages like "the right choice," or phrases like "don't miss out."

Peer pressure is another great example of "superego subversion" at work. These messages, by themselves, aren't very persuasive. But when they're combined with a message like "you'll look stupid if you don't," suddenly peer pressure becomes one of the most powerful forces in human behavior: we want to be perceived as capable and smart more than we want to avoid looking like an idiot.

Social proof is another great way to play on the Superego. It's hard for us as human beings to take an alternative path when all of our friends, family and colleagues are taking one specific route... even if it makes no sense.

The idea is simple: you want someone who shares your belief system (or wants what you believe). But just like the Ego, you don't want to come right out and say this. It's too direct; it feels aggressive or negative... because for all intents and purposes, it is.

So instead of saying "we share your beliefs," how about "our belief system aligns with X." And if X doesn't exist (yet), then how about "we're just like you."

Once Upon A Time...There Was A Powerful Story

Stories slip under the radar of critical thinking. They also get under the skin of our emotions. And once they've lodged themselves there, they're hard to remove... which is why marketers love them so much.

The easiest way to leverage this storytelling concept in your marketing messages is by using metaphor and imagery (a visual representation) that can be easily related back to something else people already know about. If you can find a familiar story or object, then all the better.

Stories are containers for change. They provide a before and after... with a step-by- step guide for how that transformation occurred. .

So make sure your message includes the "before" (your brand or product) and the "after," (the desired outcome). And if you want to be truly persuasive, think about how much better things will be in this new state of being.

Stories are visual experiences. If a customer can see themselves in your story, then they'll find it much easier to visualize the new state of being that your messaging describes.

Stories are subjective, which means you can influence how people perceive them by adding in details and elements that will generate a desired emotional response (that aligns with your brand). For example, if someone is afraid of change or loss, try using a story about a "new beginning" or a "fresh start."

Just like the Ego wants to be right, our Superegos (conscience) want us to do what's right... and if we buy into your brand message as it relates to your product, then you've done both: gotten someone to act in accordance with their values, and proven that your brand is the right choice.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

At this point, once you understand the context of the platform where you will push your message to your audience, using structures like AIDA or PAS should be a little easier. When you understand your prospect and the Id, Ego and Superego elements behind their behavior, how can you get their attention? Once you have their attention, how do you use those elements to generate interest? How do you take that spark of interest and use them to fan that spark into flames of desire? And once they have that burning desire, how do you use them to channel that desire into your action? 

Or, if you prefer PAS, using these elements, determine their true Problem as a three-part whole: There is an external problem-- this is the thing that is standing in their way. There is an internal problem-- how the external problem makes them feel (remember, people make emotional decisions and rationalize them. Finally, there’s a philosophical problem-- why is this situation just plain wrong?

Now that you have the problem, agitate it. Paint pictures of all the ways the problem sucks. This problem causes “Px,” which makes you feel “Fx,” which isn’t fair because “[Reasons]x.” It also makes Py harder, which only makes you feel more “Fy.” Should you stand for “[Reasons]y?” And so on. 

Then present your solution and showcase what life is like once you are past your problem. The [threat doesn’t want to eat you], there’s more than enough food on the table, you have all the amazing kids and even the mayor wants you to run for mayor! Or whichever of those apply to the problem. 

ACTION STEPS:

When you understand the psychology behind the things we do, crafting a message that can influence what someone does becomes easier. With this in mind, here are action steps you can use to do just that:

1. Who are you talking to, specifically??

- Who are the people your brand is trying to influence?

- What do they want, and how can you align with that desire?

-How do they perceive themselves (i.e., what are their values)?

2. What would they have to believe to do what we want them to do?

-What is in it for them if they take the action you want?

-What is their "pain" that you can solve with your product or service?

3. How can we convince them this is true and what does that message look like in the places they live?

-Who else has already taken the action we want them to take?

-What type of imagery can you use that will elicit an emotional response, and aligns with your brand's values??

-How do they see themselves in this story (i.e., what is their "before" state)? How does this affect how persuasive the message will be??

-What does this look like in a Facebook ad? In a print ad? In a blog post? As a post on Facebook? On Instagram? On TikTok? As a YouTube video vs. a pre-roll ad on YouTube? People are in each of these spaces for a different reason. That should dictate the form and function of your message in that space.

The Takeaway

Marketing messages that are persuasive often tell stories. When you understand the psychology of behavior, crafting a message that can influence what someone does becomes easier. The best marketing campaigns know who they're talking to and then use language (both verbal and visual) that appeals most directly to their values - both conscious and subconscious ones...

Story, metaphor and imagery speak to these parts of our psyche that we aren't aware of, but ultimately drive how we behave in the world: the Id (instinct), Ego (reality) and Superego (conscience).

So next time you're crafting a marketing campaign, think about who your target audience is, what they want, what they value and how you can align your messaging with that. Then craft a story about the "before" (the state of being before using your product or service) and the "after," which is when everything will be better because of it.