There is a whole psychology to persuasion. And it starts when you were a child. Your mother getting you to eat vegetables or to making your bed was an art form that mother’s become very good at. Later, there is the persuasive technique of getting someone to date you or to convince your group of friends to attend a concert. And then, persuading your boss that you deserve that raise and the car dealer that the Offer you made on the car is the best yet. People who do marketing for a living have conquered persuasion and know the tricks of the trade. The following is a list of some of the triggers that are used to get someone to subscribe to your mailing list, website or blog.

Everything is about emotion; how you feel; how something makes you feel; how situations cause your heart to race and your brain to spin. Emotions are triggers that drive your actions such as buying an item, going to an event or signing up for a mail list. If you have ever gone into a store and found a Red Shirt, and you know consciously that you don’t need that red shirt and you many not be able to afford that red shirt, but...you buy that red shirt. Subconsciously you have gravitated to the red shirt for the one and only purpose of buying it. It could have been the color, the shelf it was displayed on, the lighting in the room. The red shirt set off so many triggers that you were not even aware that they were influencing your actions.

These psychological triggers can do the same thing to get people to sign up for your offer. In order to persuade people to do what you want, you will need to put the triggers into use. Remember when you were a kid and you had to go to bed on Christmas Eve? Anticipation drove you crazy and you could not sleep no matter what! You listened for sleigh bells and reindeer hooves on your roof. You gazed out your bedroom window hoping that you would see the streak of the sleigh. Anticipation is a trigger for happiness. Looking forward to something makes all the doom and gloom disappear. By having something to look forward to, you can forget about the mundane, boring stuff in everyday life. In your marketing processes, include something that a client or a prospect can anticipate. A book, a web class, a contest or a coupon are all things that people look forward to. Make these offers rare and uncommon. Limit their distribution or their class space. Maybe a particular class is offered only once a year or the book has been in the works for years and is now available. People want to look forward to your offer and you can build excitement by posting teasers on social media and your website.

The next emotional and psychological trigger is the desire to fit in. People want to do what is popular and what everyone else is doing. No one wants to be left out. In your marketing, offer the number of people who have already joined your mailing list or your class. Use terms such as “Just a few spots left” or “Once again, by popular demand”. When people think that your offering is popular and sought after, they will want to get on the wagon too!

Another psychological trigger is curiosity. Put a sign on a box that says “Do not open” and the first thing people do is try to open it. People want to know what is on the other side. And that is a good thing! If it weren’t for curiosity, would we have traveled to the Western Frontier or gone to the moon? People want answers to things they don’t know, so entice them into learning about your product or service. Send out information in an envelope that says “Do not open until you are ready!” Most people would find it very difficult to just stand there with an envelope in their hand. Telling people that there is nothing to see, open or go to causes them to seek answers as to why. Why can’t they see it, why can’t they open it, why can’t they go to it? It makes them want to know more. Curiosity used in your opening first sentence or in a headline, spurs the receiver on to seek more information.

If you have an offer for a prospect, but they can only have the opportunity for a short time, then that offer becomes more valuable. Case and point is Black Friday. People go crazy trying to get to the items that they perceive as being on “super sale”. There have been famous hair pulling arguements and fistfights while buying the huge televisions on this particular day. Scarcity is a psychological trick that works very well. While presenting people with the option of subscribing to your blog, mailing list or other forms of connection, make the offer good for a short period of time. Add a gift to the original offer and the value grows. Online classes are a perfect example for the scarcity technique. “Only a few spaces available” is pure gold!

Making things easy is another psychological strategy that is positively embraced. People like to get involved if the process is easy. Just click on a button and you have joined is the best way to entice new subscribers to a blog. If a visitor to a website likes what they see and wants to be part of the excitement, giving them the choice of joining by filling out a full page form and sending it in, or a half page form that wants their name and email address or a button that says “join now”, most people will choose the last one. Human nature dictates that they will be attracted to the choice that requires the least work. Just give a one line directive with a one movement task and you will get more subscribers than ever expected.

Your website is a place where people can gather for information about your business and online classes, videos and training. Create a community of people who are interested in the same thing and give them access to various offerings by subscribing. Communities make people feel welcome and a part of something far larger than they are alone. Psychologically, this is like being a part of the “In” group and people crave that type of acceptance. Communities can call people to action, motivate them to participate and engage them completely. Give your audience a feeling of community.

By creating a marketing piece or pieces that the receiver anticipates comradery, that they can easily join a community and feel accepted is the perfect recipe for getting subscribers to your website, blog, group, or page. You can then inspire and influence your crowd!

The key to spreading your online visibility and establishing business credibility is a well-built website that reflects your products and services in an organized, modern, and aesthetically pleasing design. We at Everest Direct Mail and Marketing, can help you boost your online presence by creating an original website, fit to your business’ specific needs. We know that no two businesses are alike – so we won’t just throw your content into a basic pre-created template. Our experienced web designers will work with you to make sure each page reflects your products, services, and anything else you’d like to include. We guarantee we’ll provide you with a website you will be proud of, that reflects your professionalism, pride, and hard work you put into your business.