Increase Landing Page Conversions Using These Psychological Hacks

Intro

Most people think that all they need is a good offer and a well-designed landing page in order to get more conversions. However, this isn't always the case - there are other psychological factors that come into play.

In this guide, you'll learn about the different ways you can use psychological hacks that increase landing page conversions.

Once you've learned about these techniques, you'll be able to apply them to your own pages and start seeing an improvement in your conversion rates.

You don't have to be a psychologist or marketing expert to use these techniques - they're easy to apply and straightforward enough for anyone to understand.

Let's dive in!

What Are Psychological Triggers?

Psychological triggers are psychological factors that influence a person's decision-making process. In the context of marketing, they can be used to increase the likelihood that a person will respond positively to a marketing message or take action on an offer.

Common psychological triggers you may have heard of include scarcity (perceived or real), social proof, and authority.

By understanding how these triggers work and how to apply them, businesses can more effectively create marketing messages and offers that appeal to customers' psychological needs and motivations.

Reasons You Need to Know Psychology In Marketing

If you want to be a successful marketer, it's important to have a strong understanding of psychology. After all, marketing is all about understanding what motivates people and then using that knowledge to sell products or services.

And there's no better way to understand human behavior than through the study of psychology. Here are just a few of the reasons why psychology is essential for marketing success:

1. Understand consumer behavior.

What drives people to make purchase decisions? What motivates them to buy one product over another?

These are the kinds of questions that psychologists can help answer. By understanding how consumers think and behave, you'll be in a better position to develop marketing strategies that are effective and efficient.

2. Create more effective advertising.

Advertisements that are well-targeted and well-designed are more likely to be successful than those that aren't. And psychology can play a role in both target audience selection and ad design.

By understanding how people process information and make decisions, you can create ads that are more likely to grab attention and persuade consumers to take action.

3. Improve customer relations.

How you treat your customers makes a big difference in how they feel about your company and whether or not they'll do business with you again in the future.

If you want to build strong customer relationships, it's important to understand psychological principles like emotionally intelligent communication and conflict resolution.

By applying these concepts in your interactions with customers, you can create a more positive customer experience and foster loyalty among your client base.

4. Increase sales.

When it comes down to it, marketing is all about increasing sales. And psychology can play a role in boosting your bottom line by helping you close more sales and increase conversion rates.

Whether it's through developing an understanding of consumer needs or learning how to use persuasive techniques, psychology can give you the tools you need to drive revenue growth for your business.

5. Build a successful career.

If you're looking for long-term career success in marketing, it's important to develop a strong foundation in psychology.

Not only will this knowledge give you an edge over your competition, but it will also provide you with the skills necessary for continued success as the field evolves.

If you're serious about increasing conversions on landing pages, email, or anywhere else, below are ways you can apply various techniques within your copy.

The Most Powerful Psychological Triggers For Marketing

When it comes to marketing, we can use triggers to influence prospects’ decisions and get them to take action.

• Social Proof. This is a strong trigger that can be used on landing pages. When people see others taking an action, they are more likely to do the same.
• Scarcity / FOMO. When people believe that an item is in limited supply, they are more likely to act quickly to get it.
• Reciprocity. This bias suggests that people are more likely to take action if they feel like they've received something in return.
• Authority Bias. Buyers are more likely to trust, and therefore buy from, those who have established authority in a certain topic or industry.
• Liking / Disliking. Buyers put a huge amount of weight on people they like or dislike. This is often conflated with the Halo effect, which is people who look good or are likable are automatically seen as more trustworthy.
• Illusory Truth Effect: People are more likely to believe in things that are repeated often despite there being no further objective evidence.
• Hyperbolic Discounting: People value immediate payoffs over long-term payoffs, which may require continued effort. This is related to our brain's reward system and our preference for quick bursts of dopamine.
• Contrast Bias. By giving a contrast, you can reframe the way a person sees something.
• The Compromise Effect. People have an aversion to buying the cheapest option and the most expensive option, but when given contrast, are willing to nearly always go with a compromising option.
• Risk Aversion. Humans are risk and loss averse. It has been tested that humans will choose to avoid risk over attempting to gain something nearly every time. If you can mitigate risk as much as possible, you'll increase conversions.

In the next section, we will look at how to practically apply these triggers in your landing page copy.

How To Apply Psychological Triggers

Social Proof

One way that companies can provide this assurance is by using social proof in their sales copy. This involves incorporating testimonials, reviews, and other forms of customer feedback into the text.

By sharing what others have said about the product, companies can give potential buyers the peace of mind that they need to make a purchase. In addition, social proof can also help to build trust and credibility with potential customers.

After all, if others have had a positive experience with a product, there's a good chance that you will too. So next time you're considering a purchase, be sure to look for social proof before making your decision.

Scarcity / FOMO

Scarcity is often used as a sales tactic, especially in the case of limited-edition products or services. By creating a sense of urgency, businesses can encourage customers to make a purchase before it's too late. For example, a clothing store might advertise a "limited time only" sale on winter coats.

This encourages customers to buy now before the coats are all gone. Similarly, a travel company might offer a discount on last-minute bookings, in order to fill up vacant spots on their tours or use countdown timers.

While Scarcity can be an effective sales strategy, it's important not to overuse it, as this can create mistrust and cause customers to look elsewhere for their needs.

Reciprocity

One key element of effective sales copy is reciprocity. This principle states that people are more likely to buy from someone who has given them something first.

For example, if a company offers a free sample or trial offer, customers will be more likely to make a purchase. By understanding and utilizing the principle of reciprocity, businesses can create more effective sales copy and boost their bottom line.

Authority Bias

When it comes to making a purchase, consumers often give more weight to the opinion of an expert. This phenomenon is known as authority bias, and businesses can use it to their advantage in sales copy.

For example, imagine you are considering two different brands of electric toothbrushes. One is endorsed by a well-known dentist, while the other is not. Which one are you more likely to buy?

Chances are, you'll go with the brush that has been recommended by a dental professional.

After all, they must know what they're talking about, right? Businesses can use this natural tendency in authority bias by featuring endorsements from experts in their sales copy.

When consumers see that a product has been recommended by someone who knows what they're doing, they're more likely to make a purchase.

Liking / Disliking

As we all know, people tend to like things that are familiar to them. This principle can be harnessed in sales copy by using words and phrases that evoke a sense of familiarity.

For example, if you're selling a new type of laundry detergent, you might use phrases like "just like mom used to use" or "just like grandma used to use." By evoking images of a familiar product, you can increase the likelihood that people will give your product a try.

Similarly, you can use words and phrases that create a sense of dislike for your competitor's products. For example, if your laundry detergent is more environmentally friendly than your competitor's, you might use phrases like "those harmful chemicals" or "that harmful packaging."

By highlighting what people don't like about your competitor's product, you can increase the likelihood that they'll switch to yours.

Illusory Truth Effect

The Illusory Truth Effect is a well-known psychological phenomenon whereby people are more likely to believe information that they have heard multiple times, even if that information is not true.

This effect can be harnessed in sales copy in a number of ways. For example, repetition is often used in advertising to create brand recognition and increase the likelihood that customers will purchase a product.

In addition, highlighting the testimonials of satisfied customers can also be effective in triggering the illusory truth effect. By featuring positive reviews prominently, businesses can make potential customers more likely to believe that their product is high-quality and worth purchasing.

Ultimately, understanding and utilizing the illusory truth effect can be a powerful tool in the hands of any salesperson.

Hyperbolic Discounting

Many businesses use hyperbolic discounting in their sales copy to encourage customers to buy now rather than wait.

Hyperbolic discounting is a technique whereby the perceived benefits of an action are increased when that action is taken sooner rather than later.

For example, a business might offer a 10% discount for orders placed within the next 24 hours. The logic behind this is that customers are more likely to value the benefits of taking action immediately (in this case, getting a discount) than they are to value the benefits of waiting.

This can be an effective way to boost sales, but it's important to use hyperbolic discounting sparingly, as too much can come across as manipulative and turn customers off.

Contrast Bias

One way to sell a product is to use contrast bias, which is when two products are compared and one is seen as better than the other.

For example, a company might say that its product is 40% cheaper than the competition, or that it lasts twice as long. By contrast, the competition's product might be seen as being too expensive or not lasting long enough.

This is used a lot by Saas companies and in listicle content (Example).

Another example is by prefacing the price of something with something else that is the same price. For example, "Sign up now for the price of 2 cups of coffee." This causes readers to relate more to the price and see it as a normal expense they are more familiar with paying within their lives anyway.

This type of sales copy can be effective in persuading people to buy a product, but it is important to make sure that the comparisons are fair and accurate. Otherwise, the company risks making false claims that could damage its reputation.

The Compromise Effect

The Compromise Effect is a powerful principle of persuasion that has been extensively studied by psychologists. Put simply, it states that people are more likely to choose an option that is middle-of-the-road, rather than one that is extreme in either direction.

This principle can be used effectively in sales copy by presenting two extremes and then positioning the product or service as the ideal compromise. For example, imagine you are selling a vacation package. You could frame it as the perfect balance between a luxurious all-inclusive resort and a rugged backpacking trip.

By playing on people's desire for compromise, you can increase the perceived appeal of your product or service.

Risk Aversion

When it comes to sales copy, one of the most important considerations is the concept of risk aversion. Simply put, this refers to the way that people tend to avoid taking risks when they make purchasing decisions.

In order to take advantage of this fact, businesses need to make sure that their sales copy is designed to minimize the perceived risk of buying their product or service.

There are a number of ways to do this, but some of the most effective strategies include highlighting guarantees and warranties, promoting free trials or money-back offers, and providing customer testimonials.

By using these techniques, businesses can make their products more appealing to potential customers and increase their chances of making a sale.

Other Key Considerations

When it comes to creating effective sales copy, psychological triggers can be a powerful tool. By understanding how these triggers work and how to use them effectively, you can create persuasive copy that stands out and gets results.

One key consideration is to ensure that your trigger is relevant to your target audience. Consider what needs or desires you have that your product or service can meet.

For example, if you're selling a weight loss product, triggers related to health and fitness would be more relevant than those related to fashion.

It's also important to make sure that your trigger is credible. This means using well-supported facts and figures, testimonials from happy customers, and other forms of social proof.

If your trigger seems too good to be true, people will be less likely to believe it - and less likely to take action as a result.

Finally, don't forget to test different triggers to see which ones are most effective with your audience. Try different approaches and see which ones get the best response. By doing this, you can continuously improve your sales copy and get even better results over time.

Wrapping Up

Landing pages are a critical part of any digital marketing strategy, and if you want to see better results from your efforts, it’s important to use psychologically triggering language that increases conversions.

By understanding how people make decisions and using persuasive design principles, you can create landing pages that encourage visitors to take the action you desire.

Have you tried any of these techniques on your own pages? Let us know how they worked for you.