21 November 2007Richard Sedley, cScape Customer Engagement Director
Key words:
conversion, marketing, persuasion, motivation, web2.0
customer engagement, credibility, cscape, e-consultancy
The role of persuasion in online conversion
E-consultancyOnline Marketing Masterclass: Conversion Keynote
What’s the most powerful page
on your website?
Utility
The conversion triangle
PersuasionUsability
The goal of persuasion is to change someone’s attitudes or behaviour.
Make them comply with a request using an understanding of human psychology
What is persuasion?
• Credibility
• Social proof
• Storytelling
• Timing
Overview
Elaboration Likelihood Model
• High elaboration (central route)Requires great deal of thought to make a
decision
• Low elaboration (peripheral route)Requires little thought, reliant on decisional
heuristics
How we make our decisions
Petty & Cacioppo, 1981
The need for decisional heuristics
500 milliseconds to
determine credibility
4 seconds to
determine usefulness
• Presumed
• Surface
• Reputed
• Earned
Four types of credibility
Stanford University, Persuasive Technology Lab, 2003
=
=
=
=
General assumptions in the
mind of the perceiver
Simple inspection or initial first
hand experience
Third party endorsements,
reports or referrals
First hand experience that
extends over time
The power of credibilityA B
Conversion rate = 2.69% Conversion rate = 3.03%
% change = 12.64%
Projected monthly gain = $30,582.30
Marketing E
xperiments Journal, F
eb 2007
Social proof (consensus)
Experiment: Milgrim, Bikman and Birkowitz
Good testimonials...
Why testimonials do (and don’t) work: Holly Buchanan, Future Now
Sean DeSouza: Pyschotactics
Marketing Experiments: Optimizing site design
• are focused. Talk about specific benefits or
personal situations• overcome objections. Target conversion
barriers• are contextual. Position where customer might
ask questions and need reassurance• are plentiful. Build a wall of satisfaction• are credible. Lead with skeptics and problems
Copyright: Steve Double - www.double-whammy.com
The first,
the last,
the best
and the rarest?
Make them feel proud?
• When you are in a good mood
• When your world view no longer makes sense
• When you can take action immediately
• When you feel indebted because of a favour
• Immediately after you have made a mistake
• Immediately after you have denied a request
Persuasion windows
Stanford University, Persuasive Technology Lab, 2003
What’s the most powerful page
on your website?
Exploit a thank you?
Persuasion is about aligning our needs and desires with the needs and desires of our customers - for mutual benefit
• Creation of persuasion pathways
• Right-touching through persuasion windows
• As part of engagement modeling
The value of persuasion
Thanks for listening
• Richard Sedley: [email protected]
• cScape newsletter: www.cscape.com• Blog: www.loopstatic.com
• Grab me, say hello pick up a copy of 10 tips for online persuasion
1. Are you headlines failing?
2. Setting customer alarm clocks
3. Using your authority
4. More than just buttons
5. Avoiding trade-offs
6. Exploiting a thank you
7. Do you have social proof?
8. How credible are you?
9. Make them feel proud
10.The right picture says more