Marketing Influencer: Psychology of Persuasion

Researchers have been studying the factors that influence us to say “yes” to the requests of others for over 60 years. There can be no doubt that there’s a science to how we are persuaded, and a lot of the science is surprising.

When making a decision, it would be nice to think that people consider all the available information in order to guide their thinking. But the reality is very often different. In the increasingly overloaded lives we lead, more than ever we need shortcuts or rules of thumb to guide our decision-making.

There are six shortcuts as universals that guide human behavior, they are:

Reciprocity
Scarcity
Authority
Consistency
Liking
Consensus

Understanding these shortcuts and employing them in an ethical manner can significantly increase the chances that someone will be persuaded by your request.

Let’s take a closer look at each in turn.