This document discusses how to apply psychology principles to design in order to influence visitor behavior on social media and content marketing. It outlines three models: the Elaboration Likelihood Model, which describes central and peripheral route processing; Fogg's Behavioral Model, which says behavior occurs when ability, motivation, and triggers align; and Cialdini's principles of persuasion, like reciprocity and social proof. Specific examples are provided, like using simplicity to improve ability or rewards to boost motivation. The goal is to facilitate what visitors already want to do rather than trick them.
1. 13-14-15, NOVEMBER 2017
How to win new
visitors applying
psychology of
design to social
media & content
marketing
Giuseppe Caltabiano
Consultant, Speaker, Author
Head of Content Marketing
Advisory Services,
NewsCred
5. @giusecwww.smxl.it #SMXLmilan
The goal of this session
This presentation focuses on psychology and how you
can apply it to content and digital design in order to
influence visitor’s behavior.
What you WILL learn
• How to apply psychology principles
to design
• How to facilitate visitors’ behavior
(help people do what they already
want to do)
• Three models
What you will NOT learn
• How to force a user into doing
something they wouldn’t otherwise
• Basic design principles
• Psychology of colors
7. @giusecwww.smxl.it #SMXLmilan
Two words on Persuasion
“Utilizing dark patterns or tricking a user into doing
something they wouldn’t otherwise do is not persuasion.
It’s being an asshole”
Victor S. Yocco. “Design for the Mind”
8. @giusecwww.smxl.it #SMXLmilan
We will review three models
1. Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) applied to Design (Petty,
Caciocco)
2. Fogg Behavior Design (E.J.Fogg)
3. Cialdini’s Persuasion Principles applied to Design (Cialdini)
10. @giusecwww.smxl.it #SMXLmilan
Elaboration Likelihood Model, definition
• Central route processing means your
audience cares more about the message.
They’ll pay attention and scrutinize quality
and strength of the argument.
• It is appropriate to use this method for
products or services that are generally
considered high involvement purchases.
• Peripheral route processing happens on
a more superficial level.
• Your audience will pay less attention to the
message while being influenced by
secondary factors, such as source
credibility, visual appeal, presentation, and
enticements like food, sex, and humor.
18. @giusecwww.smxl.it #SMXLmilan
Motivation and Ability
• What promotes central route processing and high
elaboration?
• Researchers have explored two main factors:
motivation and ability
• This leads to the next model: Fogg’s Behavioral Model
Information about
product or other content
High ability to process
information
High motivation
Strong attitude toward
the product or content
Low ability to process
information
Low motivation
Weak attitude toward the
product or content
Central
Pheriperal
20. @giusecwww.smxl.it #SMXLmilan
Behavioral Design: Motivation, Ability, Triggers
• Behavioral design is where psychology and
technology meet
• Fogg Behavior Model explains that three
elements must come together at the
same time for a behavior to occur:
motivation, ability and trigger.
• When a behavior does not occur, at least one
of those three elements is missing
Behavior = motivation x ability x trigger
B = mat
21. @giusecwww.smxl.it #SMXLmilan
Motivation
• When motivation is high, you
can get people to do hard
things. But once it drops
people will only do easy
things
• Status, Access, Power,
Stuff can help boosting
motivation
Reward users the right away
25. @giusecwww.smxl.it #SMXLmilan
Ability & Simplicity
• In order to perform a target behavior, a
person must have the ability to do so.
• There are two paths to increasing ability:
1. You can train people, giving them
more skills (ability) to do the target
behavior.
2. The better path is to make the target
behavior easier to do (simplicity)
• By focusing on Simplicity of the
target behavior you increase Ability
31. @giusecwww.smxl.it #SMXLmilan
Trigger
• The third element of the Fogg Behavior Model is Triggers. Without a
Trigger, the target behavior will not happen.
• Sometimes a Trigger can be external, like an alarm sounding.
• Other times, the Trigger is internal and come from our daily routine:
walking through the kitchen may trigger us to open the fridge
Behavior = motivation x ability x trigger
Triggers = CTAs
36. @giusecwww.smxl.it #SMXLmilan
Explaining Cialdini’s model
• As Cialdini puts it, we’re in the age of information overload. We don’t
have time to process all of the information and then to make informed
decisions.
• This incapacity makes us look for signals (shortcuts) - signals that help
us decide if we want to do something.
Reciprocity Consistency Scarcity Social Proof
Liking
Authority
and:
47. @giusecwww.smxl.it #SMXLmilan
References and final notes
All images of this deck
comes from ‘A List Apart’
Design of the Mind, Victor S.
Yocco, Manning, 2016
Three blog posts series on
contentacrossborders.com
Editor's Notes
We will learn how to apply basic principles of psychology to design to help:
Facilitate user’s behavior
Shape users’ positive attitudes toward your design
Incorporate social elements and interactions to influence users
Present users with a call to action (trigger) at the right time
Persuade users to engage deeper with your content
Persuasion has a bad reputation - the word itself often evokes thoughts of being swindled or pressured to do something we really don’t want to do.
But persuasion isn’t inherently negative - it’s just a process of influence, for better or worse
Persuasion is part of every aspect of our lives. Politicians want our vote, businesses want us to buy their products, and people want us to like them.
Behavioral design is where psychology and technology meet - a systematic way to influence a desired behavior
Fogg Behavior Model explains that three elements must come together at the same time for a behavior to occur: motivation, ability and trigger.
When a behavior does not occur, at least one of those three elements is missing
Status
* VIP perks that are easily demonstrated to other users.
* Points, badges, and leaderboards that serve as status indicators.
Access
* Sale previews in advance of other users.
* Unlocking access to exclusive content and features.
* Being first to know about new updates and features.
Power
* Enhanced power to vote on or inform new features.
* Moderator status or some other form of control over less engaged users.
Stuff
* Freebies.
* Monetary rewards
In order to perform a target behavior, a person must have the ability to do so. That seems obvious, of course.
There are two paths to increasing Ability. You can train people, giving them more skills, more ability to do the target behavior.
The better path is to make the target behavior easier to do. Simplicity. By focusing on Simplicity of the target behavior you increase Ability.
The third element of the Fogg Behavior Model is Triggers. Without a Trigger, the target behavior will not happen.
Sometimes a Trigger can be external, like an alarm sounding.
Other times, the Trigger can come from our daily routine: walking through the kitchen may trigger us to open the fridge
Pain Avoidance: the psychological fear of losing something or experiencing pain is twice as strong as the potential to gain or improve something
Put another way, if someone anticipates that taking action or making a change could disrupt them, they won’t do anything
Status Quo People generally prefer Status Quo, even if they say (or their actions suggest) they’re open to new ideas or ways of doing things
Reciprocity: people generally feel indebted to those who do something for them without asking for anything in return
Simply put, the more you give to your customers, the more they’ll be willing to give back to you.
Social Proof and Acceptance: We generally value opinionins and ideas of people like us and we feel greater compulsion to act when we see others like us taking action.
Scarcity and FOMO When we fear that something is scarce, we feel compelled to act—buying, stockpiling, or experiencing that thing before it’s gone. This is an incredibly powerful psychological principle that marketers have used for years to drive action.
Missing: Liking and Authority
Whether it’s giving customers an unexpected discount or a free gift, the idea is to go above and beyond without requesting anything in return. Some B2B software companies do this by automatically extending free trials or giving customers exclusive access to new product features. For example, Freshbooks has been known to send an automated free trial extension email to users who haven’t purchased after their initial trials
Social proof comes in a lot of forms—customer case studies, testimonials, reviews, and social engagement, to name a few. For example, MarketingProfs applies this principle on its new membership page by pointing out that more than 600,000 marketers have signed up, motivating the reader to become part of that group as well.
Status Quo Bias
If your company’s products or services require customers to venture out of their comfort zone, explore risk-free mechanisms that allow customers to experience them. Meal box companies like Blue Apron, Plated, and HelloFresh do this by offering free meals to new customers. This tactic is appealing to all new customers, but especially those who are reluctant to try a new dinner routine
By using limited time offers or showing consumers what their friends are purchasing, you can create a sense of urgency to buy. Amazon’s Deal of the Day is a perfect example. It hits on both scarcity (only so many deals are available) and FOMO (you only have so much time).
Social proof comes in a lot of forms—customer case studies, testimonials, reviews, and social engagement, to name a few. For example, MarketingProfs applies this principle on its new membership page by pointing out that more than 600,000 marketers have signed up, motivating the reader to become part of that group as well.
Social proof comes in a lot of forms—customer case studies, testimonials, reviews, and social engagement, to name a few. For example, MarketingProfs applies this principle on its new membership page by pointing out that more than 600,000 marketers have signed up, motivating the reader to become part of that group as well.
Social proof comes in a lot of forms—customer case studies, testimonials, reviews, and social engagement, to name a few. For example, MarketingProfs applies this principle on its new membership page by pointing out that more than 600,000 marketers have signed up, motivating the reader to become part of that group as well.
Social proof comes in a lot of forms—customer case studies, testimonials, reviews, and social engagement, to name a few. For example, MarketingProfs applies this principle on its new membership page by pointing out that more than 600,000 marketers have signed up, motivating the reader to become part of that group as well.