Brain science and web marketing go together. And anyone can learn how to do it. In this presentation, we’ll review the neuromarketing research, case studies and web marketing tactics that work with natural, human behavioral tendencies. • Herds, halos and the science of social proof • Context, contrast and color • Fear, loss and scarcity • Eye tracking, color and visual prominence • Writing copy for busy minds We'll reveal secrets of the brain, behavior and marketing on the web. If there are humans in your target audience, this presentation is for you. The ideal attendee has 2+ years of digital marketing experience. Space is limited. Register before your competition does. Learn the secrets of the brain, behavior and marketing. We’ll break down the marketing tactics that work with natural human tendencies. If there are humans in your target audience, this presentation is for you.

1. Brain Science &
Web Marketing
Andy Crestodina
Strategic Director |
@crestodina

2. Persuasion Research… Social Influence
Research… Cognitive Bias Research…
Social Psychology… Brain Scan Studies…
MRI Research… Non-Rational,
Unconscious Decision Making…
Sociology… Eye-Tracking Studies…
Behavioral Economics… Behavioral
Science… Brain Science… Social
Neuroscience… Neuromarketing!

3. Which sign will keep
him on the path?

4. "The vast majority of past visitors have stayed on the
established paths and trails, helping to preserve the
natural state of the Sequoias and vegetation in this park."
"Many past visitors have gone off the established paths
and trails, changing the natural state of the Sequoias and
vegetation in this park."
"Please stay on the established paths and trails, in order to
protect the Sequoias and natural vegetation in this park.”
"Please don't go off the established paths and trails, in
order to protect the Sequoias and natural vegetation in
this park.”

5. "The vast majority of past visitors have stayed on the
established paths and trails, helping to preserve the
natural state of the Sequoias and vegetation in this park."
"Many past visitors have gone off the established paths
and trails, changing the natural state of the Sequoias and
vegetation in this park."
"Please stay on the established paths and trails, in order to
protect the Sequoias and natural vegetation in this park.”
"Please don't go off the established paths and trails, in
order to protect the Sequoias and natural vegetation in
this park.”
Others’ behavior, Positive
Others’ behavior, Negative
Desired behavior, Positive
Desired behavior, Negative

6. Source: Pat Winter, PhD,
Which sign worked?

7. Social Proof

9. When people are free to do as
they please, the usually imitate
each other.
Eric Hoffer
Social Philosopher

11. Trust from Awards and
Memberships

12. Testimonials = Supportive
Evidence

13. Never make a testimonials
page

14. Call to Action Conform

15. 1.Prominence
2.Promise
3.Proof!
Best Practices for
Signup Form

16. Before...
After...

17. 1900% Increase ...not
bad!

18. Everybody’s Doing It

19. As seen in...

20. As seen in...

21. As seen in...

22. Awards

23. Social Media Widgets

24. Social proof can
backfire

25. 1. Testimonials
2. Endorsements
3. Social Media Shares
4. Social Media Widgets
5. Certifications, Awards
6. Number of Happy Customers
7. “Our Most Popular” Best-seller
8. Studies and Statistics
9. Press Mentions
10. Reviews
10 Ways to Offer Social
Proof

26. When you say it, it’s marketing.
When they say it, it’s social proof.

27. Priming

28. How to double sales…

29. source: Get closer to your customers by understanding how they make their choices

30. Priming & Anchoring

31. Before

32. Before
• Four options
• “∞ emails”
• CTA: “Sign Up”

33. After

34. After
• Three options
• “Unlimited emails”
• CTA: “Sign Up”

35. +500% Increase in
conversionssource: Copy Hackers

36. + 233% Conversion Rate
+ 40% Average Order Value
+ 366% Average Revenue / Click
All varieties…
Top seller only…
source: Adlucent
When too many options is a
bad thing

37. Too Many Options
source: 5 Easy Tips to Improve Every Blog Design

38. Loss Aversion & Scarcity

42. Pain of loss > Pleasure
of Gain

45. Guess which day was the early
bird deadline?

47. Movement > Images > Text

49. We want what what we
can’t have

50. Ad Customizers Create Urgency

51. Operators are standing by.
Please call now.
Save your data.
Tickets available now.
If operators are busy,
please call again.
Don’t Lose your data.
It sold out last time.
Language of Scarcity
and Loss

52. 1. Rebates
2. Trial Periods
3. Free Samples
4. Early Bird Registration
5. Countdown Clocks
6. Limited Supply
Remind readers what they’ll
miss, risk or lose by not choosing you.
6 Ways to Leverage
Loss / Safety

53. #FOMO

55. Not sure if you really want a dog?
No problem. Just take it home for a few
days.
If it doesn’t work out?
Just bring it back. No questions asked...
The ‘Puppy-Dog Close’
Technique

57. Contrast
source: Ted.com “Nancy Duarte: The secret structure of great talks”

58. Reciprocity

59. Give them what they want first...
Then they might give you what you
want.

61. Source: Groove HQ

62.  Subscribed to blog by feed / email
 Put them into Talkwalker and Newsle
 Google+: Add to circle
 Twitter: Follow
 Twitter: Add to a “radar” list
Part One: LISTEN
source: Online Networking Guide, Orbit Media

63.  Favorite their tweets
 +1 their posts
 Comment on their blog
 Like comments on other blogs
Part Two: ENGAGE
source: Online Networking Guide, Orbit Media

64.  Connect on LinkedIn
 Like LinkedIn posts, mention them
 Endorse on LinkedIn
 Write a recommendation on LinkedIn
 Send friend request on Facebook
 Like Facebook posts, mention them
Part Three: CONNECT
source: Online Networking Guide, Orbit Media

65.  Follow on Medium, Quora,
Instagram, Yelp, MeetUp, Storify,
Listly, Blab, etc.
 Follow on apps like Spotify,
Runkeeper, FitBit etc.
 *REVIEW PODCAST on iTunes
 *REVIEW BOOK on Amazon
Part Four: EXTRA MILE
source: Online Networking Guide, Orbit Media

66.  Mention them in your content
 Get a contributor quote
 Include them in an expert roundup
 Deep dive interview
Part Five:
COLLABORATE
source: Online Networking Guide, Orbit Media

67.  Phone call, Skype or Google+
Hangout
 Face-to-face meeting
 Hand-written thank you note
Part Six: FRIENDSHIP!
source: Online Networking Guide, Orbit Media

68. Source: Groove HQ

69. 1. Free Download or “Value Add”
2. Holiday and Birthday Gifts
3. Influencer Marketing
4. Useful Content!
You must first give something of value
in order to receive something in return
4 Ways to Leverage
Reciprocity

70. Writing Tips

71. source: Conductor: 5 Data Insights Into the Headlines Readers Click
Use Numbers

72. Headline Preferences
by Gender

73. Source: Native Advertising Leaderboard

74. Source: the Guardian, Native Advertising Leaderboard
• 15 Things We Did At School That Future Students Will Never
Understand
• 13 Reasons Cats Hate Christmas
• 13 Things You Didn’t Know You Needed for Game Day
• 9 Quirky Gifts for Gadget Lovers
• 13 Reasons Gamer Dads are the Best Dads
Odd Numbers = 20%
More Clicks

75. Readers have higher attention and retention
for items at the beginning and end of lists
List Order: Serial
Position Effect

76. • More formal
• Longer (polysyllabic)
• Fancy, proper
Examples
acquire, transmit,
construct, resist,
deposit, imitate,
determined
Latinate Words

77. • Less formal
• Short (often
monosyllabic)
• Forceful, direct
Examples
get, send, build, stop,
put, mock, set
Anglo-Saxon W

80. Success rates after rewriting a health care site
for an 8th grade level readability…
source: NN Group, Lower-Literacy Users: Writing for a Broad Consumer Audience
Word Choice: Short,
Simple.

82. source: LA Times
1 in 10 Americans Think
HTML is an STD

83. Content that evokes specific emotions
is more likely to be shared…
source
Headlines: Emotions
Get Shared

84. source: Advanced Marketing Institute Headline Analyzer

85. source: OK Dork / Co-Schedule
Average EMV Score and
Shares

86. source: 5 Easy Tips to Improve Every Blog Design
Format for Readers
Scanners

88. source: How Little to Users Read? NN Group
Users have time to read at most 28%
of the words during an average visit; 20%
is more likely.
Types of Formatting

89. • Header and Subheaders
• Bullet Lists and Numbered Lists
• Bolding and Italics
• Internal Links
• Multiple Images
Types of Formatting

90. Visual Tips

94. source: ”Pictorial Superiority Effect” Brain Rules, Dr. John Medina
Pictures Improve
Learning

95. Are articles by
neuroscientists
more credible
when they include
images of fMRI
brain scans?
What if the image
is irrelevant?
Use of Images

96. Source: Neuromarketing, Brain Image Bias
Pictures = Persuation

97. source: Twitter Media Blog, March 2014

98. source: Social Bakers, March 2014

99. source: 2015 Blogger Survey
What Media are
Bloggers Adding?

101. Source: Techwys, Heatmaps for Improved Landing Page Conversion
Colors, Trucks and Hedwig
von Restorff

102. Source: Techwys, Heatmaps for Improved Landing Page Conversion
Colors, Trucks and Hedwig
von Restorff

109. Action Colors and
Conversions

117. We’re hardwired to look at faces
source: Batki et al, 2000

121. Eye Tracking Studies
Show...

122. ...you look where they
look!

128. pessimist?

129. “If a one kilometer asteroid had approached the
Earth on a collision course at any time in human
history before the early twenty-first century, it would
have killed at least a substantial proportion of all
humans.”
“If a one kilometer asteroid had approached the
Earth on a collision course at any time in human
history before the early twenty-first century, it
would have killed at least a substantial
proportion of all humans.”
Baskerville...
Comic Sans...

130. Source: New York Times, Hear, All Ye People; Hearken, O Earth.
Baskerville, the most
credible font...

131. Results May Vary

132. Google Analytics
Reporting...

133. Google Analytics
Analysis...

134. IDEA QUESTION ANSWER
ACTION!
ANALYZE
Google Analytics
Analysis...

135. source: Michael Aagaard

136. source: Michael Aagaard

137. source: Michael Aagaard

138. • List of Cognitive Biases (Wikipedia)
• Web Design Tips Based on Brain Science
• 15 behavioral marketing posts you shouldn’t miss
• Stanford Web Credibility Lab
• List of 81 Neuromarketing Books
Anything by…
• Robert Cialdini
• Gregory Ciotti
• Roger Dooley
• @HiddenBrain
More brains...

140. Thank you!
Andy Crestodina
Strategic Director |
@crestodina
Content Chemistry,
The Illustrated Guide
to Content Marketing
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