Robert Cialdini, a famous psychologist, has written about the principles of influence in his books. These powerful principles can be used in online marketing in various ways.

Here are 6 principles of influence to increase your online marketing:

1. Scarcity

Scarcity is simply the idea that people want things that are rare. So if there are a limited number of items, the desire for the items are increased significantly.

This can be used in various ways. The easiest way is to offer a product or service at a discounted price for a limited time. Another great way to use scarcity is to limit the number of items sold and put a countdown timer on how many items are left. Here are other essential tactics for using scarcity.

2. Commitment

Commitment is when people are more likely to follow up with another action that is consistent with their previous action.
How can you use this to increase online sales? You can have somebody commit with a free trial offer before presenting them with a bigger offer. You can have people fill out surveys asking for what they need help with and follow up with targeted offers based on the survey results.

3. Consensus

When people see others agree with a statement, they are also more likely to agree with that statement. This is often called social proof and it helps establish credibility, trust, and authority.

Many sales pages use customer testimonials to show that customers approve of their product or service. You can enhance this by using other elements like video testimonials, third-party reviews, and customer ratings from review sites. Here are some ways to ask customers to happily give you testimonials.

4. Reciprocity

When you add value to others, they are more inclined to reciprocate. This is a powerful influence principle that can be used to establish relationships.
A great way to use reciprocation in online marketing is to offer a free trial where the customer gets a lot of value from your product or service. You can also offer a free consultation for potential clients before they sign on to your service. In both scenarios, the customer will be more likely to do business with you or even recommend you as a thank you.

5. Liking

People are more likely to do business with somebody they like.
In order to increase your company or brand’s likeability, you have to do whatever you can to be more personal. This can be done by using more personal language in your communications (website, brochures, sales calls), speaking the customer’s language, and adding value to your target audience’s lives.

6. Authority

People are also more likely to do business with you if it’s been established that you’re an expert.
Here’s an infographic laying out 6 foundational principles that have been shown by extensive research to influence people without them even knowing they are being influenced.

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How do you go about establishing authority? You want to be mentioned on news outlets, talked about by celebrities, showcase industry awards, or even show proof of your credentials. Authority also has a strong relationship with social proof. If enough customers talk about you and recommend you, you’ll start being seen as an expert.

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