Back in 1984, Dr. Robert B. Cialdini wrote a book called Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. Since then, it’s been widely hailed as a seminal book on marketing—something everyone in conversion optimization should read.
We’re all familiar with the standard “best practices” of CRO. Always use social proof, always reduce form fields, never use image sliders, and so on.
As someone who believes that best practices are merely common practices, I’m always looking to test the tried and true to see how, well, true it really is.
First up? Social proof. Does it really work as well as we all assume? Why? And more importantly, what’s the best way to implement it?
Want to know how to persuade people online and get what you want?
The power of influence is usually all that separates the successful from everyone else. These are some tactics, discovered through psychological research, that you have probably not yet heard about, but have the potential to increase your persuasive abilities.
Testimonials and word of mouth are the driving force behind 20–50% of all purchasing decisions, and yet only about one-third of businesses actively seek and collect customer reviews on an ongoing basis.
If you’re not investing in testimonials right now, you need to read this.
You’ve probably heard that explainer videos can boost conversions anywhere from ten to ten bazillion percent. You may even be toying with the idea of doing one for your company.
The question is: Can you make it any good?