All around us, the content we consume is slowly programming us psychologically. Whether it's to induce an immediate action or to put something in your head for later, every company markets itself to you by tapping into your psyche somehow.
It's human nature to be swayed by certain triggers. Content marketing professionals know how to exploit this.
And if you want to win at the content game, you have to, too.
The relationship between content marketing and human psychology
We all buy things for one reason or another. As a marketer, you have to understand you're selling your product for that reason.
- Louis Vuitton isn't selling clothing. They're selling status.
- Dyson isn't selling a vacuum cleaner. They're selling efficiency.
- Coca-Cola isn't selling soda. They're selling happiness.
Every purchase we make is driven by an underlying psychological need or desire. And that's where content marketing comes in — to tap into those needs and desires through strategic messaging and storytelling.
Consumer behavior is a complex concept influenced by cultural, social and personal factors. As a content marketer, you have to understand these factors and how they affect the decision-making process of your target audience.
By understanding consumer behavior, you can tailor your content to effectively appeal to their needs and desires, ultimately leading to more conversions.
It's not just about the message... it's about how you relay that message.
A winning content marketing strategy doesn't just cover the topics your target audience is interested in. And it goes further than simply using the formats they prefer. It's about understanding how they think, what motivates them, and what drives their purchasing decisions.
You have to account for:
- Fonts
- Colors
- UI elements
- Frequency of communication
- Tone and language used
These elements play a crucial role in shaping your audience's perception and reception of your content.
Psychological factors that influence purchase decisions (and how to leverage them)
When you create your content, the most important consideration is how others will perceive it. And that depends on the following factors:
Emotional triggers
We tend to make decisions based on our feelings rather than logical reasoning. Marketing that evokes strong emotions (think: fear, anger or nostalgia) drives purchase decisions.
They also give your content a lot more exposure — for example, according to data from Moz, there's almost a 2 in 5 chance anger-inducing content goes viral.
Aside from the storytelling itself, the most important element here is the words you choose (Copyblogger has a fantastic starter list). Use powerful emotional trigger words to get your point across. And paint the picture with situational imagery to solidify that emotional connection.
Take the dual metaphor, "Sounds like a dream," which Apple uses to convey two distinct meanings of its AirPods Max headphones.
- The audio quality is something otherworldly and beautiful.
- It's something the reader has been waiting for ("sounds like a dream [come true]").
Even the smaller text uses rich language like “crisp, clean highs” to help readers imagine what it must feel like to listen to music through their headphones.
Using metaphors and strong descriptive words helps you say things like "This product is really good" without sounding boring or redundant.
Fear is another big one. If your product protects your customers from something, make them afraid of your competition.
DuckDuckGo is a perfect example of this. They leverage people's fear of their online privacy being compromised by major search engines like Google and position themselves as the safer alternative.
Scarcity
The perception of limited availability pushes consumers to buy before the opportunity is gone. Whenever people see something is only available for a limited time, it triggers the primal "fight or flight" response. In that moment, the item in question becomes more valuable.
Fear of missing out (FOMO) is so powerful, in fact, that more than two-thirds of consumers say they've bought something from a limited-time offer when they'd otherwise have purchased nothing.
When you're creating product-led content, create urgency by:
- Adding a countdown clock to landing pages ("Only 2 hours left!")
- Mentioning inventoried stock ("Only 5 left in stock!")
- Offering a limited discount ("50% off for the next 24 hours only!")
- Triggering popup offers at critical moments, like shopping cart abandonment
This is most common in the direct-to-consumer (DTC) space because limited-time offers translate well to visual web content and social media posts.
Like this 15% off deal from Kiss My Keto:
But you can use it in the B2B space, too — for instance, by incorporating dynamic popups into your product-led articles.
For example, Semrush sells its SEO tools strategically throughout its blog posts, after the author has established the need for a tool like theirs through the body content.
Like this popup, strategically placed right after a section detailing how to perform keyword research:
Authority
Consumers are far likelier to follow recommendations from perceived experts or reputable sources, which can significantly sway their choices. That's why influencer marketing is so effective at what it does.
The most effective social media marketing results from leveraging influencers in your industry or experts who align with your brand's values and voice.
But you can also establish yourself as an authority.
By providing high-quality, valuable content, you show that you know what you're talking about. And people will be more likely to trust and follow your recommendations.
For example, our guide to choosing the right DXP for your e-commerce strategy.
At the end of (or within) content like this, you can lead into your product or highlight the need for it. We use our helpful, authoritative content to emphasize the benefits of our CMS/DXP in a way that readers can envision themselves actually using.
Social proof
We're conformists. We tend to follow the actions of others, especially in unfamiliar situations. Testimonials, reviews and influencer endorsements build trust and validate your customers' purchasing decisions.
That's why, smack-dab in the middle of NP Digital's homepage, there's no sales-y or "creative" copy whatsoever. Just a massive headline with an agency award they've recently won (for the second consecutive year).
But there are dozens of ways to incorporate social proof into your web content. For example, website pages with testimonials convert 34% more on average.
Like these testimonial and case study widgets on Twilio’s homepage:
Other ways to make your content stronger include:
- Featuring reviews and ratings on product pages
- Putting customer quotes into your blog content
- Reposting and promoting user-generated content (UGC)
- Including case studies with real results and data
Anchoring bias
The first piece of information consumers receive (such as the original price) serves as a reference point, influencing their perception of value and pricing of subsequent options. This is called anchoring bias.
By starting with a higher price and then showing the discounted price, you're setting that higher number as the anchor point and making the discount appear more significant.
You can also use this strategy in your content by highlighting premium features or services first, then mentioning any discounts or promotions. This positions them as valuable add-ons rather than just cheap add-ons.
There are several ways to do this:
- Display the % or $ savings on a bundle offer
- Keep the original price visible when you highlight the sale price
- Use a high price as the default option in your pricing tiers (e.g. "Recommended" or "Best Value")
For example, Ray Ban's clearance pages:
Or Slack's tiered pricing page:
Reciprocity
When brands offer something valuable for free, like useful content or samples, consumers often feel compelled to return the favor. With all your content, you have to add value first.
Free resources include:
- Freemium offers
- E-books
- Whitepapers
- Webinars
- Industry reports
- High-quality blog posts
- Product-related services (e.g., an SEO tool offering a free SEO audit)
HubSpot is the king of this. They offer an entire suite of tools (CRM, marketing automation) for 100% free in addition to free courses and certifications, industry-leading reports, and some of the best blog content in their niche.
By providing these resources without requiring anything in return (initially), HubSpot fosters a sense of gratitude and obligation among its audience. Once they're ready to make a purchase, HubSpot will be the only consideration.
Motivation
The Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) addresses how persuasion occurs via two pathways: the central route, which involves deeper processing of information, and the peripheral route, which is based on superficial cues.
Content marketers can tailor their strategies depending on the audience's motivation level. High-involvement audiences generally respond better to detailed, informative content. This is where you produce blog posts, e-books and webinars that display your expertise.
Low-involvement audiences respond better to entertaining, emotionally-driven content. Funny videos, social media posts and catchy email newsletters and campaigns are all better options for low-involvement consumers.
Cognitive dissonance
We've all felt post-purchase anxiety. Your customers need reassurance about the products they've bought from you, especially if they're on the expensive side. Positive reinforcement through branding and communication eases buyer's remorse and helps them get the most out of their purchase.
Depending on the type of product or service you offer, there are several ways to address cognitive dissonance through your content:
- A SaaS vendor might send an onboarding email sequence that helps them get started on the right foot.
- An e-commerce brand might send a thank-you email with care instructions, how-to guides or helpful tips for their products.
- A course creator might send a follow-up email with bonus materials or additional resources to help students dive deeper into the subject matter.
Courses are expensive, but Coursera's welcome email covers all the bases:
Beyond this, creating content that highlights the benefits and features of your product for those who are already using it will help you reinforce their decision to buy. This usually includes customer success stories, user-generated content (UGC) and tutorials on how to get the most out of your product.
Commitment and consistency bias
You wouldn't ask someone to marry you on a first date, would you?
Then don't ask your customers for too much upfront.
People are generally unwilling to comply with big requests right off the bat. But they will say yes to smaller requests and stick with them over time.
At the top of your lead nurture funnel, start small:
- Helpful content
- Free, ungated resources
As you move down the funnel and nurture your leads, you can ask for things like social media follows, email list signups and surveys (or earn them organically).
When they're closer to converting, you can sell them demos, consultations, free trial and the like in your content.
To create impactful web content, you need the right CMS
When it comes to actually executing your content strategy, there are three factors that all come together:
- Your creative workflow
- The content itself
- How you distribute it
Brightspot CMS is precisely designed to manage all three in one platform. Its collaborative features (like integrated messaging and real-time editing) eliminate all the friction from your creation process and give your team the power to test as many ideas as they want.
And as the center of your digital experience platform, you can distribute your digital content with consistency across every channel — even if you have dozens.
Request a demo today and see for yourself.