Everreach put together an infographic that explains the science of persuasion. Their research shows that there are six universal tactics, which prompt people to act in a certain way. In my last post, I wrote about how reciprocity, scarcity, and authority can give you leverage when you are influencing customers to click on a link or sign up for newsletters. In this post, we’ll look at the final three: consistency, liking, and consensus.
4. Consistency — Looking for and asking for small initial make-able commitments
Take baby steps first. People are more likely to make large commitments when they begin with small ones. When you are influencing others using the consistency principle, seek out voluntary, active, and public commitments in writing. An example of a large commitment for your staffing agency would be your ultimate goal: getting people to sign up with a recruiter or to seek employees through your company. To reach this goal, focus on getting people to make smaller commitments first. Inviting your readers to sign up for newsletters or emails, driving traffic to your blog, gaining followers on social media platforms are all ways to persuade people to join your agency.
5. Liking — People prefer to say yes to those they like. But, what causes a person to like another?
Great question. What really causes us to click those little thumbs-up icons on Facebook or favorite a Tweet? There are plenty of interesting studies out there on this topic, but what Everreach found is that harnessing the principle of liking (face-to-face) requires that you share genuine compliments with others before you start talking business. Starting a business meeting with a casual conversation proved to be 40% more effective in achieving successful outcomes. Carry this tactic over to your social media strategy, and be just as personal as you are promotional. Writing updates that ask questions, engage your audience, or point out something humorous are likely to get more “likes” than posts that push your latest selling point.
6. Consensus — People will look to the actions of others to determine their own.
People are imitators and followers. We watch cultural trends, listen to the music our friends recommend, and follow people on Twitter who have similar interests or tastes to our own. We look at what others do to let us know what the norms are, and we imitate. The science behind this thought is that rather than relying on our own ability to persuade, we should identity what others are already doing, especially when it involves a large group of people. That’s why Facebook likes, Twitter followers, and blog comments are so important. When people see multiple likes, they’ll wonder what makes your page so popular. Think of this as the bandwagon approach (in the best sense of the term). Direct people to your “what people are saying” page, or highlight what your followers are doing and how they are succeeding in the job search process on your Facebook page.
Think creatively with your team about how you can use these three persuasive tactics, as well as the three in our previous post, to reach more people and gain leverage from social media platforms. At ASJ, we help our group of partners think differently about how you engage your audience on your online platforms. Contact Us to find out how our strategies are shaping the staffing industry all over the nation.
