How marketing psychology influences successful inbound marketing strategies

The psychology behind inbound marketing success: let’s face it, a large part of buying and the decision surrounding the process is psychological. Some of a consumer’s buying decisions will be conscious and reasoned, while others will be unconscious and purely driven by emotions.

In order to understand your customer’s behavior, you must consider marketing psychology. Below are four psychological principles which drive inbound marketing success:

• Reciprocity – as humans, when we receive something of value, we feel compelled to give something back, reciprocate. When you provide your consumers with helpful content that is of value to them, you are subconsciously invoking the principle of reciprocity where your customers will want to open your next newsletter, communicate with you, support you.
• Status and authority – by aligning yourself as an industry leader, consumers will naturally look up to you and to you for advice and guidance. It is normal psychological behavior for a human to trust and respect an “authority” without validating their experience or credentials. With inbound marketing, expert content is posted and provided which certainly places the business in a position of authority on the subjects and matters at hand.
• Commitment and consistency – inbound marketing strategies use this particular psychological principle to get consumers reading content and engaging with the business. It is human nature to wish to follow through with a commitment made. By offering your consumers free trial versions or “opt in” opportunities, you are allowing them the opportunity to fulfill this psychological obligation – to follow through.
• Social proof – many of us find ourselves listening to the thoughts, opinions, and feedback from colleagues, friends and family members when we are seeking out a product or service. Many purchases are made based solely on these decisions which are known as ‘social proof.’ By presenting content which allows comments and feedback from other online users, you can leverage social proof via your inbound marketing strategy. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and similar platforms are simply ideal for this.

Digital marketing services offered by WSI

At WSI we have a thorough understanding of the psychology behind inbound marketing success. Our expertise in digital marketing will certainly help you to boost your online marketing efforts. We also offer a free checklist on how to run a successful inbound marketing campaign.

You can download our free checklist eBook or you can contact us at WSI to learn more about inbound marketing campaigns and the various other digital marketing options available to your business.