1. Applying Friction Removal

What is it & When to Use it?

My previous business partner & I would routinely refer to friction removal as "the hero of behavioural economics". It feels like the right place to start the Behavioural Marketing (BM) weekly.

It's a foundational principle that needs to be considered in everything we do.

Removing friction provides a critical lens through which to sense-check your myriad of brand positioning, digital marketing, product design, style guide, tone of voice & advertising executions.

Greg Creed & Ken Muench, the sages who wrote the seminal 'R.E.D. Marketing' point out; with most purchase decisions, people default to the ‘easiest’ option, aka, the one with the least friction. And this can be emotional, cognitive, or interaction friction.

Before getting into some specific digital examples, let's differentiate the three types of perceived and real friction.

Emotional Friction

For the most part, we don't like change. It carries a burden of fear of the unknown. For now somewhat defunct evolutionary reasons, we're programmed to avoid. An emotional bias that so often doesn't serve us, leading to sub-optimal consumer choices.

For example, during a busy work day, we may opt for buying a chocolate bar from the corner store, rather than walk or drive 5-mins further for a salad.

Or perhaps you're selling life-enhancing solutions; a gym membership, a SaaS product that will improve efficiency, or clothing that's made better & will last longer. With all these examples, the inherent emotional bias & thinking patterns towards making the (positive) change, could be considered as follows:

• Gym: What will I have to miss out on, to make time for the gym? Can I afford it? Will I be training with muscled-up guys looking at me like I don't belong here? I don't know what program is right for me. Etc
• Saas: How much time is it going to take me to learn this new tool? Will my colleagues engage with it & come along on the journey? Will it really be better than what we've currently got?
• Clothing: Can I truly believe their promise? What if it doesn't fit as well? Or feel as soft? Etc.

These are just some of the emotional barriers which stand between your brand engaging your ideal customers.

Cognitive Friction

This most often happens when we're too direct in challenging existing beliefs. You may be right.. Your product or service may be better & offer your customer an advantage over their current choices. But do they want to know that? Mostly not. Cognitive dissonance is a bitch.

Central to dealing with cognitive friction is understanding the sunk cost fallacy & leveraging the famed concept of (gently) nudging towards change (thank you Prof. Richard Thaler & Prof. Cass Sunstein). These two principles will be featured early in in the BM Weekly, so stay tuned.

Cognitive friction is best handled with a deep understanding of your customer's belief system, gained through customer insight & content marketing funnels. We'll provide examples below.

Interaction Friction

This is the easiest one to identify & one of the hardest to solve. Have you designed your product's packaging, colour & descriptions so as to evoke your desired response?

Have you thought carefully about the user journey, ensuring it's intuitive & doesn't rely on the consumer figuring it out?

Does your website load quickly & meet all core vitals?

Are your forms pre-populated?

If you're in eCom, have you setup 'one-click purchasing' or at a minimum, three click?

This takes a lot of user testing, working closely with your designers & developers & leveraging real-time data. Let's dive into some best-in-class examples

How to Apply it?

There are several key ways that friction can be removed in digital marketing, including:

1. Streamlining the Checkout Process: One of the biggest sources of friction in eCom is a lengthy or complicated checkout process. By simplifying the checkout process and reducing the number of steps required to complete a purchase, marketers can encourage more customers to complete their transactions. This could involve pre-filling customer information, offering guest checkout options, or providing clear and concise payment options.

2. Improving Site Navigation: Another common source of friction is a confusing or difficult-to-use website. To reduce this friction, marketers should strive to create a user-friendly site with intuitive navigation and clear calls to action. This could involve simplifying the menu structure, using clear headings and labels, and providing easy access to search and support features.

3. Reducing Form Length: If forms are too lengthy or require too much personal information, they can create friction that discourages customers from taking action. To reduce this friction, marketers should strive to keep forms as short and simple as possible, only asking for the information that is absolutely necessary.

4. Provide Clear Calls to Action: Clear and concise CTAs that guide customers towards the desired action effectively handle all three types of friction removal. This could involve using bold, contrasting colours, using action-oriented language, and positioning CTAs in prominent locations on the page.

5. Focus on Benefits, not Features: By definition, benefits are about the consumer & features are about us. For example, when writing a Google search ad, it's important to focus on the benefits the user will receive, not just the features of the product or service. Remove cognitive friction by explaining what it does for them, not leaving the consumer to work out how your feature may help them.

6. Make use of ad extensions: Google Ad Extensions allow advertisers to provide additional information about their product or service within the ad. This can include phone numbers, addresses, and links to specific landing pages. By utilising ad extensions, advertisers can provide more information about their product or service, helping to reduce friction and make it easier for the user to take the desired action.

By reducing friction, marketers make it easier for customers to take the desired action, whether that's making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or downloading an app.

By applying these and other friction removal techniques, marketers can make it easier for customers to take the desired action, increasing conversions and driving business results.

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