3 Ways to "Prime" Your Prospects

Everybody knows Amazon Prime. 

Everybody (in Canada) knows the Prime Minister. 

But how familiar are you with Priming? 

Priming is a very interesting (and equally bizarre) science which is based on the idea that:

“..you can implant things into people’s minds, that they aren’t aware of, but will affect their behaviour” - Dr. Roger Dooley

Even reading that quote feels a little “sci-fi”, but neuroscientists, marketers and behavioural scientists have repeatedly proven that priming does work. But how exactly? Today, I’ll be covering some interesting examples of priming and how you can use them in your marketing or sales efforts. 

3 Ways to "Prime" Your Prospects

Priming with Language

Words are more powerful than children’s rhymes tend to admit. As it turns out, they can even affect our behaviour on a subconscious level. 

To prove this, social psychologist Dr. John Bargh (and his team) ran a very simple experiment. First, they provided subjects with a list of scrambled sentences and asked them to rearrange the words. Simple enough. When they were done, participants were thanked for their participation and sent on their way. What subjects didn’t know, was that the experiment was still in motion. Researchers then timed how long it took each subject to walk to the elevator. 

Wait, what? Why would they do that?

In short, priming. Half of the subjects had been given scrambled sentences loaded with primes, while the other wasn’t. Specifically, they included words that are associated with “old age” or the “elderly”. As seen below, these included things like, “Florida”, “grey” and “wrinkle”. 

As you may already have guessed, those primed with “elderly” language took measurably longer to walk to the elevator! AM I THE ONLY ONE FREAKED OUT HERE!? It was clear that language had affected their behaviour on an entirely subconscious level. Of course, the results were subtle but they were also consistent when recreated, and proved the basis of priming with language. 

In your sales or marketing copy, keep priming in mind. If you’re selling hiking tours and want your prospect to feel young & adventurous, use words that will prime them to feel that way! Keeping this in mind while proofreading can mean an always-appreciated up-tick in conversions. 

Priming with Order

We know order, in general, matters because we’ve all done this move before: step 1, compliment our sibling or parent, step 2, promptly ask them for a favour. Intuitively, we know that doing this in reverse just wouldn’t be as effective. But how influential is order, really?

Enter Ross Perot. Business magnate, former presidential candidate and the man who literally hired a commando team to save his employees being held overseas (seriously, google it). The man was a business icon, revered by his employees and competitors alike.

Physically though, you’d never guess it. Mr. Perot was a short man, with big ears and a voice that was described as “nails on a chalkboard”. Clearly, he had both strong points and defects going for him (as with all of us).

But why am I telling you this? 

Well, researchers saw Ross Perot as a good prospect for testing Priming with Order. They ran a study, wherein a group of subjects was shown: a) Ross’s impressive biography, followed by b) some employee testimonials, and finally c) a video of him delivering a speech. In a second group, they roughly reversed this order, playing the speech first. The content remained identical, but the order was changed.

Surprise, surprise! There was a remarkable difference in perception across the two groups. 

Subjects who saw the speech first seemed to have a much worse impression of Mr. Perot, even after seeing his impressive accomplishments. Seems harsh, but that’s science!

So what’s the takeaway here? Build credibility and liking first!

“Build Credibility and Liking first. When presenting your offering, always start with your strongest points, before you continue your attempts to influence.” - Dr. Roger Dooley

We’ve all heard ‘put your best foot forward’, but when it comes to persuasion, it seems to be a scientific fact! When writing your copy, be it for ads, your website or a sales email, think deeply about your product or service. Based on your ICP, try to boil down your offering to the value prop that is most relevant to them specifically, and start there. 

Priming with Cues 

When it comes to subconscious priming, we’re susceptible to cues that are much more subtle than word-use or even order. In a variety of studies, researchers have helped us identify some such cues:

Colours, Ladies & Gentlemen! Colour matters. I learned that when my sister barred me from leaving the house wearing black and brown at the same time. Thanks Jo! But what does colour mean to people? Don’t worry, we won’t get into an analysis of colour meanings in each culture, because we’d be here all day. Instead, here’s a quick and easy takeaway on using colour for displaying your prices!

In short, men perceive red font to mean “savings” significantly more than women do. Who cares? Ideally, you do. Web or ad design is a constant battle between marketing strategy and creative expression. Understanding your target market can help you navigate this balance more effectively. Maybe red doesn’t look as appealing on your ad. If your target market is women (according to this study) that might be okay. Perhaps it’s not worth the eyesore. Inversely, if you’re selling to men, you may just have to sacrifice aesthetics in this case. We know that “contrast” is a strong persuasion tool, so before-and-after prices should always be used to highlight your discounts, regardless of target market. That said, subtle cues like colour can prime your prospect even further. Get to know your customer, and familiarize yourself with the cognitive biases that apply to them - then prime accordingly.

Fancy Font! If we can use cues to make prices seem lower, can we use them to make our product’s value seem higher? Short answer: yes, and the easiest way, according to neuromarketers: font. 

A study from NYU presented subjects with two identical images of tomato soup. You might be asking the same question I did: who chose tomato soup? Yuck. But that’s not the point here. For one group, the image was accompanied by the words “tomato soup” in a simple, Courier font. For the other, the image included a more formal font, akin to something you’d see in a fancy restaurant menu. 

Surprise, surprise, again! 

The results in this particular study were staggering. 64% of people preferred the “fancy font soup” while 100% more of them answered “definitely” when asked if they would buy it. As it turns out, “fancier” font is more difficult for our brain to process, and thus it tricks it into thinking the product itself must also be more complex. The association, then, is that complex font, means complex soup, which means higher quality. Science!

NOTE: Use caution when applying this principle. Fancy font can be useful for luxury, custom-artisan or culinary products, but does not apply across the board. If you’re selling a fitness membership, cursive font may not be your best bet. The key takeaway here is know your audience and know yourself. Brain hacks like these are a useful starting point, but if you’re running an ad, always test opposing fonts and let the numbers speak for themselves. 

In the bizarre and intriguing world of priming, there is always a takeaway that is relevant to your business. To make the most of your marketing (and sales outreach), it’s helpful to be knowledgeable about your prospects and how their brain works. I’ve long been a proponent of neuromarketing research for all marketers and salespeople, but cognitive biases and priming might just be the easiest place to start. They offer quick, actionable takeaways while sharpening your understanding of consumer behaviour. I personally use the CXL Digital Psychology mini-degree, but you can find heaps of information all over the internet. If you have any questions on these topics, CXL, or other places to learn neuromarketing, don’t hesitate to reach out.

Until then, happy selling!