Motivating with Emotion: The Psychology of Lead Generation.

You already know that the main reason why your customer buys your product or service is because it fulfills a need he (or she) has, resolves a problem or addresses a “pain point.”

The secret to getting the client to view your solution as the best option, however, is to make sure it’s clear how doing so will help him obtain peace of mind. This is the use of emotion to motivate sales, and since emotion is one of the driving forces of human behaviour it’s able to trigger the responses that you want. By basing your calls to action (CTAs) and other “prompt” mechanisms on emotion, you’re effectively using psychological tactics to deliver?lead generation.

The Psychology of Marketing

The study of marketing includes topics such as consumer behaviour, which is based on a range of psychological factors. CTAs are typically used to persuade prospective clients to click on a specific page and complete the process of downloading an electronic product or requesting more information. For this to work, you need:

·????????A clear understanding of your target customer, represented by a?powerful buyer persona?that enables you to market speaking directly to them

·????????A content offer that’s relevant to the persona, his needs and wants and his stage in the buying cycle

·????????A landing page that clearly explains the offer’s value and benefit to the user

·????????A simple sign-up process that allows him to get the promised item easily, while providing you with the information you need to generate a qualified sales lead.

Create persuasive CTAs that deliver the right message to the user at the right time, using some of the following techniques:

Break Through the Noise

Cognitive dissonance occurs when your customer holds two directly conflicting views about something. This is either whether to continue to struggle with pain points vs. purchasing a solution, or whether your solution is best compared with your competitor. In both instances, invoking emotion through the use of suitable CTAs and landing pages can help “break through” the noise in the prospect’s mind and enable him to make a decision—in your favour, of course.

Timing is Everything

When a prospect signs up for something on your website, he expects a return. Not in three weeks time, but immediately. If he doesn’t get it, chances are good he’ll be signing up five minutes later on someone else’s site. The psychological theory of?operant conditioning?is based on providing reward or reinforcement for desired behaviour. So when your prospect responds in the way you want, it’s essential that you reinforce the desired behaviour by providing the expected reward in a timely fashion. Use your CTAs to generate a sense of urgency and?develop landing pages?that encourage the user to sign up and receive instant gratification. If you don’t provide that, he’ll go somewhere else to get it.

Enable Reciprocity

Reciprocity means people feel obligated to give back when they receive a benefit from someone. Usually, it involves an unspoken sense of “fair exchange,” meaning that they?subconsciously calculate the value of the benefit they receive when they are deciding what to give back. If your landing page offers a two-page brochure in exchange for the prospect answering 10 questions, it’s possible you’re asking for more than your due. To enable users to feel comfortable providing the contact information and intelligence you want, your landing page and CTA needs to indicate “matching” value.

Claim Authoritative Power

We’re all brought up to follow orders, at least to a point. That means the voice of authority carries weight, and if you want your CTAs and landing pages to generate leads then you need to present your authority. If you’re an?expert in your industry, say so on the landing page. Remind the user that there’s a reason why he clicked on the CTA and highlight (again) the benefits of having you or your product in his corner.

Creating Familiarity through Exposure

Prospective customers tend to favour a product or service when they are familiar with it, even if that familiarity isn’t strongly rooted in a positive outlook. By increasing the exposure to your product, you can?nurture your leads?through the buying cycle until they are ready to make a purchase. That only works, however, if you’re able to draw them in and obtain their contact information early in the game, before your competition is able to do the same. Build up exposure at every opportunity through regularly updated content marketing, social media sharing and the use of CTAs to drive traffic to your landing pages.