There’s no denying that psychology plays a significant part in marketing. After all, if you want to appeal to your target audience, you have to understand how they think, behave, speak, what they value, and their personality types. In the previous post, we talked about the first 5 tips to make your email campaigns better. In this article, we will show you the extra 5 tips we have in store for you. And you guessed it – it is all to make your email campaigns the best ever. So let’s dive right into the topic.
If you are wondering what is cognitive psychology, here is a short overview. You can peek at the longer version in the previous post!
What Is Cognitive Psychology?
Cognitive psychology studies internal mental processes, like memory, perception, language use, attention, reasoning, problem-solving, reasoning, and creativity.
In other words, cognitive psychology looks at how people think. More specifically, how they acquire, process, and store information. Cognitive psychology can help you craft a more powerful message, get it across more effectively, and ultimately boost your email campaign’s success.
Let’s see how you can do that.
Cognitive Psychology Tips, part 2
6. Imagery
We’ve talked with a few experts from a web design company in Chicago, and they said that images are crucial in your emails, as well as on your website.
That’s because 65% of the global population is made out of visual learners, meaning that most of us retain information better by seeing it. Furthermore, the brain car process images 60,000 times faster than text.
In other words, communicating a message through an image is more effective than writing a few paragraphs of text. And given that emails need to be short and straight to the point, imagery is all the more important.
That said, make sure to include images relevant to your text, like infographics. This will not only reinforce the message you’re conveying, but your emails will also be more engaging and memorable.
Also, add human faces when possible. A photo of a face that shows a specific emotion will evoke that same emotion within your readers. Consequently, you’ll establish a stronger connection with the audience.
7. Social Proof
With the abundance of online stores and marketing materials sent to consumers, people have grown skeptical of promotional emails.
People often look for reassurance when making a purchase decision. If you don’t give them that reassurance, they’ll probably click away.
One way to go around this is by displaying social proof in your emails. 79% of consumers trust online reviews as much as recommendations from their friends or family.
Showcasing customer reviews, testimonials, or product ratings is a great way to give potential customers the extra push they need to make a purchase.
What’s more, you can work with influencers within your industry. They have a highly engaged follower base and are generally viewed as experts within their niche.
If you let your audience know that you are associated with their favorite influencers, you’ll most likely win their trust right away. You could do this by using a catchphrase that indicates the support of the said influencers, for example.
8. Reciprocity
Businesses and their audience aren’t one-way relationships. If you expect people to buy from you, you’ve got to give something in return.
This is where the concept of reciprocity comes in. Its goal is to strengthen customer relationships by providing value to them. This makes them more likely to return the favor and make a purchase.
In terms of your email campaign, you could do this by offering potential customers free eBooks, quick guides on how to maintain one of your products, discounts, extended trials, etc.
9. Strong Call To Actions
Your Call To Action buttons (CTAs) can either make or break the deal. After all, that’s what gets readers to make a purchase or sign-up.
That said, including CTAs in your emails are a must, and they have to be done right.
For starters, your copy has to motivate people to take action, stick in their minds, encourage readers to take your advice, and explain clearly what will happen once they read on it.
“Get Your Free E-book,” “Shop Now,” “Get Your Discount,” “Start My Trial” are good examples of a strong CTA copy.
Also, make sure that your CTAs are visible. By using contrasting colors and placing them above the fold, readers will notice it right away.
10. Colors
Speaking of colors, they also play a significant role in how readers perceive your emails, and that’s because different colors evoke different emotions.
For example, did you notice that banks often use the color blue in their website design? That’s because blue is associated with trust, security, and loyalty. This is something that consumers always look for when their money is at stake.
Red signifies energy, excitement and adds a sense of urgency. This could work great if you’d like to make an offer appear more irresistible.
Black represents sophistication, power, and formality. This is suitable for formal emails or more luxurious offers.
Final Words
All in all, psychology should play a pivotal role in any marketing campaign.
After all, a successful marketing strategy is about finding what resonates with the target audience and leveraging these characteristics to establish a strong connection with your customers.
In email campaigns, make sure to use simple language, maintain cognitive fluency, keep an organized structure, display social proof and use the other tricks we’ve discussed in this article.
This way, your email will hit close to home and ultimately boost your profits.
In case you missed the first part of this article, check it out here!
Author’s bio
Travis Dillard is a business consultant and an organizational psychologist based in Arlington, Texas. Passionate about marketing, social networks, and business in general. In his spare time, he writes a lot about new business strategies and digital marketing for Finddigitalagency.