10 Triggers Of Brand Influence

Posted on 03. Jan, 2012 by John Morgan in Branding

There are a lot of factors that influence people’s buying decisions. Too many, in fact, to list here because it’s against my religion to write a blog post that is over 2,000 words. Instead, I’m giving you some of the basic triggers that cause people to be more likely to buy your product or service and pay a higher price for it. When used properly, these triggers will become an essential part of your marketing.

But first a quick warning: You don’t have to implement all of these right away. Just take a few that resonate with you and get those rocking along. You can come back later and add others to the mix. Too many people try to implement every strategy under the sun. Anyways…

Here they are in no particular order:

1. Social Proof: If other people are buying a product/service and getting value from it, then it must be worth the time and money

2. Interaction: A conversation between two people builds a connection. Getting people to engage you helps build a connection between them and your products/services.

3. Likeability: The brand who is most capable of building rapport with people wins.

4. Reason Why: When you share with your audience the reason why you are doing something, and that reason is good enough, people will buy from you.

5. Reciprocity: When you give away something of value and ask nothing in return, people feel an obligation to buy from you. (This one trigger alone can you make you very successful)

6. Storytelling: People are looking for a connection. Tell a good enough story about your brand and people will not only get invested, they’ll want to buy from you.

7. Easy Commitment: Getting someone to use your product/service by taking a tiny step with little or no risk on their part will make them more comfortable taking the larger step.

8. Entertainment: Create an experience that is fun. People buy from businesses that are fun and make it an enjoyable process for them.

9. Scarcity: The more rare or hard to get something is the more the demand there will be. This tried and true trigger will never expire.

10. Community: Everyone wants to belong. Create a sense of community with your brand and make people feel like they are part of something.

Each of these triggers increases the likelihood of someone buying from you. While these triggers can greatly influence a buying decision, they don’t make up for a bad product or crappy service. They should however, be part of your marketing strategy. Customers leave patterns in their buying behaviors and these patterns haven’t really changed in a long time. It’s not a question of if they work, it’s a question of if you’ll make them work for you.

Tags: Branding, john michael morgan, john morgan, Marketing, Personal Branding