Traffic is one of the biggest challenges internet marketers face today.
Which explains the tons of high-quality traffic guides you’ll find online.
For example, when I did a search on Google for the keyword “how to get traffic,” Google tells me there are about 490,000,000 results. Wow!
Before you go downloading the top-ranking traffic guides, though, be aware that they may not help your business as much as you think.
As important as traffic is, it’s conversion that really matters.
Here’s what I mean by that: If you’re getting enough traffic on your website and most of them aren’t converting into customers, then you have a BIG problem.
I’ve seen sites that receive a few thousands of monthly visits but make tens of thousands of dollars per month. And I’ve also seen sites that receive hundreds of thousands of monthly visits but struggle to make $1,000 each month.
In short, you need to convert the traffic you do have before worrying too much about getting more traffic.
To help, in this article, you’ll discover 10 psychologically proven ways to increase conversions.
1. Make The First Step Super Easy To Take
The first action you ask visitors to take is what matters most when driving conversions.
Many websites make the first step hard for their visitors. This is a big mistake that hurts conversions.
If people first have to fill 10 boxes before they sign up or buy your product, they would be more likely to postpone or leave your page.
This is something the highest converting websites do differently. They tend to have short forms to help customers ease through the sign-up process.
This is where Slack excels. They make their sign-up process so easy that you can’t wait to take them.
When you’re on the Slack homepage, all they ask for is your email address.
KISSmetrics also does a good job in making their first step so easy to take.
2. Use Product Bundle Pricing
Product Bundle Pricing (PBP) means combining several products and offering the bundle at a reduced price.
The PBP strategy is a fairly commonly used marketing ploy.
Although it’s more of a marketing tactic, it’s also a pricing tactic. It’s very effective in boosting sales as it gives power to the buyer.
Why is the PBP strategy a psychological key that opens the door to more sales?
It gives buyers the opportunity to buy from you based on their budget.
And instead of buyers comparing your product pricing to your competitors, the PBP strategy makes buyers compare between the versions of your own product. This makes them more likely to purchase from you.
Okay, let me give you an example:
Nathan Barry launched his information product “App Design Handbook” and he was able to make $19,547 within a 48-hour period.
The PBP strategy was the key to the success of this launch.
Here’s how Nathan priced his product using the PBP strategy:
Here is how the sales broke down for each package over the first 48 hours:
- The Book ($39) Units: 151; Revenue: $4,448
- The Book + Videos ($79) Units: 104; Revenue: $6,296
- The Complete Package ($169) Units: 67; Revenue: $8,803
As you can see from the above, the complete package made more money even though it only had 67 sales which is the lowest.
Choice is good for the customer and it’s also good for you. The amazing thing is it helps increase conversions on your sales page.
The PBP strategy could be one of the most effective but little-used psychology tricks that boost conversions.
3. Use Social Proof
As humans, we tend to follow the crowd.
Imagine entering a restaurant only to discover that you’re the only one in there.
“Their food must suck.” Isn’t that what you would think?
Then you see the next-door restaurant packed with a lot of people anxiously waiting in line.
“Their food must be great.” Isn’t that what you would feel?
That’s right. Your mind follows the crowd.
RCA Victor released the hits collection “50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can’t Be Wrong” in 1959. The record went platinum.
Though 50-million record buyers had previously demonstrated their love for the king, the record company knew millions more had yet to do the Elvis dance.
The title they gave the album is a classic social proof.
How could you go wrong investing in Elvis’ brand of rock and roll when 50-million had already done so?
Imagine you’re somewhere in San Francisco and feeling hungry. So you open the Yelp to search for the best restaurant around you.
Then you see these two ads:
Which one are you more likely to click?
The one with 1,527 reviews?
Or, the one with 11 reviews?
I’m sure you’ll say the one with 1,527 reviews looks more attractive to you.
There are 3 types of social proof I like:
- Reviews
- Social media followers
- Numbers of users or customers served
Displaying these social proof increase conversions.
4. Tap Into The Power Of Scarcity
Scarcity is one of the oldest psychology marketing tricks available.
It makes your product sexier. Items in limited supply are strangely more appealing. Nobody wants to miss out on buying something before it becomes unavailable.
One online retailer tested a limited next-day shipping offer against another version in which the limited offer wasn’t shown.
And guess what happened?
Sales for the page with limited next-day shipping increased by 226%.
Visitors on your website are likely to procrastinate or postpone buying your product till a later date.
Using scarcity is a psychology trick that increases their urge to buy right there on the spot.
There’s a high chance that potential customers may not return to your page again. That’s why you have to increase that urge. And scarcity is a great way to do that.
Amazon uses the scarcity strategy a lot on their product pages. It’s because it has been proven to work over and over again for them.
In fact, Amazon uses both the time-limited scarcity and the quantity limited scarcity.
Below is an example:
5. Stir Up Controversy
Before I continue, I will like to emphasize that the point I’m about to make is a double-edged sword. But it works. In fact, it could be the most effective psychology trick that increases conversions.
Please use it with care if you’re going to use it.
If a controversy would have a big negative impact on your website or business, then I will advise you to stay away from it. There is always a better controversy that could help your business.
A controversy is anything that gets people talking about your business in the public, family dinners, and online.
If you can spark a controversy and make it spread like wildfire, then you would be on your way to creating a website that’s highly regarded in your niche.
For example, take a look at how Manpacks sparked controversy on their site:
The controversy helped Manpacks gained a lot of mentions and links on the web and offline.
When creating controversy, you should make sure it’s something interesting people would want to talk about. It should also be something that has different sides.
Frequently creating controversy would get you in the news and many people would talk about it on social media and blogs. As they do this, you’ll get more exposure which will boost your conversions.
6. Reframe Your Pricing
There are three groups of buyers namely:
- The Tightwads: The people who spend less on average.
- The Spendthrifts: The people who experience no buyer’s remorse.
- The Average spenders: These people are in-between the tightwads and the spendthrifts. Average spenders know if they can afford something, and acts accordingly. But they also occasionally impulse buy or overbuy.
Let’s look at how many tightwads, spendthrifts and average spenders we have:
While it may be easy to sell to the spendthrifts, it’s hard to sell to the tightwads.
So if your target customers are the tightwads, you’ll have to craft a better marketing strategy to convert them.
Because tightwads comprise wise and prudent people, you’ll have to reduce the buying pain.
One of the most effective ways to reduce the buying pain is to reframe your pricing.
For example, instead of saying your product costs $1,000 per year, you could reframe your pricing by saying your product costs $84 per month.
$1,000/year would look huge to the tightwads, but $84/month would look like a good deal to them.
The $84/month also gives them the opportunity to opt-out any time they want. So this option would look more attractive to the tightwads and some average spenders thereby increasing your conversions in the process.
Google Apps uses this strategy. Instead of making their customers pay for a full year, they let you pay on a monthly basis. This looks like a good deal.
7. Tap Into The Power Of Reciprocity
The reciprocity principle is one of the basic laws of social psychology:
It says that in many social situations we pay back what we received from others.
In other words, if John does you a favor, you’re likely to return it to him.
So the question is what can you give your visitors that would make them feel compelled to buy from you?
The logic is if you can give your site visitors something valuable for free, the majority of them will buy your products.
Let’s see internet marketers who are using the power of reciprocity to sell their products.
Derek Halpern is one of the most respected marketers online. In fact, his blog Social Triggers is about using psychology in marketing.
When you take a look at the sidebar of his blog, you’ll see Derek offering this free ebook to his readers:
Not only that. Derek also offers you a free quiz that tells you which kind of entrepreneur you are:
On the sidebar of their blog, Copyblogger offers you a free marketing training and free courses:
By offering their readers valuable resources for free, these businesses are able to increase their conversions and revenue.
Think about what free things you can give your site visitors. They would pay you back in the form of a social share, referrals, sales — just anything you ask for.
8. Tap Into Your Customers’ Desire For Pleasure
Evaluate every big and small decision you’ve made in life.
At its root, you’ll see that most of your decisions are based on the desire to avoid pain and gain pleasure.
Even when we do something that appears to be painful, we do it because we associate pleasure with the action.
College students spend 3–4 years in school because they want to gain valuable skills, get a high-paying job, have a family and live an exciting and enjoyable life.
If you look at this decision at its root, the major reason why college students spend 4 years in school is for the purpose of living an exciting and financially stable life.
So why are your readers visiting your website?
What pain do they want to avoid?
What pleasure do they seek?
Are you tapping into their desire to avoid that pain and gain that pleasure?
By tapping into your visitors’ desire for pleasure, you’ll be crafting better sales copy that turns their heads. By doing that, you’ll be using one of the most effective psychology tricks that drive conversions.
For example, Buffer taps into their customers’ desire to save time on social media.
9. Show Your Authority
I like to read authority blogs.
I like to read the works of authority people.
I like to associate with authority people.
I like to have authority people in my social circle.
I’m sure the same thing is true for you.
We naturally gravitate towards authority people. And it’s because of one thing: they are authority.
If only you can show your site visitors that you’re an authority, your revenue could increase by over 100% almost overnight.
Your sales will increase because more people will trust you.
For example, when you visit Quick Sprout (a marketing blog by Neil Patel), just by looking at Neil’s bio on the sidebar, you’ll quickly realize that Neil is an authority.
Tell me what you felt after reading Neil’s short bio.
I’m sure you felt the presence of an authority.
That’s what I’m talking about.
Do you want to become an authority?
I guess your answer to that is a big YES!
Here are some things you could do:
- Know a lot about your niche
- Create EPIC contents better than anyone else
- Get in customers face everywhere they go (forums, social media, blogs and anywhere else they hang out)
- Create a memorable brand around your website
- Publish a book on Amazon
- Interact with credible people within your niche
- Be original and unique
- Reach out for help from others
Doing most of the above would make you an authority.
Here’s how Kristi Hines shows her authority on her site.
No doubt, you’ll want to hire her writing service after seeing the sites she’s been featured as a writer.
Note: The process of building up your authority will definitely take some time but it’s worth the effort as it could increase your revenue by 100%.
10. Tell A Story
I know you’ve probably heard this a lot of times which is why I made it the last point in this article. But the truth is storytelling works and will always work.
If you’re not currently tapping into the power of storytelling, it means you’re losing a huge amount of potential sales right now.
Competition is fierce in most niches online. Customers have heard the same thing you’re about to tell them on your sales page.
The only way to make the message on your sales page unique and different from your competitors is to tell a story.
You could tell your story. Your story is different from every other story.
You could tell the story of your current or previous customers. How your product improved their lives.
Any story that is related to your product will certainly increase conversions.
You shouldn’t just tell any story. You should tell an interesting story.
The human brain is wired to remember a memorable story.
Alex Turnbull, the founder Groove did a case study on his business blog:
He sent some visitors to a version of a post that started with a simple story that led into the “meat” of the content, while others found a post with a no-nonsense intro that jumped right to the point.
The result?
The post with a story intro had nearly 300% more people scroll all the way to the bottom, and average time on page was more than five times higher!
That’s the power of storytelling. It gets more people to read your sales page from the top to the bottom which increases your chances of converting them into customers.
Now Do It
The bad news is you may need to change the way you’re doing things. The good news is it’s not as hard as you think.
A lot of the psychology of conversion is somewhat obvious, if you’re willing to get inside your customers’ heads and think a little outside the box. So start there. Review the 10 conversion tricks I’ve shared here, and pick one that you can implement today.
What stands out to you? Which one will you execute first?
About the Author: Michael Akinlaby is a digital marketing strategist at RankRain.
