Have you ever wondered why we sometimes buy something we don’t even need? The answer may lie in mental triggers, which are stimuli received by our brain that influence our decision making. In digital marketing, these triggers are used to boost sales and stand out in the fierce competition. Let’s unveil some of the most effective ones:

Anticipation

Creating expectations is a powerful strategy. By generating anticipation, with a countdown to a launch, for example, you attract consumers’ attention and interest.

Curiosity

Curiosity is part of human instinct and is one of the most efficient strategies for attracting the audience’s attention amidst so much information we receive daily. After all, who isn’t attracted to a good mystery or unrevealed secret? This trigger can be used to keep the audience engaged in a story. In other words, it increases content retention.

Scarcity

The perception of scarcity increases the value of what is being offered. Informing consumers that a product is almost out of stock can speed up the purchasing decision.

Urgency

Limited-time promotions create an urgency that encourages quick action. Countdown timers and “last chance” alerts are common examples that work well.

Social proof

This is the most powerful trigger there is. We are influenceable and influential beings. Even more so with the countless information about brands available on the internet, we look for social proof before making a purchase.

Pleasure x pain

It is natural for humans to try to avoid pain and seek pleasure. So, understanding your customers’ pain points and what pleasures your business can offer is essential to creating attractive communication and sales strategies. You can touch on the pain and then address how your product/service can be the solution to that particular problem.

Storytelling

Telling stories is one of the most powerful ways to trigger mental triggers. Through narratives, we can awaken identification, authority, imagination, empathy, emotion, among others.

Community

Creating a sense of community around a brand or product can foster loyalty and increase customer engagement.

Use triggers, but in moderation

The list of mental triggers doesn’t stop there. There are many others, but the ones we mentioned are some of the most used in marketing.

If you don’t already use triggers in your strategies, you are missing an excellent opportunity to generate more connections with your audience and sales. However, you need to be careful and use them sparingly, otherwise your communication can become highly persuasive and manipulative.

The secret is to have balance. We can help you with this mission. Click here to count on our team of brand strategists to boost your business on the internet.