The 6 principles of influence
Ive been making some research on Growth Hacking these last weeks, its a very interesting field that I find very exciting, although I havent been able to use some of the techniques Ive been discovering yet, I wanted to share with you some of the things Ive been learning.
One of the keys is to understand innovation. While in traditional innovation we understand well what we are facing, in disruptive innovation we enter a new market in which innovation changes the rules of the game, the market is unpredictable and traditional methods do not work.
One way to understand this is to realize that the medium is the message.
An example: in the 70s used to sell music through concerts. At that time the band The Eagles decided to create music that sounded good in cars, because they knew that many people would consume their songs in cassette and in that space (medium). So much so that they had their own car to do tests.
In the 80s they have to change again, because the medium at that time began to be audiovisual due to MTV.
Adapting your content to a medium other than the usual will allow you to grow exponentially because you can present your proposal in a context of use surprising and surely attractive for a good part of your audience.
Another aspect to keep in mind when communicating is the 6 principles of influence of Robert Cialdini. That is, what will make people consider that your content or your product is worth it can be summarized in 6 points.
I explain it with the example of the online content that you can offer in a blog:
Principle of Reciprocity. If you offer your users value content, people will want to "return the favor" and you will be much more receptive when you offer a paid product, for example.
Principle of Commitment and Constancy. In the case of a blog, publish regularly and do not leave it. It is a way for your audience to know that you are going to offer content on a constant basis and want to get back to you.
Principle of the Social Test. Social buttons. When many people share content, that is proof that it produces interest.
Principle of Authority. Demonstrate with your content that you know what you are talking about. Content should always be of quality.
Principle of Sympathy. It is easier for us to let ourselves be influenced by the people we like than by the one that does not appeal to us.
Principle of the Shortage. When the buyer of a product knows that there are not many units remaining, he is more likely to feel the need not to miss out on the occasion.
As I said, I havent been able to test all these techniques in my campaigns yet, Ive done some basic stuff like the Shortage principle, but not more than that.
However I want to emphasize that there are no magic formulas, take it out of your head. Nor tactics that will make your business make a qualitative leap if they are not based on a very defined strategy (and based on a constant test-error that you must assume).
Yes there are tools that facilitate the performance of certain actions, but my advice is to choose the tool once you have clear your strategy, not the other way around. We tend to look for tools that allow us to solve specific problems when, in fact, we are not clear if these problems need them in our business.
One of the keys is to understand innovation. While in traditional innovation we understand well what we are facing, in disruptive innovation we enter a new market in which innovation changes the rules of the game, the market is unpredictable and traditional methods do not work.
One way to understand this is to realize that the medium is the message.
An example: in the 70s used to sell music through concerts. At that time the band The Eagles decided to create music that sounded good in cars, because they knew that many people would consume their songs in cassette and in that space (medium). So much so that they had their own car to do tests.
In the 80s they have to change again, because the medium at that time began to be audiovisual due to MTV.
Adapting your content to a medium other than the usual will allow you to grow exponentially because you can present your proposal in a context of use surprising and surely attractive for a good part of your audience.
Another aspect to keep in mind when communicating is the 6 principles of influence of Robert Cialdini. That is, what will make people consider that your content or your product is worth it can be summarized in 6 points.
I explain it with the example of the online content that you can offer in a blog:
Principle of Reciprocity. If you offer your users value content, people will want to "return the favor" and you will be much more receptive when you offer a paid product, for example.
Principle of Commitment and Constancy. In the case of a blog, publish regularly and do not leave it. It is a way for your audience to know that you are going to offer content on a constant basis and want to get back to you.
Principle of the Social Test. Social buttons. When many people share content, that is proof that it produces interest.
Principle of Authority. Demonstrate with your content that you know what you are talking about. Content should always be of quality.
Principle of Sympathy. It is easier for us to let ourselves be influenced by the people we like than by the one that does not appeal to us.
Principle of the Shortage. When the buyer of a product knows that there are not many units remaining, he is more likely to feel the need not to miss out on the occasion.
As I said, I havent been able to test all these techniques in my campaigns yet, Ive done some basic stuff like the Shortage principle, but not more than that.
However I want to emphasize that there are no magic formulas, take it out of your head. Nor tactics that will make your business make a qualitative leap if they are not based on a very defined strategy (and based on a constant test-error that you must assume).
Yes there are tools that facilitate the performance of certain actions, but my advice is to choose the tool once you have clear your strategy, not the other way around. We tend to look for tools that allow us to solve specific problems when, in fact, we are not clear if these problems need them in our business.