How to Influence Customer Choice

While work dedication and hard work are crucial to your company, building strong connections with the right people also plays a vital role in taking your small business to the next level.  

This means becoming a salesperson yourself and developing your ability to convince your customers to buy. It also includes persuading investors into helping your organization or ideas grow.  

But, convincing people is easier said than done.  

Fortunately, there’s a science to persuasion which you can use to better understand consumer behavior and how you can influence it.  

This Miami SEO company will examine what influences individuals and organizations to support certain brands and purchase specific products, so you can gain insights on how to improve your marketing efforts and persuade your target audience to buy from you.  

Without further ado, let’s get started!

Consumer Buying Behavior

Consumer buying behavior refers to the study of how people behave as they go through the buying decision process. It looks at the actions of consumers that drive them to buy certain products and use certain brands. And, it aims to address questions like what do consumers buy, why they buy, from whom do they buy, and how often do they buy.  

This area of study primarily focuses on the following:

• Psychological factors: A consumer’s perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs will largely influence how they respond to your ad campaigns. Know your audience a little deeper so you can create marketing activities they will most likely respond to.  
• Social factors: Your target audience’s social groups, income, and social class affect how they shop. So, you should consider your target audience’s social class before you begin to develop your marketing approach.  
• Personal factors: Your customers’ demographics such as their age, culture, and profession, all play major roles in shaping their opinions and interests. Segment your target audience accordingly so you can serve more relevant and compelling campaigns.  

Why Is It Important to Study Consumer Behavior?

If you want your target audience to patronize your current products and services, as well as support your new product launches, then you should get a grasp of their buying habits and decisions.  

Every one of your ideal customers has a different thought process and attitude towards buying a product that satisfies their needs. If you fail to master how certain segments within your target market react or feel towards certain offerings, chances are, you will have a hard time marketing your products in a way that appeals to them.  

On the other hand, understanding what your customers like, what they expect from you, and what makes them decide to buy, makes it easier for you to develop better offerings, refine your marketing messages, and come up with a marketing strategy that’s guaranteed to win them over.

How Can Internet Marketing Influence Consumer Purchase Decisions and Buying Behavior?

As people spend an increasing amount of time on the internet, digital marketing can be highly effective in influencing the modern consumer’s behavior.  

Various channels like social media, for example, allow advertisers to dictate the way consumers are exposed to their brands, businesses, products, and services.  

By leveraging data, you have the power to serve relevant ads and display information in front of your ideal customers, which forms their knowledge and perception about your brand, and ultimately impacts their buying behavior.  

Digital marketing also affects consumer decision-making. Before buying, consumers today like to scour the internet, browse through different websites, and scroll through social media pages just to find reviews, testimonials, and feedback regarding certain products and services, and their alternatives.  

This Miami SEO company suggests that you partner with influencers, create a strong presence online, and feature customer reviews on your website to establish credibility, build trust, and convince your target audience to buy from you instead of your competitors.  

Now that everyone is going digital, the internet has become a great platform for your company to get in the minds of consumers, promote your products and services, and attract more customers.  

6 Universal Principles for Influencing Human Behavior

These principles are based on a research on social influence conducted by Cialdini. Use them to get a better understanding of what’s going on inside your customers’ minds whenever they make a purchase and to determine which marketing strategies are most likely to succeed in convincing them to buy from you.  

• Reciprocity: People often feel the need to return a favor. So, when you give your prospective and existing customers free samples, coupons or discounts, they're more likely to buy from you in an attempt to reciprocate your kind gesture.  
• Commitment: When people are invested in a relationship, they're more likely to show their support and participate in any activity they see will be beneficial for the relationship. In business, this means cultivating brand loyalty so your customers are more likely to buy from you or subscribe to your services again, and prevent them from switching.  
• Authority: People are more likely to believe an expert than somebody from the streets. That’s why you must either establish yourself as an expert in your industry or tap into influencers and have them talk about the effectiveness of your brand’s products and services to convert new consumers.  

• Consensus: Pack mentality is also important in converting leads into customers. The logic behind this is that if more people are doing something, chances are others will do it as well. Ask customers to post about your business on social media to convince others to try what you’re offering.  
• Scarcity: People love to have what others can’t. When certain products are scarce, they tend to be perceived as exclusive, and this makes them so desirable. Making your best products or service seem exclusive will get consumers to act quickly and buy.  
• Liking: People from similar groups or demographics are more likely to persuade others to buy. Collaborate with micro-influencers to promote your products and services to their community of loyal followers.  

How to Create Marketing Campaigns That Influence Consumer Behavior

• Create online campaigns that evoke an emotional response: For your marketing campaigns to hit differently, focus on creating something intriguing – one that sparks a conversation. One way of doing this tackling social issues in your ads, like this #LikeAGirl campaign by Always.

• Use strong visuals and use wordplay to attract attention: Using strong visuals and wordplay in your social media posts, videos, and ad copies is a great way to grab attention and pique the interest of your audience. For example, if you’re looking to target fashionistas, you can post Avante-Garde fashion images in your Instagram account to get their attention and get them to check out your brand.  
• Tap into your audience’s memories to bring out certain feelings and emotions: Feelings and emotions are some of the main drivers in your customers' decision-making process. If you’re looking to target the elderly, for instance, you can use nostalgia to get them to reminisce the good ol’ days and cause them to associate your brand with things that used to bring joy in their lives. This can influence their feelings of brand loyalty.  

Are Your Current Marketing Campaigns Able to Influence Consumer Choice?

Trying to persuade consumers to patronize your brand and buy your products and services is not an easy task. But, by following the tips provided in this article, you can develop better and more compelling marketing campaigns your target audience will most likely respond to.  

By evoking the right emotions, using strong visuals, and creating positive associations with your brand or business, you can definitely win over your prospects and get them to convert!

If you’re struggling to get through your target customers’ minds and appeal to them, this Miami SEO company can help!  

Digital Resource has a team of digital marketing specialists and SEO experts who will partner with you to create a custom digital marketing strategy that will not only put your business ahead of your competitors, but also achieve marketing and business goals.  

Contact us today if you want to start influencing more customers to buy from you!

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