Written by Bob McClain, Web Copywriting Expert
For Part Five we’re going to look at persuasion devices, hypnotic commands and involvement devices. These are all devices that have been proven to be successful persuasion tools. There’s nothing unethical about them because you can’t persuade someone to do something that they didn’t already want to do.
Let’s first review our previous subliminal persuasion posts:
* Part One of this series established who we are trying to sell to by answering a series of in depth questions.
* Part Two talked about the power of “Story” and three tools to utilize it in your website copy.
* Part Three explained the “iron-clad” guarantee.
* Part Four talked about association with certain socio-economic groups
Persuasion Devices
One of the best persuasion devices is the “because” device. In your website copywriting you’re asking people to do something:
- Sign up for your newsletter
- Buy your product
- Order your service
Let’s face it; if they didn’t want something you’re offering, they wouldn’t be on your website in the first place. But if you’re going to ask them to do something, you have to give them a reason why.
It doesn’t even have to be a good reason (although the better the reason the more likely the success). It just has to be a reason. Research has shown that just giving someone a reason to do something will motivate them to do it.
So here’s the trick:
- Tell them what you want them to do; and…
- Give them a reason why using the word “because”
Using the word because is the most important thing you can do. That word has been proven in the research to be the prime motivator when you’re trying to persuade someone to do something – even when the “because” you give them is almost meaningless.
Hypnotic Commands
Hypnotic commands are also called embedded commands. It’s a simple device but it’s very effective because it appeals directly to the sub-conscious and bypasses the intellect. However, if you use it more than once on a page, the reader is likely to recognize it the second or third time you use it and you’ve then lost all credibility.
MANDATORY: Only use it once per page!
Here’s how it works:
The idea is to take the action you want your reader to take and rewrite it into a simple sentence that hides its true purpose.
Let’s look at a few examples and you’ll get the idea:
Command: Buy this ebook
Sentence with embedded command: Can you imagine the success you’ll enjoy when you buy this ebook?
Command: Sign up for membership right now
Sentence with embedded command: We’ve never had anyone fail to make money when they sign up for membership right now.
Do you get the idea? Figure out what your embedded command is first and then write it into a casual sentence or question. Then, make sure you italicize or bold the command.
Involvement Devices
When someone comes to your website and reads your website copywriting, they don’t know you from anyone else. You’re just a stranger trying to sell them something.
Somehow, you’ve got to get them involved with your website and your product or service. You need to get them to make some kind of commitment. That’s what an involvement device does.
The easiest way to do that is to get them to sell themselves!
That’s right, we want them to sell themselves.
How many websites have you been to where the page is a simple wizard where you make three quick choices and voila, there is exactly the thing you want?
The idea is to focus the attention of the reader on exactly what they want and then give it to them. This can be done with a wizard that walks them through a selection process as I mentioned above but it can also be done with a quiz.
Ask them to check a true/false box in answer to a short series of questions that will convince them you have the exact solution they need. The idea is to challenge their preconceived answers to these questions.
In this way you can eliminate their fears and challenges before they can drive them away from your website.
One last involvement device is to ask them to fill out a form where they commit to changing or accomplishing their dreams or goals. Once they’ve made that commitment, it’s just a matter of showing them that this is the way to achieve the goal they’ve just committed to.
In fact, you can even write your product or service into the commitment device so they connect their commitment to their goal with your product or service.
There are all kinds of ways to create an involvement device and you are only limited by your own imagination!
Next time, we’re going to talk about the power of “made-up” terms.
