The Psychology Behind Effective Copywriting
The right combination of words can motivate and spurn action. Developing copy that generates action from consumers involves understanding consumer psychology. Building trust with your reader, generating an urge to purchase, and developing a brand identity with the public is no simple task. Fortunately, tapping into the powerful psychology behind effective copywriting is doable when you understand a few basic concepts.
Punch Up Your Copywriting with “Sensory Words”
Words that evoke the senses strongly influence purchasing decisions. For instance, if you’re selling a fluffy throw blanket describing the item as “warm” and “cozy” activates the sensory areas of the brain even though the customer may not be able to handle the product in person. Sensory words are especially beneficial when composing copy for direct mail, catalogues, and online shopping platforms.
Create a Sense of Scarcity and Urgency
“FOMO” or “the fear of missing out” has a powerful effect on consumers. Creating a sense of urgency or scarcity can encourage your customers to act in a powerful way. Amazon creates a sense of scarcity on their website when they detail how many quantities of a product are remaining. It turns out that copy stating “only 8 left” has an undeniably moving effect on buyers.
Other ways that you can generate a sense of urgency through copywriting include:
- Limited-time offers such as coupons that expire at the end of the month.
- Time-sensitive incentives such as “order in the next 10 minutes and receive a 10% discount”.
- Real-time sales information. This type of information can update visitors to your website about recent purchases from other customers or their reviews. These updates appear as customers browse specific products.
Consider Implementing the “Focusing Effect”
The “focusing effect” taps into how the human mind works and what types of information influence our decisions and actions. Taking into consideration that the order in which information is presented can have a strong effect on consumers’ decisions.
For instance, the “focusing effect” can be used just before your call to action. You’ve probably seen this countless times as it is quite popular among companies that advertise their social responsibility initiatives. Let’s say an eco-friendly enterprise sells metal straws. If they want to deploy the “focus effect”, their copy may state something about how much plastic waste can be reduced with reusable straws just before their copy’s call to action. Using this copywriting tactic is especially effective when the information you present as a focus provides an ethical or moral benefit to society.
Tap into the Power of Cognitive Fluency
Cognitive fluency refers to our ability to filter messaging and glean understanding from it. Humans have a bias to perceive information as more truthful when the messaging is concise, simple, and familiar. Using overly effusive language and cumbersome sentence structure is more than just difficult to read; it is off-putting. Engaging consumers in simple, to-the-point language is far more effective than flowy, over-the-top copy.
Pel Hughes is a woman-owned enterprise that provides invaluable support to businesses of all sizes. With in-house printing and fulfillment, our team delivers effective direct mail, print advertising, promotional products, signage, banners, brochures, and business cards. Give our friendly experts a call at (504) 486-8646 to request a quote for your next print marketing campaign.
