We can speculate about how Freud would interpret our need to lure potential customers to our website. He would say it was all about sex. Our sexual confusion and probably their’s too. Of course, he thought most things were about sex.
Sex appeal might be a way to lure people to your site. But what if your business (and, therefore, your content) isn’t sexy?
Marketer Mark Schaefer addressed 10 Ways to Use Psychology to Lure Web Customers.
Mark’s ideas summarize the keys to attracting potential customers to your site and converting them to loyal clients. His advice to put the most important action at the top and use “you” language seem especially relevant.
Let’s Talk Nerdy!
What tips from Mark Schaefer’s list most resonate with you? Are there other things he didn’t include that you find important? Are there items on the list with which you disagree?
Nik T says
I liked tip three about putting your most important action on top. I also found it funny that the “social proof” tip was the first tip schaefer listed, because to me this tip is useful but not the most important on the page. Instant gratification is huge to me, and I think many people my age will agree. That is the name of the game these days with the internet and everything being at the tips of your fingers, no one wants to wait for anything. While patience is a virtue, I think it is becoming more and more uncommon. Sometimes when surfing the internet if i have to make an account to view a website or listen to music I wont even bother. Of course tip 7 is useful because I agree sex will always sell, but I really like tip 5. If you make your product seems scarce then it’s like lots of people already bought it, and that kind of links into the ” Social proof” thing. Lots of other people like it so you probably will too, and if you don’t act fast you wont get a chance to try it. Last the tip on “you view” seems very helpful. It definitely made the statement about photo uploading, which is very boring, a lot more engaging.
jai.grant says
What I thought was interesting about Mark Schaefer’s list was his point about speaking to your visitor by using the word ‘You’. I believe that by taking this approach it creates a more informal way of communicating with your visitors. It helps them to feel more comfortable while in your website, which can be beneficial when you want them to stay and browse longer. I also liked Schaefer’s point about giving web tourists a reason to become residents. I do stay a bit longer on a website if there are extra interactive things on the site, like free material, videos, or even information I can download to get a deeper insight about the business and the owner. What I also found interesting was the idea of where to place certain information on your website. The book, The Social Media Bible, talked about this idea as well. Where items are placed on your website is very important. I do agree with making sure you are not cutting off great information placed at the top corners of your site. Depending on the screen size of your visitors, some information may not be able to be viewed because their screen may be too small. I did not find any items within his list that I would disagree with, but there were some items I would not necessarily apply to my own website layout.
aschexnayder says
First, that’s a great list. Many of the items I’ve heard before, but I never mind getting a strong reminder in a well-organized fashion.
I really enjoyed his argument for social proof. It’s really easy to disconnect your social media efforts from your website, but you can use the effort you’re already making on one venue to really improve the other. When I visit websites for new products or organizations I’m unfamiliar with, I look for things I do know- awards that I know of, or Twitter followers, or a celebrity name that the organization is attached to. I think, all too often, we love or respect a product so much that we forget the need to “prove” it to others. It is so important to the human mind to realize others really value a product- and not just those who are being paid to value the product.
I found the title of the post misleading. Instead of talking about how to lure individuals to your website (though many of the mentioned principles could apply), it focused on keeping individuals on your website. While bounce rate is incredibly important, getting individuals there is important too. I think that’d be a great way to expand on the post- blogging about ways to increase traffic to your website using those certain principles.
FReyes says
I agree with most of Schaefer’s ways of how to lure customers. I think his third point is important. I believe it is necessary to put the most important action at the top of the webpage. Most people visiting the page may not read it entirely, so you would want to put important information near the top. The Social Media Bible also mentions to put important information at the top left of the webpage. I also thought that his point on illusion of scarcity was interesting. This is so true that people want a product even more when there seems to be a limited amount. Sometimes when I shop online if a product says limited quantity or even limited edition, I want that product even more. This actually motivates me to buy the product because I feel like I will not be able to at a later date. I also agree that sex sells. A lot of ads, commercials, and websites display images of attractive people using or wearing their product or clothing. I think this helps the product sell.
BruceSallan says
Everything is about sex, isn’t it?
Ashelihud says
@BruceSallan Sadly yes! Pretty people are successful for the most part. It’s a shallow world but we are all wired the same way…. hey?
eayoung says
While I do agree sex sells, I do not know if I agree you make sex appeal available to all websites. The website or social website can be about anything, I do not like you should automatically put sex appeal on a website. This can make consumers not interested in the services. One thing I did notice was the usage of the word “you”. While taking another PR class at OCU, the professor told us to use pronouns like that to connect with consumer/client. So it is very interesting he mentioned something so small, but so true.
For the most part I do think Freud was accurate. Especially when it comes to putting images on websites. Pictures and videos catch peoples eye and attention, so to have things such as that on your website will make people more likely to stay on the website and be interested in what is going on. This makes them more likely to leave a comment.
eayoung says
@jai.grant Using the word “you stood out to me, that is what caught my attention the most as well. I think it builds a relationship. When someone says “we did this for you”. We feel very special that the provider truly made this available for our own personal usage. And videos and graphics things always make websites more fun to visit!
eayoung says
@FReyes It is very important to put the most important at the top. It is kind of like a press release, always put the important stuff towards the top and then fade down with less important throughout the topics. I totally agree with the usage of graphics and videos. I do agree sex sells, but I think there is a time and place for the sex appeal. Great post!!!
jai.grant says
@eayoung I agree with you. Sex appeal can not be applied towards every website. It can definitely make a consumer confused about the product being sold, and make them not interested in the product any more. I also agree with Freud about using the word ‘you’. I believe it does create a connection with the consumer/client.
jai.grant says
@FReyes I agree with your point about a product being limited in quantity. I do feel like i want to purchase the product at that moment, feeling as if i will not be available the next day. I also agree with placing information towards the top part of the website.
FReyes says
@eayoung I also think it is important to use the word “you” on webpages when referring to the customer. It makes a person feel more important. It can also help a person relate and feel connected to that site. I just think overall it is a more friendly way of phrasing content on a webpage.
FReyes says
@jai.grant I also thought where items are placed on a website was an important point that Schaefer made.He mentions putting important information at the top of the page. This would make the information visible even if a person does not read the whole page. I found it interesting that the book says to put important information at the top left of the webpage. I guess I never really noticed how these webpages were designed. I am now going to pay more attention to webpages and where certain information is placed.
AustinClarkEnnis says
@eayoung I agree; sex appeal is not for EVERY website. In fact it could actually hurt a sale in some cases.
AustinClarkEnnis says
I think Freud was pretty accurate, but I will say that sex appeal is not ALWAYS a must when trying to make a sale or obtain new customers. Example: would you put sex appeal in an online add or email about Christian books?
Ashelihud says
@AustinClarkEnnis Well it is 2011. Just kidding, I agree…Religious things are not going to have too much dealing with sex appeal.
AustinClarkEnnis says
I’d also like to say that there were a few ways on the list I had not heard or thought of; namely ways 5 through 7!
aschexnayder says
@Nik T I would disagree with you about social proof. Social proof, for me, is often what seals the deal when it comes to choosing a product or service. For example- last year, I was searching for a salon here in Oklahoma City. I had seen several, but had heard very few opinions about them. I was sold on choosing Velvet Monkey when I heard a coworker’s experience with them, and I’ve been a loyal customer ever since.
Maybe social proof won’t immediately draw the viewer there, but it will help keep them there- and isn’t that what the article was attempting to focus on?
aschexnayder says
@AustinClarkEnnis I think that these points don’t have to be present on every page- if you’re just informing customers about a service, it would be too much to incorporate every tip. To me, that would give me the impression that an organization was trying way too hard, and ultimately deter me from giving them my business.
Lnkeesee says
Freud really nailed the basics. I agree with his 10 ways to use psychology. I definitely agree with number 1. If you see something has a lot of post and retweets then it must be something to rave about! I also think it can bring you down fast if the responses are negative.I don’t agree that everything is about sex appeal. There are quite a few websites that do not promote sex appeal.
jcmalone says
@Lnkeesee Tip Number One can be directly linked to Twitter and the use of hashtags. Hashtags create trending topics on Twitter so when something is trending more and more people will see it spreading its message much further than it normally would have gone. I think this is a great way to get messages out to the public and promote a product. Twitter allows companies to purchase a promoted hashtag, but it still has the same effect, it rapidly spreads the word and gets people talking and the more people who use the hashtag the more people will see it.
Ashelihud says
@Lnkeesee I agree…when I look for celebrities on twitter I look at the follower number and how many people they follow to determine authenticity. What websites don’t have sex appeal, just curious?
Lnkeesee says
I feel the same I had actually not heard of some of these and am not positive I agree with a couple of them. @AustinClarkEnnis
Lnkeesee says
These days it is on everyone’s mind according to Freud.. @BruceSallan
Nik T says
No I believe the author is accurate with the title of the article and that it is focusing on luring or drawing people to your site, as the title suggests. The second tip about making visitors stay is about retention.
Nik T says
@aschexnayder
It is interesting to me that you believe the author of the article innacurately titled his own work, and missed the real message of his article with the title.
Nik T says
@FReyes
I agree and i also thought it was interesting Schaefer mentioned the top right as being a blind spot because i had never noticed that before. I also agree with you on the point about not reading most of the page just the information presented near the top portion.
malexander says
The first thing that immediately sticks out to me is “instant gratification.” In our society, we want everything the moment we want it. Instant gratification has become so popular that most people don’t even realize it happens. Earlier today, I was streaming Netflix on my computer. When the loading bar came up, I got a little frustrated. My watching Mad Men was delayed by thirty seconds and I was annoyed. How ridiculous is that? We are not patient and we don’t like waiting on things, so playing to that characteristics seems like it would be a reasonable idea for a business.
Additionally, sex definitely sells to both men and women. I’m more likely to see a movie if Hugh Jackman is shirtless in the poster. I’m sure the same thing would also apply to men with a scantily clad woman. However, some products or concepts may not be appropriate to sell with sex. In general, though, sex does sell very well.
jcmalone says
@malexander I completely agree with your thoughts on instant gratification. With technology and social media advancements, we no longer have to wait for anything and when we do we get very frustrated and often quit that task all together. Our society is changing so rapidly because of how technology affects our lives and companies and websites are having to cater to our need for everything to be instant.
malexander says
@eayoung I definitely agree that talking to a customer in the first person is crucial. I’m in the process of rewriting all the copy for the Young Democrats of Oklahoma page. One thing I am trying to pay attention to is using pronouns. Instead of writing, “for volunteer opportunities, contact so-and-so,” I would write “if you would like to volunteer with us, contact so-and-so.” It seems much more personal and makes the reader more likely to respond.
malexander says
@aschexnayder I think increasing the traffic to a website is incredibly important, however, if people are going to get there, you should have a way to keep them there. When I look at the stats for the YDO website, our frontpage gets many hits, while the other pages only get a few. We definitely need to rework the content so it encourages more users to remain on the site.
I definitely agree that we forget about proving our love to other people. It is easy to tell someone you like a product, but it is more difficult to tell them why and explain why they should be interested, too.
Ashelihud says
Ok, I made it safely back from Turkey and Germany and the one thing I noticed is that they are eight years behind. Internet is not a huge part of their lives. So I can tell you right now that internet advertising is not high on the to-do list. Only the affluent have it and the speed is SO slow. I took for granted my internet connection!
The part about instant gratification is something that stands out to me. I didn’t ever really put much thought into it but realized I do want things now! I want my phone to be super fast and when it drops a call, I am ticked. I don’t like online shopping as much because I can’t stand to sit and wait for it in the mail. And what’s a week? But still the anticipation kills me.
The topic of scarcity is a very valid one that I see in use. On expedia.com you look for tickets and they tell you how many seats are left at that price. My brain instantly starts panicking and I feel more pressure to purchase then!
As I was reading the article, they all seemed very spot on. Yet some seemed harder for the businesses to do. Such as the credibility and good reviews of the company. Having popularity and credibility is hard to do, especially if you don’t have good intentions of running a company. Making fake reviews, and fake followers is not alright and will ruin the reputation of the business. I feel like that is something some people tend to do and it is not ethical.
If I had to disagree with one it would be is the use of attractiveness. Sometimes taking a super model and putting it in the ad turns people away. Dove took a step in a different direction and used everyday people to target women who are tired of seeing the “perfect girl.” Self- image is a sensitive issue and marketers need to beware and tread lightly.
jcmalone says
There were a couple points that Mark Schaefer made that really stuck out to me, the first being that sex sells. I do agree that sex sells, but I feel that there is always a time and a place for it. Not every website or blog on the Internet needs to include a sexy image in order to sell their product. The second point that stuck out to me was that in todays society we rely on instant gratification. I highly agree with this, when I am buying something online if I cannot instantly receive it via download or receive it in the mail within the week I will not purchase it. Something Schaefer only touched on is doing things on your website that bring people back daily. Each of the elements he mentioned are aimed to bring people back to the website, but Facebook and Twitter have certain elements that have people returning multiple times a day.