It’s obvious, really, that psychology is a big part of marketing. After all, we’re talking about human behaviour and trying to influence that behaviour. James has a master’s degree in psychology, so the BNR team leans on his expertise to explore how to use psychology to succeed at marketing — including content marketing, public relations, advertising and more.

Lush – The Content Agency’s content strategist, Carla Young, is filling Sarah’s shoes this week.

 Here are some key take-outs:

• The power of technology means we can now connect very easily, no matter where we are around the world. Brands need to understand how people behave as “packs” now, rather than just as individuals.
• A lot of this is instinctual. We know it simply because we’re humans interacting with each other.
• Social proof works. If other people are doing it, we want to do it, too. It’s why things go viral.
• Scarcity still works, too. People have a fear of missing out.
• Word of mouth, based on interpersonal trust, is still the best form of marketing.
• People want to share positive emotional content rather than negative.
• If you focus on the audience and what the audience wants to engage with rather than what you want to tell them, you’re better placed to succeed.
• Psychology also affects post-purchase evaluation. It’s as important to continue marketing to someone after you’ve made the sale, as that helps create loyalty.

Here are the links you might need

• Here’s that article on the psychology of influence.
• And here’s the article on the psychology of colour.

On My Desk

Carla recommended the website Crazy Egg.

James recommended Bernadette Jiwa’s book, Marketing: A Love Story.

Nic recommended Soozey Johnstone’s book, I Am The Problem.

Have you heard the one about…

Recently James, Sarah and Nic took a close look at SEO and its place in marketing in 2017.

And here’s a discussion about the demise of King Content — and why the end of Australia’s biggest content marketing agency isn’t the end of content marketing itself.

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