Neuromarketing Slippery Slides- Review 3
As this week and year came to a close I found myself in an unusual mind frame. I know I need to focus, motivate, and keep my eye on the prize. I received the email stating that I had been allowed to further my education with CXL Institute thanks to the blessing of a scholarship and I was ecstatic. It gave me a spark of hope that I so desperately needed.
When schools shut down in March because of Covid my life slowed way, way, way down. After I finally finished my associate degree I spent the last four years of substitute teaching. I accepted the position because it was super convenient with my two girls in school. I was available for them before and after school. I enjoyed the children and the involvement I had with the district. In all honesty, the main reason was and still is that I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. It sounds so silly coming from my thirty-nine-year-old brain. After months and months and an abundance of time to think, I still didn’t know. I had always worked around my girls’ and husbands’ schedules at a place just to pay the bills. I had never really loved what I did. I figured that it just wasn’t pragmatic. On to the next phase.
Job search after endless job search and with so many places closed, remote work and freelancing were my last options. I threw myself a pity party, knocked myself down, picked myself up, and took action. I enjoy having my freedom to make my schedule. Staying in my pajamas all day if I want to is also cool, almost as cool as CXL and Digital Psychology. An article a week about what I learned from the class? I could easily manage that and it is spot on with my life progression agenda.
Wrapping up the backstory, this week I learned this opportunity gave me the shove and the motivation I needed to further my education and strive to achieve my goals. I also learned that I prefer a mixture of text and videos. Although some have been interesting and entertaining, some not so much. I struggled a little this week but made it through. In this section, I delved into an introduction to neuromarketing and learned that consumers are very similar to the little kids I taught.
Neuromarketing Revolution
Track two is instructed by Roger Dooley, author of BrainFluence and The Persuasion Slide and an experienced Neuromarketer. Mr. Dooley is somewhat of a founder of the persuasive psychology marketing game. Mr. Dooley starts by proclaiming that a marketing “revolution” is needed to drive up the success rate. He quotes Aristotle by saying that “reason is only one of the seven drivers of human behavior”. This was thousands of years ago and we have yet to come full circle. Estimates say that only five percent of our decision making is made consciously and the other ninety-five percent is emotionally controlled. This so-called revolution would mean focusing on marketing to the ninety-five percent of our brain that is unconscious. Walt Disney was onto this concept eighty years ago when he made Reason and Emotion, an anti-war propaganda film exemplifying how emotions can hijack control of our brains and our decision making.
Schools of Thought
Nobel prize winner, Daniel Kahneman, has spent nearly a lifetime studying how people think and make decisions. Kahneman’s most important discovery involves our thought processes and how they can be divided into System One and System Two. Two different types of thinking.
System One- (emotion)
System One is our brain’s unconscious thinking mode. It is said to be automatic and intuitive. This is the system our brains prefer and will always default to. This mode is simple and programmed.
System Two- (reason)
System Two is the logical brain. It is analytical, slow, logical, and controlled. This differs from System One because it requires effort and attention.
People prefer System One because it is easy. We humans don’t like thinking very much and wish to put in as little effort as possible. This is why Dooley believes for marketing to be successful we have to target System One which can be a challenge due to cognitive biases. These theories are proving true thanks to the major advancements in the way we can study the human decision-making process.
Neuromarketing Tools
Neuromarketing measurements are statistics that show how our brains react to certain stimuli. Scientific developments and tests have advanced since the 1940s. Scientists and marketers alike use tools such as EEGs, biometrics, eye tracking, and facial coding to learn effective ways to market to the general public. Nielsen, the biggest provider of Neuromarketing services in the world, suggests using a combination of these tools for the most accuracy, claiming they can get in the eighty percent range when doing so.
The Persuasion Slide
The Persuasion Slide developed by Dooley is a model of the persuasion process. In this process, he targets both the customer’s conscious needs as well as the unconscious mind. This is his guide for a flawless call to action and effective closure.
Gravity-
Gravity represents the customer’s initial motivation. This includes their wants, needs, and goals. Gravity is the reason they came to your website in the first place. Using a combination of conscious and unconscious motivators is effective.
Nudge-
This is the first step, “the nudge” you give your customers to do what you want. Your nudge must be seen and backed by motivation. Tell them why they should do it.
Angle-
Using motivation to get your customer to the bottom of the slide and fulfill the desired action. Sign up for the program or make a purchase, for example. Why should they?
Friction-
Anything that slows down your conversion process is considered friction. The amount of friction or difficulty can be either real or perceived. The less friction the higher the chance of success. Put your focus on making things as easy as possible and eliminate anything that may be unnecessary. Put some baby oil on that dang thang! The less friction the better.
Final Thoughts
Although this week proved a little difficult and I feel I lacked focus, it’s over and I learned a lot. In conclusion, make your website (slide) sound and look so badass customers are lining up. Once they are at the top, possibly debating on their turn, nudge them and pronounce why they should chute on down. No bullshit. Possibly tell them twice. Combined with the perfect slope and the least drag possible they will be swooping straight into your call to action, sealing the deal, and telling their friends and family to take the plunge!