Persuade your prospects with this simple trick
Published: Fri, 12/11/15
Writing words that persuade people is no easy task.
So today I’m sharing with you a simple tip to make your existing marketing materials more persuasive -- and you won’t even need to change a single word.
In fact, this technique even adds credibility to whatever you say.
To help you understand it, let me tell you about a recent study conducted by Cornell University’s Aner Tal and Brian Wansink.
The two scientists wanted to analyze people’s beliefs in how well a medicine might work against a particular illness. So they presented participates with two different advertisements for the medicine.
For one ad, the percentage of people who believed the drug worked was 67.7%, while the other reached an incredible 96.6%.
And here’s the thing:
The two ads were identical, except for one element.
The ad that persuaded the most people included a chart showing the data described in the text.
A simple chart made a dramatic difference in believability.
Tal and Wansik concluded that adding even the most trivial graphs or charts give the appearance of being scientific -- which increases a message’s persuasive power.
“Graphs equal truthiness,” Tal noted.
Almost seems too simple, doesn’t it? (Click here for a video of Tal explaining the study.)
You may remember a few years ago Verizon used this charting technique incredibly well. The wireless carrier ran their “There’s a Map for That” advertisement in publications nationwide.
The ad detailed Verizon’s 3G coverage throughout the U.S., showing it was five times greater than what AT&T offered. However, instead of just making the statement, Verizon displayed their coverage on a U.S. map.
In effect, they “charted” the data so readers could make a visual comparison between Verizon and AT&T.
The ad attracted so much attention it led to a lawsuit from AT&T. You can see the ad and lawsuit details here.
Check out this creative example of a chart used by popchips (you may need to display images).
Do you feel swayed? Does this ad cause you to believe you can eat more popchips than the “unhealthy” alternatives?
Now, a word of warning:
Make sure any data you display in charts or graphs is real. Fabricate your statistics and you immediately put any credibility you built at risk.
Please feel free to share this information with the people in your network.
Best of success,
Tom
P.S. Want my help with writing and persuading your prospects? Just reply back and let's start the conversation.