NeuroMarketing for Website Design - Known Design Co

NeuroMarketing for Website Design

July 16, 2021

Creative wizardry combined with neuro design principles creates unbeatable websites. Many of the top web designers have intuitively perceived these principles. But now, neuroscience is not only validating these principles, but is also allowing deeper insight.

It gives the web designers who understand, and incorporate these principles, an unfair advantage over website visitors.

I liken it to an angler using bait that a fish simply cannot resist. And as we all know, returning home with that big one for the evening meal is better than returning with the tale of the big one that got away!

And they said TV would rot your brain!
Before the Web there was TV. And before TV there was Print. It would be a mistake to think that the one replaced the other and the other-other replaced the other. All 3 are important and companies who have the budgets still play on all these platforms.

While TV and Print are older platforms, there is much to learn from the principles they (still) apply when making content. So: how do they grab-and-keep the consumer’s attention?

Your initial appeal must be to the visitor’s Fast-Thinking part of the brain. Sometimes described as intuitive thinking, this system is 90% visual and creates a “feeling” within seconds.

After winning converts with visual cues, you need to soothe the Analytical and Rational part of the brain.

Getting touchy-feely
One of the reasons print media still generates sales is because it incorporates the sense of touch. It’s also a slower experience than TV or Digital giving a person time to take it all in.

Nevertheless, taking a leaf out of the book is good for online marketing. Marketers recreate the sense of touch with visuals of touch. In fact, this can be done with any of the senses. Someone on a couch lovingly stroking a book works as well as a young girl smelling a flower. (Depending on your target audience, of course.)

Our empathic nervous system is activated. Much the same way that when Rocky wins Apollo Creed, it feels like our own victory.

Attention-seeking behaviour
While the cutting-edge of technology changes at breakneck speed, human cognition is very much the same as when the Romans used bloody fights in the Colosseum to attract vast crowds.

The crowds didn’t flock there to be lulled asleep by ordinary people doing average things.

Beautiful winners conquering the day. Hero’s setting the world right. You get the picture.

That’s the basis of engagement; the holy grail of social media.

Urgency – The Train Departs at 12:00
You might think that this telemarketing ploy is outdated, but it still works like a charm to prompt consumers into action. Make the deal as sweet as possible, and then set the deadline.

The deal expires in 36 Hours. Only 36 units left in stock. Only 320 delegate slots available.

Employing a “sunset clause” is something we are all familiar with. For generations now, Princesses have been turning into cleaning maids at the stroke of midnight, and vampires have had to be in their coffins before sunrise.

Reciprocity – Quid Pro Quo
We all remember that famous scene from “Silence of the Lambs” when Hannibal Lector strikes a “Quid Pro Quo” deal with Agent Clarice Starling of the FBI.

I clearly remember sitting there and wondering what on earth “Quid Pro Quo” means? It’s Latin for “Something In Return”.

The lesson is that people have a built-in sense of fairness. If you take without giving, they will instinctively back away, feeling exploited. Whatever call to action you employ, the website visitor or prospective customer must feel they are getting something in return. It’s even better when they feel that they are getting more than they are giving.

A free ebook download when they subscribe to your newsletter or sign up for a webinar will tilt the scales in their favour, and they will love you for it.

So, what’s the takeaway for website designers?
Make your visitor feel something by using graphics that stimulate the senses. Get the blood going with exciting content and a sense of urgency. Do it now! And finally, give value to create connection and trust.

In other words: first comes the feels, then the pressure, then the sharing.

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