Meanwhile, it turns out that swear words might make you more persuasive.

So reports Noah Goldstein in the latest Inside Influence report (a free and worthwhile subscription if you’re interested in marketing and copywriting).

Just one minor swear word can make the difference

Apparently, research shows that—at least for speakers delivering presentations—obscenities can increase the perception of passion and enthusiasm. 

Goldstein reports that social psychologists Cory Scherer and Brad Sagarin had participants watch a taped five-minute speech.

For half the audience, the speaker uttered the phrase "damn it!"—once. For the other half, the presentation was kid-television friendly.

The result? Participants found the speaker more passionate about the topic and more persuasive when uttering the obscenity.

Experiment (carefully) with tame obscenities in your content

Does that mean your website content should read like a Chris Rock monologue?

Not necessarily. Goldstein notes two important factors: the swear word was tame, and it worked best for people who already agreed somewhat with the speaker.

The takeaway?

Experiment first with minor swear words (like "damn" and "hell") to people with whom you already have a relationship (like those on your mailing list).

Otherwise, you might find yourself swearing up a storm when sensitive prospects and customers give you the finger.

So, think you’ll give swear words a try in your marketing?

The concept, borrowed from neurolinguistic programming, is a form of emotional reframing called "meta-states." Developed by L. Michael Hall, it describes a process all too common to human experience.

Have you ever been angry with yourself for being jealous? Or upset with yourself for feeling anxious? When this happens, the emotions become intertwined and difficult to unravel.

So why bother?

Wrap it up

Since emotions become wrapped in other emotions, instead of trying to pull negative emotions apart, you can just wrap them all up in a positive emotion.

It sounds kind of crazy, but try it. Think about being happy about being depressed. Maybe you’re happy because it gives you time to reflect. Or because it gives you a new perspective on life. Or because you know you’ll look back on it from happier times and they’ll feel even better.

Whatever the justification, you can wrap up just about any negative emotion in a positive emotion, which provides a complete emotional reframing.

But negative emotions aren’t all you can wrap up in positive emotions.

Higher and higher

When writing copy, we often try to get prospects excited at our offer. Ideally, so excited that they follow our call to action.

Rarely, however, does copy compel readers to higher and higher states. Usually, it’s enough to suggest one. For example:

Relax knowing that our widget will take care of your problem.

But applying the principle of meta-states, we don’t have to accept just one positive emotion. We can wrap them up to increase interest and excitement:

Feel safer when you relax knowing that widget will take care of your problem.

Best yet, there’s almost no limit to how many positive emotions you can intertwine:

People will wonder why you’re so happy when you feel it’s safe to relax, knowing that widget will take care of your problem.

I’m first to admit these aren’t the best examples, but hopefully they convey the point.

And hopefully they make you at least a little curious about how much fun you can have with emotional matrioshka.

Establishing such relationships is infinitely easier when interactions are face-to-face. But if you’re selling online, you may never meet your customers in person.

So how do you build enough rapport to make a sale when you can’t smile at someone or shake their hand?

One technique that direct-mail copywriters and subsequently internet marketers have used for decades is to give away valuable free content.

It eliminates barriers to response, demonstrates your expertise and starts a relationship on a firm footing.

And, as a new study shows, it lets you powerfully engage the rule of reciprocity.

Why you should give to get

Ever find yourself smiling back at a complete stranger, just because they smiled at you first?

Ever accepted a follow-up appointment with a door-to-door salesperson for a product you didn’t want in the first place?

Blame the rule of reciprocity.

In his book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, social psychologist Robert Cialdini explains  that we’re hard-wired to repay someone when we receive a gift.

Study after study has shown that this works in face-to-face interactions, which has obvious implications for marketing and sales.

But does it also work online, when nobody’s looking? For example, if someone downloads free content that you created, or takes you up on a free offer, are they equally obliged?

Researcher Jerry Burger and his colleagues from the Department of Psychology at Santa Clara University have shown that the answer is yes.

We’ll even repay a gift when we believe our response is anonymous.

It works when nobody’s watching

As recently reported, Burger asked participants to take part in a “personality and perception skills” test—a cover for the actual study testing the powers of reciprocity.

During the study, one of the research assistants, acting as a fellow study participant, gave certain participants an unexpected gift—a bottle of water.

In another instance, the research assistant didn’t hand out bottles of water to anyone.

At the end of test, Burger asked half the participants to complete a survey and return it a few days later. He also told them that the gift-giving participant would be present on that day.

The remaining half of participants were asked to leave the survey anonymously in a drop-off box.

The result? Hugely significant (especially to marketers).

Many more people who were given a bottle of water completed and returned the survey compared to the group that was not given a bottle of water (30% vs 5%).

And importantly, the people who believed their response would be anonymous were just as likely to return the survey as those who believed that their act of repayment would be witnessed.

How to use reciprocity online

So, how do you put these findings into practice?

Here’s how you can turn a free, valuable gift into an ongoing relationship and, ultimately, sales:

1. Offer prospects a gift that has value. If you’re selling car audio systems online, for example, offer a free e-book that reviews the top 10 products for the year.
2. Ask for your prospect’s name and email address in exchange for the gift. Because of reciprocity, they’ll be much more willing to give you their information. (Just remember to let them know they’re giving you permission to contact them in the future.)
3. Send your prospect a follow-up email to further establish rapport. Introduce yourself, use your prospect’s first name and write your message in a warm, friendly tone.
4. Continue to engage reciprocity and cement your relationship with your prospect by giving away tips, tools and advice.
5. Offer your prospect your product or service. Because you’ve established a relationship and engaged reciprocity, your prospect is more likely to become a happy customer.
6. Practice good content optimization and constantly test and tweak to improve your results.

And let us know: have you ever used reciprocity in your campaigns?

Leave a comment and tell us how well it worked!

But there’s always more you can do to make your message believable—even if your marketing budget won’t foot the bill for a celebrity or expert endorsement.

For creating credible content on the cheap, Chip and Dan Heath, authors of the fascinating book Made to Stick, offer the following tricks.

Each will bolster your message without breaking the bank.

Cite an antiauthority

Let’s face it: People are wary of authorities.

Experts—even the ones who didn’t just play doctors on television—can be bought and sold.

But an antiauthority—someone like Pam Laffin, who starred in a series of incredibly successful anti-smoking ads in the 90s—can slice through cynicism.

Pam wasn’t a doctor. Or a scientist. But she did happen to be dying of emphysema.

And who could disagree with that?

So the next time you need an authoritative voice, remember that it doesn’t always take an accredited expert to truly understand a subject.

Sometimes, you just need someone who will silence even the most cynical skeptic.

Put it to the Sinatra test

The Sinatra test takes inspiration from the lyric "If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere."

In other words, since I’ve already done this, I can definitely handle that.

For instance, if you handle the security for Fort Knox, you can probably protect someone’s home from burglars.

The trick, then, is to provide an example so potent that its credibility covers your current claim.

If you’re looking to land a new opportunity or create a new message, comb through what you’ve already proven for something that covers your current goal or claim. 

Include relatable details

Ever heard an urban legend? Or maybe a ghost story?

Well, if your storyteller was any good, chances are they included a local detail that made the fiction hit a little closer to home.

Like the name of a nearby road—or an empty building that everyone’s heard of.

Because if even a small part of an idea is believable, it spills over onto the rest.

So once you know your audience, reel them in with something they can relate to and verify.

And the rest of your message will become just as believable.

Make it vivid

Statistics.

Bored yet?

Me too, so let’s look at a way to make numbers matter.

In the 80s, a group called Beyond War realized that scary statistics about nuclear arms did nothing to galvanize action.

Their solution?

Drive the message home with a format people can feel.

Rather than reciting quadruple-digit numbers that no one could cling to, they made their point by emptying 5,000 BBs—one for every warhead in the world—into a steel bucket.

The ping of each drop—and the time it took to drop them—made that number vivid.

And a once-slippery statistic became decidedly sticky.

You should never expect a statistic to stick. Instead, always make your numbers vivid by putting them in personal terms.

Humanize the scale

Scientists recently discovered that the average polar bear covers a range of 260,000 square kilometers in its lifetime.

Huh?

Sure, it’s a big number. But will anyone remember it in five minutes?

Let’s try again.

Scientists recently discovered that the average polar bear covers an area the size of Wyoming in its lifetime.

People have a general idea of what this means, so they’re more likely to find it credible.

Don’t make people grasp at your message.

Instead, place it within a human scale.

Because big numbers won’t mean anything outside of someone’s pre-existing schema.

Challenge your audience

Tossing around terms like "scientifically proven" and "double-blind study" might lend credibility.

But so will saying, "See for yourself."

In other words, let your audience be your guinea pigs by challenging them to prove you wrong.

The brothers Heath offer a great example from President Reagan’s 1980 debate with Jimmy Carter.

He didn’t quote statistics about unemployment and interest rates—all of which were on his side.

He simply asked, "Are you better off now than you were four years ago?"

And that was all it took.

He didn’t work to prove anything to the audience. He made them prove it to themselves.

And you can do the same—if you trust your audience enough to let them try to disagree.

When you’re writing for the web, credibility makes all the difference.

So, what’s your credibility challenge? Post it below, and we’ll try to provide more advice in future posts.

But as successful copywriters know, there’s always the risk of going too far and losing credibility—making an offering appear too good to be true. So what can you do if you want to keep the sell but lose the suspicion?

Enter the "damaging admission." Disclose a flaw—or even the appearance of a flaw—and your offering becomes more believable. In fact, a damaging admission can be so powerful as to make make even your most over-the-top superlatives go down like sugar.

Drop their shields

Why does it work?

As you can relate, prospects are naturally defensive because they know you’re trying to sell something. To persuade them, you need to gain trust. And you can’t do that with over-the-top rhetoric.

Psychologists know that trust is integral to influence. Honesty—or the perception of honesty—goes a long way to building this trust. Studies show that being and acting trustworthy—such as by showing vulnerability and admitting a weakness—is essential for marketing.

And, as we all know, once you lose trust, it’s almost impossible to get it back.

Make the connection

So go ahead and list your offering’s benefits. Then ground your sales pitch by admitting minor shortcomings.

When you use a damaging admission correctly, it actually strengthens your copy. Not only do you earn prospects’ trust by showing that you can voluntarily make an honest disclosure, you also create opportunities to reveal influential information.

Consequently, your admission should tie in directly with a key selling point of your product or service.

For example, your product may be the most expensive on the market—but its quality and craftsmanship are second to none. Or perhaps your company is the smallest in your industry—but no competitors work as hard as you at customer service.

List your flaws

To come up with a damaging admission, list all the flaws or shortcomings of your product or service. Be honest! If they exist, you can be sure your customers think about them.

Next, compile a list of benefits, value-adds and special features.

Finally, see if you can correlate the two lists to create opportunities to highlight your favorite selling points. Just make sure that your disclosure is credible and not too severe—nothing that would offset the value of your offering or lead to a lawsuit.

For example:

• We know our gizmos are the most expensive on the market. But their durability will save you money in the long-run.
• Sure, we’re less famous than the competition. But if you value proven techniques and strategies over self-promotion, perhaps we should talk.
• If you’re looking for a big-time Hollywood set designer, you’ve come to the wrong place. But if you need the job done right and affordably, read on.

Will such damaging admissions work for you?

Well, they might not turn every prospect into a long-term customer. But if you start using them now, you’ll soon find yourself surprised at how effectively they build trust, increase compliance and convince customers of your honest-to-goodness greatness.

Or do we?

Yes, prospects often bring their misconceptions and biases along with them, but when used effectively, the right words can have a powerful effect on changing opinions and perceptions.

The challenge of changing a potential customer’s point of view can seem like a daunting task. Attitudes and behavior patterns can be fairly difficult to change once people have latched on to them. The trick is to change the way in which they perceive the issue.  

In the parlance of the copywriter, this is what’s referred to as reframing. When used effectively, reframing can work to restore a customer’s confidence and trust in your client and their offerings. It can be used to resolve conflicts, make the competition look bad and as a way to change the context or representation of a problem.

Reframing is a technique that takes an undesirable behavior or trait and re-spins it with a positive intention. The key is to discover and then implement a desirable alternative perspective that naturally leads to a change in opinion–which will in turn lead to a change in behavior.

One way to do this is to identify the negative belief and work your copy such that the perspective is challenged on the basis of evidence. Show your prospects some facts that directly challenge the belief you’re trying to quash. You can also reframe an experience or opinion in a more realistic or positive light. Psychotherapists use this exact technique to help their patients eliminate irrational beliefs.

There are six steps to an effective reframe. But before you apply these steps it’s important to remember that every behavior has a positive intention, and that any undesirable behavior a person has will also have a positive benefit behind it–often unconsciously.

The steps are:

1. Identify the behavior or attitude that requires change
2. Set up a communication with the part causing the undesired behavior or attitude
3. Identify the positive intention behind the behavior
4. Generate a number of possible alternative behaviors that will equally satisfy the same intent
5. Choose your three favorite replacement behaviors
6. Check to see if there is any other internal conflict regarding the change

A simple way to implement this strategy is to create a list of all the reasons why a prospect wouldn’t want to buy your product or service. Then, come up with an effective reframe and weave your magical words to establish the new context.

Also, when it comes to reframing it is often important to tap into a person’s reasoning centers. Use this insight to get them on side with you. This can be achieved by using ‘yes’ sequences in which a series of questions are asked that the customer would most certainly respond to affirmatively.

For example, "Are you tired of expensive service fees?," or "Do you want to increase the effectiveness of your copywriting?" It becomes far easier to change someone’s mind when they’re constantly agreeing with you — even if the questions are somewhat rhetorical.

So, if you agree with me, then reframing will make all the difference in turning your old and unpersuasive copy into a powerful force in changing the behaviors and attitudes of your prospects.

While slender, the book didn’t disappoint. Cohen provides some brilliant little tips that magicians use to dazzle audiences. For more persuasive copy, one section in particular stands out, describing 10 linguistic tricks magicians use to manipulate. Tada, like magic, here they are:

1. Layer commands to increase compliance: Why do magicians say, "Take this card and and hold it for everyone to see" instead of just, "Hold this card up for everyone to see?" Because when you give multiple commands, people are more likely to follow, since their brain gets befuddled about which command they might be able to negate. So don’t just tell people, "Click this link." Tell them, "Click this link and read more about influencing behavior." The pattern:
   1. [Command] and [command].
2. Use a trailing "or…" to make people fill in the blanks: Magicians often force people to fill in blanks with their imagination. This includes through the use of a trailing "or…" For example: "Now that you know about  magic words, are you going to ignore what you’ve learned, or…" When people use their own imagination to picture doing something, they’re more likely to consider it their own idea, and to subsequently make that idea reality. The pattern:
   1. Now that you understand [benefit], are you going to [undesired action] or…?
3. Use "because" to justify action: Bizarrely, simply giving the semblance of justification causes people to take more action. For example, studies show that when people ask others to use a photocopier, they’re more likely to get ahead in line if they say, "Can I use the photocopier because I need to make some copies" than if they simply say, "Can I use the photocopier." Of course, they’ve provided no further justification, just the appearance of one, which appears to be often enough. So provide justification in your copy because you should really make use of this tendency. The pattern:
   1. [Command] because [justification].
4. Give the appearance of inside information: Everyone loves gossip and secrets, possibly because they can yield advantages, hence we’re socially or biologically compelled to consume such information. Exploit it. Because, if I can share a secret, we use it regularly for our clients and–while I really shouldn’t be sharing this–it gets tremendous results. Some examples:
   1. Let me tell you a secret…
   2. I shouldn’t really tell you this, but…
   3. Promise that you won’t tell anyone about this, okay?
5. Use a moving-away motivational strategy: People hate to lose stuff more than they want to gain stuff. So, while it’s useful to describe potential benefits customers can derive from products, it’s often more powerful to describe benefits they’ll miss out on.  For example, "If you don’t start using magic words in your copy, you won’t see the dramatic increases in conversions for which they can be responsible." Some patterns:
   1. If you don’t [command] then you won’t [benefit].
   2. If you’re not serious about [benefit], then [offering] might not be for you.
   3. This may not be the right [type of offering] for you. It just might provide too much [benefit].
6. Use people’s names: It sounds obvious, but too few marketers make use of the principal. People’s names are like a drug; inject them into your copy and watch readers’ eyes light up and their brain tune in. Want proof? Next time you want someone’s attention, put their name in the email subject line and watch how fast they respond. The somewhat obvious pattern:
   1. [Name], [message].
7. Use "don’t" to get "do": I’ve read, mainly in neurolinguistic programming texts, that the brain can’t process a negative. And I’m inclined to believe it. Want proof? Don’t picture me writing this article while sitting at the computer in my briefs. Inevitably, you did. (And hopefully it was a good experience.) Try it in your copy. For example, "Don’t click this link unless you want to learn more neurolinguistic tricks to power your sales." The pattern:
   1. Don’t [command] unless you want [benefit].
8. Assume the obvious: As you already know, getting people to believe what you tell them is essential to advertising. You realize, of course, that one method of accomplishing this feat is assuming they already know what you want them to think. This either bypasses their conscious mind, causing them to absorb the information without question, or makes them feel left out, causing them to make a conscious decision to accept your words (if you’ve built enough authority) as truth.  Some patterns:
   1. As I’m sure you know…
   2. You realize, of course…
   3. After all…
   4. You probably know that…
   5. I’m sure you realize…
   6. You must have heard that…
   7. By now you already know…
9. Use qualifiers to avoid rejection: How great would it be if you applied magic words to your copy? Possibly not great at all (although I challenge you to produce poorer results while applying these tips), but using a qualifier rather than asking a binary question prevents you from considering that option. How awesome will it be when you use qualifiers in your own copy? The pattern:
   1. How [benefit] will you be when you [command]?

And there you have it, reader. Nine tricks you can use right now to create a little marketing magic, accelerate conversions and rocket your sales.

So suggests Robert Cialdini in Influence, the classic book on persuasion first published in 1984 and republished this year. On a recent trip, I bagged a new copy and became immediately engrossed. Cialdini takes readers on a journey through the psychology of persuasion, demonstrating through facts and anecdotes how we’re easily manipulated—and easy to manipulate—through the application of six psychological "weapons of influence": reciprocation, commitment and consistency, social proof, liking, authority and scarcity.

Reading the book, it dawned on me that we employ few of these weapons in interactive marketing. To help change that, here’s an overview of Cialdini’s weapons, followed by an example of how we can use them to profit online:

Reciprocation

Ever wonder why charities give trinkets such as address labels and keychain identifiers? Because they know a seemingly simple yet astoundingly powerful fact: when you give people a gift, they’re far more likely to comply with future requests. More than twice as likely, some studies show. Why? We have a built-in need to balance social favors. It’s unconscious, reflexive and difficult to turn off, because it works so well in most circumstances. Takeaway: Give gifts to increase compliance.

Commitment and consistency

Beware that seemingly innocuous petition. When we commit ourselves to even the smallest position, our commitments can quickly snowball out of control. Why? Because we all have a strong drive for self-consistency. Telemarketers for charitable organizations know this. If they get you on the phone, they may first ask, "How are you doing today?" You might respond with a simple, "Great, thank you." Prepare to be exploited. "I’m glad to hear that you’re doing great, because some people less fortunate could use your help." Can you now say that you’re not doing so well? Takeaway: Get commitment to increase action.

Social proof

Imagine the power goes out in your neighborhood while you’re driving home, causing traffic lights to flash only red. As you and other drivers approach them in this uncertain situation, what do you do? Of course, you all look to each other, trying to see what everyone else is doing. This behavior happens throughout your life, only rarely at such a conscious level. We constantly look to others for social proof, to know what’s correct behavior. The more unfamiliar or uncertain the situation, the more we’ll seek social proof. Women will know another example. Why are unfamiliar guys usually more attractive when they’re with other women, and usually less attractive when they’re alone in a corner? Bingo: social proof, because in the former case they’ve been validated. Takeaway: Use social proof to convince people of appropriate behavior towards your offering.

Liking

As a kid, my family had lots of Tupperware. But we generally weren’t big consumers. How did Tupperware do it? By exploiting the liking principle, which states that people are more inclined to do things for those they like. Tupperware party hosts invite friends, who buy product in large part because the host receives a percentage of the sales. So my mom wasn’t helping a faceless corporation; she was helping a good buddy. Takeaway: Get people acting for friends rather than faceless corporations. (And, of course, learn to make people like you.)

Authority

Perhaps one of the most frightening weapons of influence is authority, because we’re programmed to obey. Most of us know about Stanley Milgram’s experiments, in which about 65% of subjects would shock someone to near death simply because a researcher demanded. You may be less familiar with numerous medical errors stemming from deference to doctor authority, including a case where a nurse placed ear drops in a patient’s anus because the physician had scripted "R ear," which she misinterpreted as "rear" rather than "right ear," and never questioned. This same deference applies in marketing. So much so that even those who just play doctors on TV actually, and oddly, gain authority in the public mind to provide medical advice. Takeaway: Have an authority—or in some cases even pseudo-authority—tell people what to do and they’ll be far more likely to do it.

Scarcity

After reading this far, how would you act if you knew this article would be permanently deleted from the web tomorrow? Would you be more or less likely to save it or print it? The scarcity principle suggests that you would be far more likely. (Assuming, of course, you found it valuable, and didn’t just read this far because you like my prose.) Furthermore, it notes that people are far more concerned about losing freedoms than gaining freedoms. For example, "Pay your bill or lose your telephone connection in three days" is far more likely to prompt action than "Pay your bill to continue your telephone connection past the next three days," even though both essentially communicate the same information. Takeaway: Limit access to heighten demand.

So, how might we pull these influencers together for the interactive world?

Let’s imagine we were launching a new cell phone company. Perhaps one that wouldn’t charge more to call a friend than it would cost to drive and visit him in person. We could set up a website as follows, assuming a relatively unlimited budget:

1. Reciprocation: Give all visitors a valuable download for simply visiting the site. Such as a $5 gift certificate at Tim Horton’s, since we all love coffee, and there are more Timmies in Canada than trees. The reciprocation principle suggests that visitors will now be far more likely to comply with your next request—particularly if you don’t make it a tit-for-tat request.
2. Commitment and consistency: After visitors download their coupon, give them the option of completing a survey on their current cell phone provider. Say that this survey is simply to gain information for building a better cell phone company. But be sure to ask questions that get participants to admit negative aspects of their current service provider, and positive aspects of switching. For example, "How well does your cell phone provider listen to your needs?" And of course, "Would you consider another cell phone provider if the service offered better quality at more affordable prices?" Once visitors complete this survey, most of them will likely have committed to the identity of someone who is interested in a new cell phone provider. The commitment and consistency principle suggests that they are now ready to be snowballed into switching.
3. Social proof: Is this a company you should switch to? Well, how many other people have switched? Give people an answer in the form of a regularly updated counter showing how many people have switched to date, along with selected testimonials. You can even use this counter in other media, such as billboards. Since the company is new, and therefore uncertain, the social proof principle suggests that this could be essential in spurring rapid switching, since it would show that others have done so successfully.
4. Liking: After visitors have completed their survey, encourage them to tell their friends about the site. Tell them that for each friend who visits the site—even if they don’t complete the survey—they will receive an entry in a contest. Reiterate this in the email to their friend: "Give your buddy another chance to win Big Prize, and pick up a free $5 Tim Horton’s gift certificate just for stopping by! All it takes is a click. Take a spit-second to visit now!" The liking principle states that each friend will want to visit not only for the coupon, but also to help their friend win a prize.
5. Authority: In order to drive home the point about saving money, the campaign should be associated with an authority figure in this area. While it might seem crazy, I would suggest a former federal auditor general, perhaps the well-known Sheila Fraser once her current stint is over. Why? If a former auditor general tells you, unequivocally, that you could save money by switching to the new company, you’d believe it. You could further drive this point home by offering a "Sheila Saver" calculator on the website to let people see just how much they could actually save. The authority principle, of course, states that Fraser will spur action, particularly since she doesn’t just play an auditor general on TV.
6. Scarcity: Finally, we could motivate more rapid switching by providing a limited-time incentive, and positioning it as either a negative or positive. "Switch by September 30 and avoid provider-exchange fees" or "Switch by September 30 and receive a free Apple iPhone."

Think it would it work? As your friend, I say: go ahead and try some of these ideas I’m giving away free. As an authority on the subject, Cialdini would likely agree. But be sure to act now, before someone else beats you to it.

This article was first published in One Degree