PET Design Leverages the Science of Persuasion, Emotion, and Trust

 3 Responses »
Aug 162011
 

What is PET Design?

PET DesignThanks to Sherryl Perry of Keep Up The Web for sharing a video on PET Design that I immediately jumped on because of my interest and background in Psychology, human behavior, and how it relates to business.

So what is PET Design? “Rooted in psychology, PET design uses research-based techniques to leverage the science of Persuasion, Emotion, and Trust to make websites more engaging, compelling, and effective. This innovative methodology complements classic usability, empowering companies to achieve their business goals.” (Source)

Designing around the user-experience just makes sense. After all, your end-user is your target market. It is well known that Emotions Drive Buying Decisions. How your target reacts to your content/messages has a direct effect on your bottom line. Will they make a purchase or not?

People like to do business with people they know, like, and trust. This is whole rationale behind relationship building, reputation management, and social media. So doesn’t it make sense to design your websites, marketing materials, advertisements, etc. around the user-experience to be persuasive, leverage emotion, and to increase your credibility by gaining your target market’s trust and loyalty?

PET Design is a scientific, research-based process that is beyond the scope and pocket books of many small business owners. BUT, the concept is in perfect alignment with what we, as small business owners, must be sure to do and that is establish relationships through social media, build trust by being transparent, interactive, and engaging, and Don’t Underestimate the Value of a Relationship.

Below is a video about PET design. It is on the long side, but because I am interested in the topic, it held my attention – a perfect example of the “end-user experience”.  What I find interesting and what holds my attention, might not be the same content that holds your attention. Now over to you. Do you agree that businesses need to take the end-user experience into account?

Who Has a Longer Memory – an Elephant or the Internet?

 23 Responses »
Apr 262011
 

Did You Know that Elephants are More Intelligent than Humans?Elephant

Yup, that is what the scientists tell us.

The elephant brain is denser than the human’s, and the temporal lobes, associated with memory, are more developed than in humans. Elephant’s lobes also have more foldings, so that they can store more information. That’s why elephants have excellent memory.” (source). So here is the question, what has a better memory, the elephant or the Internet?

This post is actually following up on a comment by Rick Lelchuk about personal responsibility and how the onus of this responsibility falls on the individual. He used the memory of the Internet as an example, meaning if someone uses bad judgment once and blurts out something online without thinking of the long and far-reaching consequences of this action, it will haunt them for a very long time – because the Internet remembers.

I have heard of many specific examples where people are suffering from these unwanted consequences of “bad” Internet behavior – some not even by choice. One woman in particular was mentioned in an article about a scandalous case when she actually had nothing to do with the case; she came on the scene after the incident. This is actually not an example of personal responsibility, as she had nothing to do with it, but it is a good example of the very long memory of the Internet. Her name still appears on the first page in Google, and although it doesn’t say anything negative about her, we all know about “guilt by association”. Couple that with the fact that many people don’t read beyond the first paragraph or so and tend to make judgments based on perhaps only half of the facts. How many times have you heard someone say, “I read a review about such-and-such and it proves the product (or service) is crappy’, yet if you check out the same review, you might often find the second, third, fourth, etc. reviews are actually positive?

Take another example of someone losing their cool online and acting unprofessionally – as we have all seen. This person’s comment will be showing up in Google for a lot longer than he or she will appreciate – no doubt. There are reputation management companies out there specifically for the purposes of managing and/or helping re-build business’ reputation. Have you seen examples of people saying something online that has left its mark on their reputation? No names please :)

Don’t Underestimate the Value of a Relationship

 9 Responses »
Aug 272010
 

relationshipsAs consumers we are continually bombarded by ads, emails, mailers, and phone calls about the latest and greatest. How do we decide which ones to pay attention to and which ones to ignore?

In the same vein, how can the small business owner expect his/her marketing message and value proposition to stand out amongst the masses? The answer lies in using effective marketing techniques and differentiators in order to be as unique as possible. The higher the competition of a particular industry, the more difficult this becomes. One would be hard pressed to find many industries that are not saturated these days, unless it is a very unique and highly targeted business.

In addition to using creative and innovative messaging, small business owners should keep in mind the value of the relationships they build. The Internet and the use of social media have created a totally transparent society in that what one does and says is more often than not, broadcasted across the World Wide Web – especially if it is something negative. As the old adage states: “Bad news travels fast”. Reputation management has become an increasingly important area of concern for business owners – as it should be.

It is pretty much accepted by all that people like to do business with people they know. Think about it. How often do you ask people you know to refer you to a doctor, hair dresser, painter, or landscaper? How often do you hire someone to perform a service you need because you either know that person or know someone else who knows that person?

So, in the end, who gets the business? The person you know – either directly or through someone else. If you ask many self-employed folk how they found their first customers, you will find that most of them are from people they know.

Even in a world where technology is advancing at a rate close to the speed of light, basic principles of human nature and business prevail. Reputation and relationships matter.


Transparency Leads to Trust and Customer Loyalty

 No Responses »
May 022010
 

honestGone are the days of companies keeping secrets from their customers and prospective customers if they want to remain competitive in today's world of the Internet.

In the olden days, it was not uncommon for companies to be more secretive of their goals, objectives, and financial data – because they could.

Today, with so much information readily available to anyone with an Internet connection, companies are better off being transparent because if they try to hide information, the public is going to find out about it anyway either by trying your product/service or by hearing about it in some form on the web.

This transparency can create loyalty and a sense of trust by customers and potential customers. People want to do business with companies they know and trust. What does this really mean? It means that when marketing your business, it would be in your best interest to be up-front and honest about your product or service. What would be the point of being dishonest in your marketing messages? You will eventually be found out and then will lose credibility.

Coach Nadir of Growth by Design in The Value of Disclosure explains how disclosure generates customer loyalty and reduces misunderstandings. Read Coach Nadir's full article here.