Ben Stroup

Is content marketing more of an art or a science? You could argue either I guess, but I’m not interested in doing that today. Instead, I want to discuss a few ways that brands can leverage psychology in their content marketing strategy to improve their communication with both new and existing customers.

A few weeks ago, I ran across this incredible infograph on ChurchMag that highlighted 10 ways to convert more customers using psychology. While these 10 rigorously tested research studies provided interesting insights into persuading customers to say “yes”, I couldn’t help but consider how some of them applied directly to the approaches we take in our content marketing efforts.

Whether you perceive your content strategy to be a scientific formula that drives leads or an art that builds relationships with customers, there are a two primary lessons inspired the social science of psychology that we could use to improve our overall content marketing efforts:

Playing Devil’s Advocate Pays Off

The Infograph highlights research that found when groups of people have their ideas questioned; they actually increase their confidence in their original stance.

Chances are your potential customers might have questions or concerns about your product or services. Why not use content to leverage those questions by being your own devil’s advocate and back up typical objections with solutions to dismiss your customers concerns. Case Studies are an excellent opportunity to play Devil’s advocate with your customer’s questions.

“Surprise reciprocity” does more than peak interest

What’s the number one thing that creates loyal customers? No surprise, it’s rewarding them for being great customers. Better yet, there is an even more powerful form available for brands to use: the act of creating surprise reciprocity.

While the study highlighted in the article was conducted in 1987, the implications remain the same: it doesn’t take much to start the process of reciprocity, even the smallest of favors allow goodwill to be “bought” with customers, increasing loyalty and retention.

In a day where we can publish content faster than ever before, creating this surprise reciprocity through content marketing is easy and affordable. Using your content to highlight customers not only communicates how other customers are benefitting from your product or service, it gives you the opportunity to make your customers feel valued and important. Don’t think of it as a “case study” as an opportunity to explain to your audience how awesome your customer is because of the work that they’re doing.

Understanding psychology’s role in the buying process can help us define our content strategy to answer the questions of potential customers and cultivate a brand affinity with current customers.

Which psychology lessons from the infograph intrigued you the most? Are there any others that we can use to improve our content marketing strategies?

Jeremy Chandler is social media director at Ben Stroup Enterprises and  jumps at any opportunity to connect with others. You can connect with him on Twitter, LinkedIn,Facebook, or Google+.