How to use the Liking Principle for more Conversions

Gaining more conversions is something that every business owner with an online presence should be focused on. In that regard, today we wanted to discuss how to use the Liking Principle for more conversions. As a top web development company, we understand the value of each and every conversion along with an array of principles and strategies that can be employed within the design of your website to increase your conversion rates.

After all, you do want more conversions, right?

What is the Liking Principle?

The idea of the Liking Principle is originally attributed to Robert Cialdini who is a well-known author and professor of psychology, marketing and business with an impressive teaching resume. Many of his best concepts combine psychology and marketing.

The Liking Principle is fairly simple; we are more likely to comply with requests made by people that we like.

In the case of the requests, it does not matter if they come from close friends, family or even complete strangers. The Liking Principle is the reason why recommendations from family and friends carry so much weight with our decisions such making a purchase of an item they have already purchased.

It happens all the time in the real world. Let’s say you really like and drive a particular style of car such as a Ford Mustang. When you pull up next to another Mustang in the parking lot to you approve of its driver slightly more than if they were driving a minivan? More than likely the answer is yes because that person shares your good taste in cars which shows similarity.

Conversely if you are a car aficionado and someone drives up in a brand you really dislike you are often negatively inclined towards that person. You see this happen often in politics where people of one party seem to indiscriminately dislike anyone of the opposite party for no reason other than choice of party which then automatically aligns them with values associated with that group, whether it is true or not.

The Liking Principle can be used to help conversions on your website if you can create a connection between your business and potential customers to increase their affinity towards you, much like with the owner of that Mustang.

Showcasing a Connection

So how do you showcase a connection between yourself and your customers? First and foremost the connection needs to be natural and honest. People who attempt duplicity in advertising are often ostracized when the truth comes out, which it inevitably does.

Secondly the connection needs to be clear. The most common method of creating the connection is to showcase how a particular product relates to activities. Certain products or services have it easier than others in this regard. Gatorade just trots out athletes who utilize their product for better performance and recovery.

But what about concepts related to your product? If you sell high-end watches then you are also selling the ideas of quality and style along with sophistication. Those are all ideas that you would or could share with your customers who either are looking for that or expect it.

Another idea is to simply try and resonate with a huge demographic that all share something, of which even a small percentage would be a big addition.

Examples in action:

• Yeti – Yeti is an Austin based company that producers insulated coolers and drink containers. When you visit their website you can instantly see how they foster a connection based on activities. While they do rotate images regularly, as of this writing they are showcasing a durable, outdoor gear bag held by someone in jeans and boots walking along in the outdoors. Other images they use show people using their drinkware while camping and doing other outdoor activities. For people who enjoy the outdoors, buying a product that works well in that environment and also in the car on the way to work is more appealing. Yeti focuses marketing on the outdoor lifestyle and the people who enjoy that lifestyle with the connection being the outdoors which is Yeti’s passion.
• Go Pro – Go Pro is one of the best examples of positioning a marketing plan to match the passion of the business owners to the passion of the target demographic. Again, on their website you will find a lot of people outdoors but in this case performing more active, adventurous activities. Their focus is on being able to record and share these amazing adventures, which was their point in creating the device in the first place.
• Tito’s – Recently Tito’s has made a marketing push around connecting to a huge demographic based on a shared passion; dogs. Did you know that Tito’s is vodka for dog people? Well if you visit their website you sure will! Their marketing plan is based around the universal appeal of dogs, which is brilliant. The owners of the company love dogs. They have opted to create an entire marketing campaign the focuses on dogs and that helps them resonate more easily with dog owners. Fun fact, there are about 42 million people in the US that consume vodka. About a third of US households have a dog. For those people who don’t already have a preferred brand, the dog connection alone should help spur more conversions for people who will at least try the product to see how it compares.

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is that you can use the Liking Principle for more conversions on your website. In some cases entire marketing plans are built around the idea and executed on a website with specific imagery, hashtags, and swag. It can also be as simple as showcasing owners and employees on About Pages of the website doing something like hiking and using their all-purpose backpacks in action. At the very least businesses should look into ways to showcase connections that result in conversions.

Be sure to check back every week for great new Lounge Lizard blog articles.