When you want someone to do something for you, how do you get them to do it?  You persuade them.  Persuasion, according to Wikipedia, is a form of social influence. It guides people towards the adoption of an idea or action by rational and symbolic means.  It is a problem-solving strategy that relies more on “appeal” versus strength.  Persuasion is quite different from the commonly confused “manipulation,” which is an extreme form of persuasion in which only one person benefits at the cost of another. 

How Persuasion is Achieved

There are several different methods of trying to persuade someone.  Usually these approaches are made by appealing to the following:

1. Appeal to Reason (ex: logic, rhetoric, scientific)
2. Appeal to Emotion (ex: advertising, faith, pity)
3. Aids to Persuasion (ex: body language, sales techniques, personality tests)
4. Coercive Techniques (ex: brainwashing, coercive techniques, mind control, torture)
5. Seduction
6. Other (deception, hypnosis, subliminal advertising)

Using Persuasive Technology in Internet Marketing

Persuasion isn’t about selling.  Persuasion isn’t about getting someone to do something for you.  At the heart of it all, persuasion is about communication.  It’s about reaching a shared understanding.  In the wonderful world of web marketing, persuasive technology combines traditional views of persuasion with modern technology in order to persuade a user to do something.  That “something” can range from anything such as buying a product to playing a game.  In order for persuasive technology to work, a web site has to be geared towards persuading a possible consumer.  This will only work if you have persuasive design, structure and copywriting.  If all of these things work together, then the effectiveness of the website will have a bigger impact on consumers.

Again, the main source of success stems from a general, shared understanding of what the consumer’s needs are.  By understanding what those needs are in conjunction with the business goals of that particular company, you can persuade an Internet user to go where you want them to go without being misleading- which will make both parties happy.

Tags: Internet Marketing, Using Technology //