How can posting memes on social media be as effective as traditional marketing techniques? Here we analyze the psychology of inbound marketing and reveal what makes content so persuasive in the consumer journey.

1. LESSON 2

2. WHY CONTENT WORKS: Understanding
the Psychology Of Inbound
CODE OF CONTENT

3. How can posting on social media be
more effective than our tried and
true advertising techniques?

4. The power of content marketing is hidden
within the principles of persuasion outlined
in Robert Ciadini’s book, Influence.

5. RECIPROCITY

6. As humans, we have a deeply
ingrained instinct to repay a debt.

7. As Cialdini says: “You have to go first. Give
something: give information, give free samples,
give a positive experience to people and they
will want to give you something in return.”

8. People who receive a free, unexpected
gift are more likely to listen to a
product’s features, donate to a cause,
or tip a waiter more money.

9. The gifts don’t even have to be expensive
or material; information and favors are
enough to sway people.

10. AUTHORITY

11. People like to follow the lead of
experts and are more willing to
do business with someone who's
viewed as an Authority figure.

12. Advertisers have long
understood this
principle. And this is
why celebrity
endorsements are so
prevalent in
commercials.
Marketers know we are
more apt to buy things
from people we
respect and look up to.

13. Don’t worry, you won’t have to shell out
millions of dollars to get a celebrity
sponsor. Establishing authority is one of
the primary benefits of content marketing.

14. By providing thought-leadership content for your
niche you can become the go-to resource on that
subject and establish yourself as an influencer.

15. Once you have that Authority backing you up,
your sales pitch becomes more trustworthy,
and selling becomes much easier.

16. CONSISTENCY

17. People naturally want their actions to be
consistent with their values and past behavior.

18. One way to take advantage of this
principle, is to get people to make
small commitments up front.

19. If you can get people
to follow you on
social media, share
your content, and
subscribe to your
newsletter your brand
will start to fall in line
with their self-image.

20. Once this happens, it’ll trigger an
urge to do business with you
because your brand is helping them
express and shape their self-identity.

21. LIKABILITY

22. No fancy, psychological mumbo jumbo
for this principle. We do business and
spend time with people we like.

23. In essence, people are more likely to
favor those who are similar to
themselves, or who give them things.

24. While this principle is dead simple, the implications
for content marketing is huge. While advertisements
often annoy and inspire disconnection, creative
content engages, adds value, and inspires connection.

25. If you share your interests, connect with your
audience, and give people a good experience
it’ll breed a positive association with your brand.

26. Over time this builds relationships,
establishes trust, and will make people much
more willing to go into business with you.

27. The key is that you freely give
away true, tangible value BEFORE
asking for anything in return.

28. If you do this, they’ll
feel subconsciously
indebted to you,
start to view you as
an authority figure,
and begin to
genuinely like you.

29. Once you have these psychological
principles working for you, selling
your services is a piece of cake.

30. Now that we've
covered the why, it's
time to get into the
how. In the next
lesson, we'll get to the
bottom of how to
create epic content by
studying the power of
emotional content.