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Liking Principle

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Have you ever noticed how often you let your favorite people decide things for you? Am I being over dramatic? No! Just think. Recall that moment when you changed a decision just because your best friend said otherwise? Just think of that moment when you switched brands just because it's your favorite celebrity’s brand? Or do you have any idea about the extent of the influence that your favorite fashion designer has laid on you? Are all these just mere coincidences? Of course not! This is the liking principle of human psychology working on you.

Table of contents:
  1. Psychology behind the Liking principle
  2. How exactly can we use the liking principle for Website Designing towards conversion rate Optimization?
    1. Compliment your customers
    2. Make your website appealing and beautiful
    3. Give you target consumers a sense of similarity and belonging through relevant influencer endorsement
    4. Embed a face to your customer support
  3. Conclusion
  4. Liking principle example

The Liking principle of human psychology is one of the key principles of persuasion about how our decisions are influenced by the people who we like or who we want to be like. This tendency of human psychology is widely used by online marketers to influence the buying behavior of their target audience to their favor. This is why we see a lot of celebrity endorsements all over the internet. Using the liking principle of psychology effectively not only will boost your sales but also increase the potential, loyal customers and word of mouth recommendations towards conversion rate Optimization (CRO).

Psychology behind the Liking principle

There are a few principles behind the liking theory that influence consumer behavior. According to Persuasion science, we like people who are similar to us, who compliment us, who work towards mutual goals just as us and obviously the availability of physical attractiveness. The key is to influence your target audience by approaching them through these characteristics.

How exactly can we use the liking principle for Website Designing towards conversion rate Optimization?

Compliment your customers

It's not a surprising fact that we love the people who honestly like us. The effect can be intensified when such people start complimenting us. Flattery is definitely heartwarming and will get you everywhere. It's time to complement your customers and encourage them toward your major goal online; Conversion Rate Optimization with right value. It's not a secret that compliments make our moods better and boost confidence a great deal. When your target audience feels confident, there is a high tendency that they will follow you right to the checkout.

How exactly can you compliment your audience? Send follow ups and be sure to congratulate your people on any recent task such as for making a purchase or for posting a review etc. When your customers take extra steps to post their reviews on you, make them feel that they matter regardless of the nature of the reviews published by them. Of course, you can enlighten the hearts of your target audience by making them eligible for promotions, discounts and even by granting access for special events. How not a person could like you when he or she is being given this level of respect from your business?

Make your website appealing and beautiful

Of Course, Physical attractiveness is another aspect of the liking principle of psychology. You have to admit that your website or the web store is your store front. As we judge a physical Store by the first impression it creates, we tend to judge anything that appears online through its first impression. For example, a beautifully crafted website is the first reason that makes people like you. Just like that, a website that creates an impression of confusion and overwhelm will definitely chase their customers away.

  • How exactly can you optimize the appearance of your website to make your target audience like you?
  • A deliberate intention should be put into consideration when choosing each and every element of your website.
  • Use the graphical content, content layout, fonts and colors to convey as much as information possible.
  • Be sure to use shapes, colors, angels and lines aligned with your brand identity.

Do you know that you customers have the ability to form an opinion about you just in matters of milliseconds? That's why the ideal design should be taken into a serious consideration if you want to make your customers like you for how you look.

Give you target consumers a sense of similarity and belonging through relevant influencer endorsement

Social media influencer endorsement is widely used by many web designers to influence their consumers in the process of driving them towards conversion Rate Optimization. We really like to listen to our favorite youtuber, Tik-toker, Instagrammer, celebrity and any individual that we admire. Presenting your brand's strengths through a persona loved by your target audience is one of the most successful ways to influence them to your favor. The human tendency to follow their favorite personalities will guide them eventually towards your goals. There are two major things that you must pay attention to before starting with endorsement.

  • First, study your target audience and recognize their interests and make your influencer selection based on that.
  • Secondly, be sure that you create the value which is communicated by the influencer.

Embed a face to your customer support

According to the liking principle of human psychology, people like to deal with the similar elements as they are; in this case with real people but not faceless companies. It is a fact that the customer support team of your online store is the Frontline who communicates with your prospects. Real face of a person works thousand times greater than a face icon or a graphic. The key here is to convey the message that your customers can rely on you to help them in their decision making whenever required. And that intimidation cannot be obtained through a face icon.

Conclusion

Principle of liking makes sense. As the name implies, we like people who like us and who are similar to us. As a result, we tend to trust them and their opinions. The entire sales communities heavily rely on this human psychological tendency of influence. If you are smart enough to leverage the liking principle to optimize your website with the top tips we've briefed for you, fear not! You have hit the gold towards Conversion Rate Optimization.

Liking principle example

After the success of TV show Grey's Anatomy, the brand Tag Heuer used celebrity endorsement in the name of Pactrick Dempsey to represents its range of watches.

Liking principle is applied by Tag Heuer as can be seen on the screenshot

Another example would be to showcase our facebook friends who bought the product we are browsing.

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Example of hypothesis applied

If we add celebrity picture endorsing our product on product page, then conversions for all users on all devices will increase, because of Liking principle.

Books

Would you like to go more in-depth? Here are our recommendations:

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini Buy this book

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