Three behavioural science hacks for impactful marketing

Let’s face it: understanding what makes people tick is key to meaningful marketing. There’s real power in aligning brand communication with human behaviour, but it’s not always obvious how to make that connection.

Lately, I’ve been drawn to behavioural science and its practical impact on marketing – a mix of psychology, instinct, and strategy. It’s fascinating, surprisingly straightforward, and all about human connection.

Here are a few insights I think you’ll find helpful.

A quick look at behavioural science in marketing

As marketers, we are always dealing with people’s behaviour. Whether we want them to:

• Try our new product
• Buy it more frequently
• Choose us over a competitor
• Move from our website to our app
• And so on.

We want to manage the audience’s behaviour, but let’s be honest – as humans, we rarely think about brands. We’re too busy – making around 33,000 to 35,000 total decisions every day!

We’re overwhelmed by choice, especially when we’re not sure what we’re looking for. As a species, we’re hardwired to save energy, so we often default to easier or more familiar options. We also avoid risks unless necessary.

We’re led by biases, previous experiences, and emotions. This is why we apply mental shortcuts, or so-called heuristics and biases – patterns we develop throughout our lives that help us make decisions quicker and easier.

Three shortcuts to consider in your marketing

1. Endowment Effect

Image credit: https://thedecisionlab.com/

As a species, we tend to value things that we own or have created, much more than something that doesn’t belong to us or was made by someone else. Think of every IKEA piece of furniture you’ve ever made – doesn’t that drawer unit mean more to you now that you’ve invested 3 hours into putting it together?

You can tap into the endowment effect in your audiences in some simple ways. For example:

• Offer customisation of your products, allowing customers to make it the perfect product they will cherish and attribute more value to
• Use personalised copywriting. If you create white papers or reports, simply communicate that ‘YOUR copy is ready for YOU to claim’ rather than just suggesting to download a free guide.

These simple techniques can create a sense of ownership and may motivate more interest.

2. Consistency Bias

Image credit: https://thedecisionlab.com/

We humans like to keep things simple, so we’re more likely to continue doing something if it has been successful in the past. There’s a strong desire to be consistent with our actions and choices, if the results are satisfying.

• Maintaining brand consistency would be an obvious way to utilise this shortcut.
• You can also consider loyalty programs and subscriptions for your existing customers to make it easier for them to enjoy your product or service regularly.
• Offer personalised recommendations based on their purchase history – what else can they enjoy based on what they bought before.

3. Ambiguity Aversion

Image credit: https://thedecisionlab.com/

The more uncertain we feel about a product, the less likely we are to buy it. We developed this shortcut as a safety mechanism, to avoid unwanted results or disappointment.

There are multiple ways we as marketers can help lower the risks for our audience:

• Offer genuine and detailed testimonials, free trials, or entry offers.
• Check for knowledge gaps and provide all the necessary information.
• Ensure clear product details, including sizing measurements and have a clear and easy returns policy.

By knowing your audience’s heuristics and biases, you can craft communications that truly resonate with them. These insights are just the tip of the iceberg. If you need help with your marketing strategy and execution, we’re always open for a chat. Drop us an email at [email protected] and connect with us on LinkedIn.

Written by Anna, Account Director at Creative Spark