When you use emotional triggers in your web copy, you succeed in evoking feelings which helps you to move your audience to the desired action. Make your web copy stand out among others by directly appealing to people’s feelings. Web copy is effective when it focuses on what readers want, rather than try to create a demand.
1. Doubt
Doubt and uncertainty are similar triggers and can be used to appeal to people’s innermost fears. For example, ‘Are you sure your family is adequately insured against so and so’ or ‘How sure are you that your car is completely safe’ speak to the doubt trigger.
2. Desire
The desire to do better, to have better things and to improve their lives is already present in people. When you write web copy that presents products and services to fulfill various desires, you hit gold. People who feel active desire in their lives are usually open to ideas and suggestions that help them satisfy their wants.
3. Trust
People want to partner with companies and buy products and services that they trust. Messages that evoke trust, such as “no hidden fees”, or “total and 100% transactional transparency” speak to this trigger. Make sure the trust-triggering messages are placed in bold font so they’re easily visible.
4. Value
Value-for-money conscious people look for things that are worth their investment. They haunt sales; they clip coupons and the word ‘Discount’ means a great deal to them. Marketers who appeal to the value trigger use messages that inspire confidence in the buyer that a real value is being offered.
5. Belonging
Web copy that makes people feel that they’re part of a select group can be very effective. Most people enjoy a sense of belonging, the more exclusive, and the better. Consumers who feel the need to belong will buy exclusive products such as limited-issue antiques.
6. Competition
A lot of people want to better their lives just because others are living better lives. Better televisions, better furniture, better cars, and more beautiful luxuries – the list is endless. So the ‘want to have a car that’s far superior to anything in your neighborhood’ kind of copy works on the social competitive spirit.
7. Instant Gratification
People want quick solutions and they mostly want it all yesterday. There’s a palpable sense of urgency in people’s lives now, whether it’s quick weight loss, quick returns on your investment or whatever. Use instant gratification triggers such as ‘in two hours or less’, or ‘within 24 hours’ and so on in your web copy.
8. Leadership
Some people like to feel that they’re the first ones to try something new. Tap their feelings related to leadership with cleverly worded copy such as ‘be the first to try our new program’ or ‘be the first to own this car’ and so on work to trigger leadership-related emotions.
9. Trendiness
Fashion-savvy and trendy consumers sometimes compromise on quality as long as the solution looks good, is fashionable and celebrities use it. Spice up your copy with plenty of celebrity references (no names) and how your solution is the trendiest one in its niche.
10. Lack Of Time
People are short of time and solutions that promise to save time are always popular. For example, if you’re selling a new microwave oven, highlight the specific features that cut cooking time in half. Web copy that appeals to the desire to save time appeals to all busy people.
11. Love
The need for love is constant and people seldom find long-term solutions to fulfill this need. So if you’re selling products that help a person’s looks, appearance, and demeanor and so on, you can use the love trigger in your web copy. For example, try this: ‘Why better-dressed people are more successful in getting dates than others’.
12. Greed
Consider a message that says, ‘Here’s how you can make millions with no investment’. Does that not appeal to the greed in you? Your message need not be that crude, but you can certainly appeal to the greed emotion when you’re selling investment plans and such.
13. Hope
Hope is practically what drives the human spirit to look for solutions and push forward even when things look bleak. When you offer solutions that will help improve lives, health, relationships or careers, use hope as the emotional trigger in your web content.
14. Fear
Fear is a very real emotion; when it grips a person, rationality is pushed aside, making the person susceptible to quick decisions. When fear is the trigger, people are already ready to take action. All you need to achieve with your web copy is to suggest which action to take.
15. Guilt
Look up nonprofit organizations; they trigger guilt with copy and pictures of starving kids and barren landscapes to get you to donate. Certain consumers feel hugely gratified when they respond to guilt-triggering messages. It helps them feel they’ve done something about it and now they can get back to their lives.
This post is written by Stephen from conversion and landing page optimization company Invesp.
