We live in a world full of advertisements, social posts and marketing campaigns that try to draw our attention. But how can we recognise an informative communication from one persuasive communication strategy? Let's find out together!
La persuasive communication is not only based on data and information, but points directly at the emotions. If a message makes you feel happy, proud, frightened or nostalgic, it is most likely trying to persuade you.
Some practical examples could be the following:
When a message is supported by an expert, influencer or celebrity, it increases its credibility. This is one of the most powerful principles of the persuasion, Indeed, if a famous singer recommends a brand, its influenza makes us perceive the product as more valuable; whereas, if an expert says that a certain ingredient is good for our health, we are more likely to believe it.
Reciprocity is a psychological mechanism powerful: when we receive something, we feel the need to return the favour.
Common strategies are:
The way it is presented an information is often more important than the content itself. The framing serves to emphasise certain aspects to guide the perception of those who use the message conveyed.
For example, we might come across messages such as:
Persuasive communication leaves no room for doubt and demands a clear and immediate action. The CTA (Call-To-Action) must be direct, engaging and often accompanied by a sense of urgency o exclusivity to maximise the impact.
According to the’communication objective, we may come across CTAs such as "Buy now!", "Sign up now!", "Find out more!", often enriched with eye-catching colours and strategically positioned to encourage clicks and conversion.
In conclusion, while the information communication conveys objective data, facts and content for the purpose of informing without directly influencing the recipient, the persuasive communication leverages on emotional strategies, rhetorical and psychological to convince the audience to adopt a behaviour, an idea or to perform an action.
How to recognise a persuasive communication strategy is particularly relevant in the marketing and advertising, where persuasion is used to stimulate desires and purchasing decisions, while information provides useful data to evaluate the product or service.
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