5 mental triggers to implement in your startup’s marketing

Tell me something, have you ever been moved when watching an advertisement? What if I tell you that this only happens thanks to a technique called mental triggering ?

Anyone who thinks they choose brand X or Y in a completely rational way is mistaken. Mental triggers are psychological motivators responsible for activating the unconscious level of the brain. Thus, they conduct our choice actions in an ”automated” manner.

Do you want to know how to implement mental triggers in your startup’s marketing ? So, grab a comfortable chair and read on!

What are mental triggers?

In short, mental triggers are decisions that the brain makes in our unconscious mind . To avoid mental exhaustion and be able to dedicate himself to more complex choices, he follows some actions automatically.

We make choices all the time. In the morning, is it better to get up straight away or stay in bed a little longer? Drink coffee or smoothies? Go to work by car or public transport?

However, many of these day-to-day decisions go unnoticed, right? For example, while you are reading this content, your brain is deciding whether to continue or go check your email inbox ( #Tip: stick around, we still have a lot of things to see).

According to a study by Dow University , we make 226 daily decisions just related to food. And this avalanche of decisions can lead to fatigue. Therefore, to save us, the brain decides some issues alone, without consulting the conscious mind.

Moral of the story: these decisions we make without realizing it are mental triggers. They help us face the enormous amount of choices we need to make.

How do mental triggers work in a startup’s marketing strategy?

In the marketing sector, the behavior of the target audience is studied a lot . After all, startups need to understand what leads people to close a deal and how this decision process takes place, in order to develop more effective approaches.

At this point, neuromarketing is an important ally. In addition to knowing people’s tastes, preferences, pains and doubts, this aspect also investigates what goes on in the unconscious.

Therefore, marketing uses mental triggers that are common to our culture, the persuasion technique is a great example of this. Another mental trigger that can be used by marketing is exclusivity, the startup has the possibility of using this feeling when nurturing the relationship with the public , saying that I send “exclusive content” to them.

What are the mental triggers most used by marketing in startups?

Now that we know what mental triggers are and how they work in marketing, it’s time to see some examples. Follow along!

Social proof

Social proof is a strategy where the startup uses tricks with the purpose of showing the target audience that the product or service available has already been validated . For this reason, social proof is present in the following methods:

• cards;
• depositions;
• market research;
• affirmation of the number of customers who tested and approved.

The objective of this mental trigger for startups, therefore, is to generate influence capable of stimulating conversion action.

Authority

Among the wide range of mental triggers, authority is applied as a strategy with great frequency . In reality, it is very similar to social proof, mentioned previously, as it also proves the good characteristics of the startup’s product or service. However, it stands out for mentioning this proof by a major reference in the market .

Therefore, the authority’s goal is to ensure that you know the potential of the product and transfers this responsibility to yourself or another influential individual. The basic principle here is reputation .

Scarcity

We most commonly see the mental scarcity trigger in sales copy. It is a method where the proposal has a certain time to close. Therefore, the promise of the content needs to be fulfilled to generate credibility in what was said and the next actions.

Important: although the mental scarcity trigger is strong, it is necessary to use it with common sense to avoid communication breakdown.

Reciprocity

Here, the focus is to generate value and encourage reciprocation from “others”. For this reason, it has become one of the most important mental triggers in content marketing strategies in startups.

At this point, it is essential to deliver valuable content that makes sense to the persona . Otherwise, the strategy loses its meaning and may not deliver the correct proposal.

Curiosity

Let’s face it, who doesn’t like seeking knowledge to alleviate the curiosity that is always with us?

Therefore, marketing can exploit this as a powerful incentive for action. This mental trigger is widely used in email and blog post titles, for example, which stimulate the desire to click and read the content.