All Social Ads strategies must be based on business objectives, whether they focus on awareness, acquisition or conversions such as sales. Each manager must then maximize the performance and optimize the results of his campaigns to achieve these objectives. Social media advertising has a major influence on consumer buying behaviour.

In order to persuade their target audience, advertisers often use a variety of psychological tactics. Such tactics include cognitive bias, persuasion, projection, and suggestion, all of which can influence the decision-making process of the targets and help achieve desired results.

Using psychological tactics based on cognitive and behavioural tendencies to influence people to undertake a specific action. These tactics exploit psychological aspects to obtain the desired answers and behaviours.

Ads often play a significant role in consumers’ emotions. Indeed, without you noticing, your brain treats new stimuli of your environment, which can trigger a response. This response can be emotional, such as happiness or fear, as well as physical reactions like an adrenaline rush.

Here are a few psychological tactics:

The human brain tends to rely heavily on the visual. According to a study by the University of Rochester, we devote 50% of our brains to processing visual information. That is why good design and ergonomics are so important. Moreover, colours can evoke powerful emotions, and each can also trigger different reactions in people. For example, red is known to evoke passion, anger or excitement. Green, on the other hand, evokes harmony, nature or security.

Have you ever been influenced by the opinions of those close to you or purchased a product based on the testimonials you read? That is a common phenomenon known as social proof. It is a powerful tool for online advertising because it creates a sense of security and a desire to have the same goods and conditions as others. Many people tend to buy a product or service simply because they notice that others have it. Human beings have a natural tendency to desire superiority, so they often seek to obtain better things than others to determine their own value. However, if they do not have what they want, they may feel inferior. If the object of comparison is relatively accessible, the person will often challenge themselves to obtain it as well.

Urgency is another powerful tactic for online advertising. However, it is crucial to use it wisely to avoid discrediting your message. It serves to create a feeling of urgency through different ads.  You can base your sales on temporality. For instance, by offering limited-time deals on your online store, restocking popular products, or prioritizing customers on a first-come, first-served basis, you can create a sense of urgency and exclusivity. This generates the FOMO (fear of missing out) effect, which means that people fear missing out on a good opportunity. Additionally, this approach works well together with the concept of scarcity. When something is rare or in short supply, it automatically increases its perceived value, and thus creates a greater desire to obtain it.

A highly effective tactic whereby consumers are more likely to buy from a brand they hear about often. This cognitive bias has been studied specifically for its impact on financial markets, as it makes us invest in something known and familiar, even if it means losing out on profitability. How can we put this lever into practice? Through repetition and sustained frequency of content production. The more consumers are exposed to information at different levels or via channels, the more likely they are to consider it reliable.

Consumers tend to rely on the opinion of an authority figure when making a purchase decision. This is particularly true when a recognized expert endorses a product, as it makes the product more valuable and trustworthy. This is especially important in the health sector.

In “Submission to Authority”, American social psychologist Stanley Milgram developed the concept of the “agentic state”, which forms the basis of his analysis of obedience. Through this “ideological abdication” (sic), the individual temporarily abandons their usual moral criteria in the face of an authority figure.

One can utilize the psychology behind the authoritative tactic to bolster an advertising message by incorporating supporting arguments such as patents, certifications, or affiliations with other reputable entities that establish credibility.

Psychological tactics and cognitive biases are key ingredients in creating successful advertising campaigns. Understanding which tactics and biases to use, as well as how to use them, is essential in today’s world of abundant advertising and constant prospect solicitation. Therefore, companies need to create personalized ads that cater to specific needs.

• Which psychological tactics do you consider improving your advertising on social networks?
• How do you choose the right psychological levers for your target audience on social networks?
• What advantages have you observed over conventional approaches?