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Marketing and psychology go hand in hand. You can’t have a strong marketing plan without understanding how your ideal client thinks. What makes one piece of marketing stand out – while another piece flops? Here are a 6 hacks when it comes to using psychology in your marketing: FOMO The human brain is wired to avoid losses and seek equivalent gains. We are always on the lookout for a better deal, and that includes online. Modern studies show we prefer not to lose out when there’s an opportunity of gaining something else instead – just like in practice! One great example would be how Amazon has these “Deal Of The Day” offers where you can get savings by setting up timing so it happens automatically every day at specific times (and they make us buy faster too). The Zeigarnik Effect The Zeigarnik Effect is the tendency for tasks which have been interrupted and uncompleted to be better remembered than tasks which have been completed. We all know that feeling of looking away from your desk and realizing you’ve been sitting there for 30 minutes without doing anything. You don’t want to forget about those unfinished tasks, but it’s hard when you constantly need reminders! E-Commerce platforms use SMS marketing as one way they remind their previous customers about left in cart items soakers get them completed–and this works because we humans treasure our time more than anything else. Cognitive Dissonance Cognitive dissonance is a term for the state of discomfort felt when two or more modes of thought contradict each other. The clashing cognitions may include ideas, beliefs, or the knowledge that one has behaved in a certain way. Cognitive dissonance strategies that require a consumer to reconcile two conflicting views by buying a product can be effective in marketing, especially if the reconciliation of opposing views protects or enhances the consumer’s self-image. For instance, you consider yourself a savvy automotive enthusiast. In the course of a visit to a high-end auto dealership, the salesperson emphasizes that “a lot of Americans aren’t sophisticated enough to understand why this car is actually a great buy.” On the one hand, if you resist the sales pitch for this very expensive car, you appear unsophisticated; on the other hand, if you agree, then you’re progressing down the marketing patch toward the purchase of a car you can’t afford. Faced with this kind of cognitive dissonance, many consumers will go along with the sales pitch to avoid being viewed as an unsophisticated person without the real knowledge required to fully appreciate the car. Decoy Effect This Psychology Hack is ruined now as its not just limited to marketers. Viral videos have educated everyone about this but it still works. In Decoy effect, you use a product with 3 Tiers and the price of 2nd and 3rd product tier has a small difference which makes customer go for the 3rd and most expensive tier. A common example is Starbucks Pricing strategy A large coffee is $6.5, Medium is $6 and the Small is $5. This pricing makes you go for the large as the difference is small and you think you are actually saving on choosing the large coffee. Pricing Protocol Does the way you write a price make it seem higher or lower? Of course! We already know that including a currency symbol can have a negative effect – that’s why you see some restaurants pricing a steak at “29” instead of “$29”. But new research shows that punctuation and decimals can make a difference in how people perceive prices. According to a new study published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology, prices that have more syllables when spoken actually seem higher to consumers. Commas (e.g., “$1,699”) and cents after the decimal (e.g., “1699.00”) add to the number of syllables and hence make the price seem to be of higher magnitude. This effect occurs even when the price is written and not spoken – our brains, they say, use the auditory representation in storing the magnitude of the price even when the price is only seen visually. The effect is due to the way one would express the number verbally: “One thousand six hundred ninety nine,” for the comma version, vs. “sixteen ninety nine” for the unpunctuated version. Visual length may also be a factor. Social Proof Social proof is a psychological phenomenon, popularized by Dr. Robert Cialdini, that describes our tendency to rely on the opinions or actions of others to inform our own. Also known as informational social influence, it validates a shopper’s choice, saying that it’s worth their time, money, or interest by using other people as proof. Whether you’re familiar with social proof or not, chances are it has influenced decisions, both big and small, throughout your life. Leveraging the appeal of following the “wisdom of the crowd,” social proof captures our attention because we’re naturally curious about what’s happening, why it’s happening, and what the correct behavior or response is. Social proof makes people pause to pay attention to a brand because others are saying that it’s worth paying attention to. Marketing is a very tricky business. You have to be aware of your audience’s behavior, as well as the underlying motivation that would impact their buying decisions in order for your marketing campaign or plan to work effectively- which can sometimes seem almost too difficult! Having that foundation in psychology can greatly improve your marketing strategy. I don’t believe there isn’t a marketer out there who doesn’t appreciate the psychology behind their marketing. To learn more about marketing your business, contact CarbonSilk.digital today.

By: Nancy Benet Published: March 24, 2022 www.fixitaccounting.com When it comes to tax season, many small business owners find themselves in an all out scramble to collect all of the necessary documentation. Receipts of business purchases and a list of miles driven to and from client meetings are often hard to find going back 12 months! Keeping this information organized and up-to-date all year long will save you a great deal of time and energy each spring. Here are some helpful tips for staying organized. Mileage 1. Keep a mileage log book in your car If your work day involves you spending a lot of time in your own car driving around town from meeting to meeting, it can be a hassle to remember each of the stops you made when you sit down a week later to track your mileage. If you find yourself in this situation buy yourself a notebook that you keep in your car at all times. When you get into your car at the beginning of the day write down the number on your odometer, then when you arrive at your destination write down the next number. There’s no need to do the arithmetic on the spot as long as you do this every time you leave for and arrive at your next meeting. Then, when you sit down a few weeks later to track your mileage all you have to do is add up the numbers you’ve been carefully keeping! 2. Track your mileage on Google maps If keeping a log just seems too complicated, trust an online mapping service like Google Maps or MapQuest to tell you the exact mileage you drive from meeting to meeting. This way you can simply page back through your calendar and enter the starting and ending addresses and voila, your mileage is tracked for you. Of course, this method doesn’t account for missed exits or detours, but in most cases it will do the trick. Receipts 1. Create a habit of keeping every receipt Create a space somewhere in your home or office where you can habitually deposit all of your receipts, personal and business. Then schedule time into your week to sort through those receipts, put aside and label the ones you need to keep for your business records and toss the rest. Making it a habit to track your receipts during your weekly routine means you won’t end up with a pile of receipts to sort through at the end of the year. 2. Invest in technology If keeping track of your receipts is too burdensome on your own, considering investing in technologies built to save you time and hassle. Products like Receipt Bank allow you to take a photo of your receipt with your cell phone and track it through their cloud-based software. No more sorting through wrinkled up receipts from the bottom of your briefcase, investing in the right software will make your job a whole lot easier. Staying on top of the minutiae of business ownership is not always fun or exciting, but it’s an important task to make sure that your books are done properly. And tracking your mileage and receipts on an ongoing basis will save you time and frustration at the end of each year. If tracking your mileage and receipts are not already part of your weekly habits consider implementing some new strategies or even investing in new products to make your job easier. As your business continues to grow, hiring a bookkeeping service will help you stay on top of these tasks without having to hire full-time team members. Contact us today for a free consultation.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Beau Herman, 407-498-2536, BeauH@assistedlivinglocators.com