Digital Psychology
Discover the secrets of digital psychology and persuasion. Learn how to leverage cognitive biases, neuromarketing, decision making, and more to enhance your digital experiences and marketing strategies.
Cialdini's 7 Principles of Persuasion

1

Reciprocity
If I'm nice to you, you're nice to me back. Example: Giving customers free advice in blogs, free reports, free tools adds value. Result: When asking customers to buy something, they are much more likely to do it.

2

Commitment and Consistency
Once we have made a choice, we will pressures to behave consistently with that commitment. Example: RFP funnel where you ask for the email address in the first step. Result: Customers are much more likely to buy something if they took the first (small) action.

3

Social Proof
I am not the only idiot buying this stupid stuff. Example: "We have already been making 1000 guests happy with this product." Result: Other people have bought this, other people think it's good. I'm going to go for the offer with 1000 happy guests instead of the other 2 offers.

4

Authority
People are much more likely to take action if a person of authority tells them to do it. Example: Somebody wearing a road worker's jacket giving orders. Result: People blindly followed their orders, even though they were just a guy wearing a vest, but they looked like somebody of authority.

5

Liking
If I like you, I'm much more likely to buy from you. Example: If I'm a dog person and I learn that you're a dog person too, working in the pet food industry, we have something in common. Result: If you show your team having a dog, laughing, having fun, I will like you more, and if I like you more, I'm more likely to buy from you.

6

Scarcity
The Rule of the Few. A "limited-number" tactic helps secure the product to be more valuable. Example: "There are only two hotel rooms left at this price" or "Time's running out to secure the caterer for your important event". Result: We think we're being duped but we're not sure. Maybe it's true so we're going to go.

7

Unity
It's All About Us. A shared identity by using family-related language. Example: We are Foodies. Like you. Result: People who are involved feel better about it. Their self, to some degree, is merging with the product they purchase or the company they purchase from.
Fogg Behavior Model
Dr. BJ Fogg from Stanford University has done some amazing research on credibility and behavioral design. His model called The Fogg Behavior Model explains that three elements must come together at the same time for a behavior to occur: Motivation, ability, and trigger.
The goal is to aim top right (high motivation, easy to do, a trigger in place). If you have high motivation and low ability (difficult to do), what you'll get is frustration. If it's low motivation, but easy to do (e.g. take out the trash), you get annoyance.
The Three Brains

1

1

New Brain
Thinks

2

2

Middle Brain
Feels

3

3

Old Brain
Decides
Neuroscientists have demonstrated that the Old Brain is responsible for releasing all of our decisions. That part of the brain is the most ancient and primitive part of the brain. It's called the Old Brain or Reptilian Brain (It's mostly concerned with survival.)
Brain Anatomy and Function

1

Cerebrum
Largest part of the brain. Houses the nerve center that controls sensory, motor activities and intelligence. The cerebrum is divided into left and right hemisphere.

2

Cerebellum
"Little brain", attached to the midbrain. Involved in movement and coordination, walking, posture, reflexes, eye and head movement.

3

Brain stem
It is the body's "autopilot." the most primitive part of the brain.

4

Limbic system
Behaviors and emotions, hunger, aggression.
The Limbic Map
The human brain is a complex and fascinating organ, with different regions responsible for various cognitive functions. When it comes to concepts like trust, relevance, or clarity, the customer's brain makes a decision in just a few milliseconds. This happens before the rational, conscious part of the brain has a chance to provide a logical explanation for the decision.
Understanding the workings of the limbic system is essential for businesses and marketers who want to create effective digital experiences. By tapping into the emotional and subconscious drivers that influence customer behavior, they can design interfaces and content that resonate on a deeper level, leading to increased trust, engagement, and ultimately, conversions.
"Man can do what he wants, but he can't want what he wants." - Arthur Schopenhauer
Lessons from Neuromarketing

1

Address the pain

2

Differentiate your claims

3

Show proof of claims
Is there a Buy Button Inside the Brain?
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Neuroscience indicates that the old brain can be triggered by only 6 stimuli

1

Self-centered

2

Contrast

3

Tangible

4

First and Last

5

Visual

6

Emotion
Focus in Digital Psychology
Keep it short, keep it simple

1

Put the focus on 3 USP

2

Shine a spotlight on your most distinctive selling point to captivate your customers' attention and overshadow any less appealing features.

3

Direct your attention to those aspects that give you a competitive advantage over rivals, showcasing your strengths that set you apart.

4

Emphasize the huge change that happens the moment people buy your product or use your service
Increasing Liking Through Self-Generation

1

Physical effort increases liking, but it also works just as well for cognitive effort

2

We tend to like ideas and information better when they've been generated by our own mind

3

Not only do we like our own ideas better, but we remember them better too

4

Because of the self-generation effect, we become overly committed to our own ideas
1
Make people think about your product
2
Ask questions in your content
3
Ask for answers proactively
4
Allow product customization
Emotional State and Decision Making

1

The way we feel, influences our decisions and their outcomes made in that moment
When we're happy, for example, we're more likely to try new things. But if we're worried, we make more conservative choices.

2

The effects of our mood on our judgments become stronger in complex situations
Affect Infusion Model

3

Try to make your site visitors happy, especially when what you're selling them is new or complex, or when they don't know you

4

Induce a tiny bit of sadness or melancholy if you want users to make a conservative choice
Like renewing a subscription

5

Make sure that when you induce a negative mood, you clearly provide the comforting and reassuring aspects of your offer
Facial Distraction and Gaze Cueing

1

Faces take up a huge amount of cognitive capacity in your brain
Mostly subconsciously. When someone looks at you, you look back and instantly perceive all their facial expressions.

2

From birth, we're innately wired to search for faces
The more familiar/recognizable a face is, the more it attracts attention.
1
Use faces to attract attention outside your own platforms
In banners, especially recognizable faces!
2
Use Gaze Cueing to redirect attention to your most persuasive content
3
Place important elements (CTA) consistently to the right side, and have faces on your site look in that direction
4
Place negative elements (i.e. prices) outside the perceived gaze direction
Attentional Bias: Pain, Fear, and Sex
The Attentional Bias is our tendency to pay more attention to emotionally dominant stimuli and to neglect other seemingly irrelevant data when making decisions. So the more something touches us, the more attention we pay to it.

1

If your brand or product is related in a positive way to an intense emotion, promote this visually and contextually

2

Display your USP's and CTA close to the most emotionally dominant parts of your page
For example, an expressive image

3

Place counter-persuasive elements away from the emotionally dominant parts of your page
Like 'terms & conditions' or 'privacy'
Prospect Theory
We are risk-averse when we have something to gain, but risk-seeking when we got something to lose
Prospect Theory, developed by Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, explains that people evaluate outcomes relative to a reference point. In this framework:
  • Loss Aversion: Losses hurt more than gains of the same magnitude.
  • Risk Attitudes: People tend to be risk-averse when dealing with potential gains but become risk-seeking when facing potential losses.
  • Framing Effects: The way a decision is framed (as a gain or a loss) can significantly influence behavior.
Tip for Marketers:
  • Retain Customers: When you want customers to stick with your brand, frame your message in terms of gains they will continue to enjoy.
  • Attract New Customers: When you want customers to switch, highlight the losses they might incur by not choosing you.

01:36

YouTube

Prospect Theory (explained in a minute) - Behavioural Finance

Prospect Theory deals with the irrational way we process information, valuing gains and losses differently (with losses having a more profound effect on our happiness than gains) and the subsequent decisions we take. Find out more at www.behaviouralfinance.com

TL;DR
Stimuli of your brain
 • Address customer pain points.
 • Clearly differentiate your claims.
 • Provide evidence to support your claims.
If We Figure It Out Ourselves, We Like It Better / Increase Liking
 • Pose engaging questions within your content.
 • Invite customer feedback in a proactive manner.
 • Instead of listing all unique selling propositions (USPs), prompt customers to identify a few key reasons for purchase.
 • Allow for product customization where possible.
Facial Distraction
 • Use recognizable faces in external placements (e.g., banners) to capture attention.
 • Apply gaze cueing techniques to direct attention toward your most persuasive content.
 • Position key call-to-action elements consistently on the right side, ensuring that facial imagery is oriented toward them.
 • Display less favorable elements (such as pricing) outside the primary visual focus.
Reflection Effect
 • For risk-averse decisions, frame USPs as benefits or gains.
 • For risk-seeking decisions, frame USPs in terms of avoiding losses.
Ambiguity Aversion
 • Clearly articulate your offer and maintain a direct communication style.
 • Specify what will happen when a call-to-action is engaged.
 • Provide “feed-forward” information outlining the next steps.
 • Use fixed discounts rather than uncertain rewards.
 • Offer guarantees (e.g., money-back) where applicable.
 • Highlight your most reliable offering prominently.
Belonging & Conformity
 • Foster community and dialogue among customers and prospects.
 • Identify and support key influencers within relevant social groups.
 • Demonstrate that a customer’s peer group endorses your product through reviews, ratings, or social engagement.
Paradox of Choice
 • Avoid limiting customers to a single call to action.
 • Provide a secondary option or link.
 • For single-product scenarios, consider offering variations (such as different colors).
 • When presenting multiple options, determine the optimal number through testing (typically 3-20)
 • For more complex or less directly comparable products, reduce the number of options.
Autonomy & Control
 • Eliminate unnecessary mandatory fields and steps.
 • Offer customers choices—even minor ones—to enhance their sense of control.
 • Allow users to navigate freely through the process.
 • Use external rewards and deadlines judiciously.
Visual Cueing
 • Use visual cues to emphasize important content, USPs, or calls to action.
 • Organize content in logical segments with visual markers to guide attention.
 • Employ cues to direct users to content that isn’t immediately visible (e.g., below the fold).
Owning
 • Implement trial periods to help customers feel a sense of ownership.
 • Offer policies such as free returns where required.
 • Remind customers of the benefits they might lose if they discontinue your product.
Self-Efficacy
 • Provide immediate feedback (for example, using green check marks) when actions are completed correctly.
 • Visualize process simplicity using progress indicators or clear infographics.
 • Highlight examples of previous customer actions or purchases.
 • Use instructional pages or videos to demonstrate ease of use.
 • Incorporate social proof, such as the number of recent purchases.
Self-Generation Memory Effect
 • Rather than listing every USP, encourage customers to generate their own reasons for purchasing.
 • Solicit open-ended feedback on why customers are considering your offer.
Perceptual Incongruence
 • Introduce unexpected elements when a visitor accesses your site or platform.
 • Vary colors, fonts, and images for key content to stand out.
 • Purposefully advertise on platforms that differ thematically from your primary channels.
 • Use unexpected design elements to capture attention.
Status Quo Bias
 • Design options so that the default is non-action (opt-out).
 • Pre-fill information where appropriate.
 • Utilize disruptive techniques (such as forced choice) when encouraging deviation from the default is desired.
 • Set your preferred option as the default, ensuring minimal effort is required for selection.
Availability Heuristic
 • Incorporate easily recalled anecdotes.
 • Use examples that are frequently or recently featured in the media.
 • Present USPs and arguments in a vivid and engaging manner.
Commitment Bias (Labor-Love Effect)
 • Enable product customization.
 • Allow customers to contribute to the design or personalization of the product.
Sparking Triggers
 • Identify which motivational elements are lacking for the customer to take action.
 • Analyze the optimal moments to deliver motivational messaging.
 • Choose the most appropriate medium for this intervention.
 • Deploy a “spark” at the right moment that addresses the motivational gap.
Facilitating Triggers
 • Simplify actions so that a single click completes the task.
 • Leverage familiar social prompts (such as “people you may know”).
 • Enable automatic connectivity where appropriate.
Repetition & Direct Priming
 • Maintain consistent language across pages, links, and buttons.
 • Use uniform visual elements for calls to action.
 • Present cross-selling opportunities as soon as customer intent is recognized.
 • Highlight previous customer interactions or purchases.
Peak-End Rule
 • Consolidate key positive moments from your sales dialogue into a memorable conclusion.
 • Where possible, position the positive peak at the end of the dialogue.
 • Design multiple exit points with small positive peaks throughout.
 • Offer additional incentives such as unexpected gifts or exclusive access to content.
Cognitive Dissonance
 • Incorporate strategies that encourage customers to internalize their purchase decision.
 • Adopt a stance of scarcity or exclusivity when appropriate.
 • Avoid large incentives for favors (such as soliciting reviews) that may introduce bias.
Choice-Supportive Bias
 • Request feedback on why customers use your website or app.
 • Inquire about the reasons behind their purchasing decisions.
 • Display data on previous visits or purchases to reinforce their choice.
Emotional & Rational Decision Making
 • Recognize that although customers perceive themselves as rational, emotional factors often dominate their decisions.
 • Acknowledge the significant impact of product imagery on the decision-making process.
Serve Both (Balancing Emotional and Rational Appeals)
 • Use aspirational images and headlines to lead with emotional appeal.
 • Ensure that product copy also addresses rational considerations to provide a balanced perspective.
New Year’s Resolution
 • Note that customers are more likely to make lifestyle decisions at the beginning of the month or year.
 • Recognize recurring patterns in significant decision-making (for example, at ages 19, 29, 39, 49, or 59).
Stress
 • Understand that stress can affect decision-making processes.
 • Recognize that under stress, customers may rely on habitual choices.
 • In high-pressure situations, trained responses are more likely to be executed automatically.
 • Positive outcomes under stress can reinforce these decision-making patterns.
Reading Websites – Eyetracking & Layout
 • Position value propositions and navigation elements at the top or on the left side of the page.
 • Use larger introductory paragraphs to capture attention.
 • Maintain a single-column layout with short line lengths for optimal readability.
 • Select fonts that enhance, rather than detract from, user engagement.
Reading Websites – Image Quality
 • Use authentic imagery that resonates with your audience rather than overly stylized models.
 • Employ high-quality, large, and crisp images.
 • Choose images where subjects face forward to create a welcoming impression.
 • Use high-quality product images to enhance perceived value.
 • Incorporate ample white space to improve visual clarity.
Readability
 • Use larger font sizes (at least 14px) for better readability.
 • Set optimal line heights (approximately 24px).
 • Ensure high contrast between text and background (e.g., black text on a white background).
 • Use narrow text columns for easier reading.
 • Add sub-headlines after every two paragraphs.
 • Employ concise sentences and new paragraphs every three to four lines.
Cognitive Fluency – "Make Your Price Easy to Read"
 • Recognize that customers prefer clear pricing structures, such as unlimited plans.
 • Ensure that your offers and pricing information are easy to understand.
 • Design your site to facilitate straightforward reading and comprehension.
Cognitive Fluency – Previous Positive Experiences Matter
 • Emphasize the importance of securing the initial purchase from a customer.
 • Design the first offer to be highly valuable and simple to execute.
 • Leverage positive initial experiences to encourage repeat business.
 • Utilize conventional website layouts to support easy cognitive processing.
Cognitive Fluency – The Mere Exposure Effect
 • Reinforce the value of the first purchase.
 • Ensure that the initial offer is compelling and accessible.
 • Build on positive early experiences to promote ongoing purchases.
 • Use familiar website layouts to enhance user comfort.
Cognitive Fluency – First Impressions (Design & Navigation)
 • Prioritize visual appeal and intuitive navigation to create positive initial impressions.
 • Recognize that poor interface design can lead to rapid user disengagement.
 • Understand that even brief exposure (milliseconds) can significantly impact first impressions.
Cognitive Fluency – First Impressions (Value Proposition)
 • Craft a concise headline that clearly states the primary benefit of your offering.
 • Follow with a sub-headline that explains what you offer, who it is for, and why it is useful.
 • Use bullet points to highlight key benefits or features.
 • Include visuals that quickly reinforce your main message.
 • Present concrete results that customers can expect.
 • Clearly differentiate your offering from competitors.
 • Avoid excessive hype and ensure the message is understandable within five seconds.
Cognitive Fluency – First Impressions (Images & Graphics)
 • Focus on essential visuals that communicate your message effectively.
 • Exercise discretion when adding supplementary graphics.
 • Choose high-quality, professional imagery.
 • Use straightforward language in visual elements.
Cognitive Fluency – Fitt’s Law
 • Increase the size of small buttons (for example, by 20%) to improve clickability.
 • Adjust button dimensions in proportion to their expected frequency of use.
About me
With over 20 years of experience in operations, marketing, and business strategy, I've advanced my career through various C Suite roles.
Throughout this journey, I’ve had the privilege of shaping the growth of prominent brands like Deliveryhero, N26, Scout24, share, and Autodoc, always with a clear focus on creating exceptional customer journeys that leave lasting impressions. My passion for building world-class teams has been recognized globally, particularly in platform economies, marketplaces, e-commerce, and tech sectors.
I’ve led 1,000+ teams sizes through dynamic and challenging times, employing a servant leadership style that emphasizes diversity, inclusivity, and a strong commitment to quality.
My extensive experience includes leading numerous consulting assignments worldwide, where I've helped organizations across various industries unlock the true potential of customer experience (CX) to drive sustainable, organic growth.
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Carmen Beissner
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10437 Berlin

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Carmen Beissner
10437 Berlin

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