Many are left scratching their heads in confusion when charismatic politicians win over those with policy-driven answers, or why less feature-rich products become more successful than the better alternative. The reality is that humans are far from rational, often favoring charisma and persuasion over a clear, logical choice.
What do we mean by persuasion?
The power of persuasion has been a tool utilized for centuries, used to shape public opinion and influence people. This ability plays a vital role in everything from political debates to digital marketing campaigns in modern society. At its core, the art of persuasion relies heavily on rhetoric – the use of language to make a persuasive argument. An essential part of rhetoric is ethical appeal, which involves utilizing the audience’s sense of morality to convince them to take action. This article will explore the power of persuasion, how it can be used in digital marketing, and how rhetoric and ethical appeal can create effective persuasive arguments.
In Ancient Greece, rhetoric and persuasion were viewed as essential for success in public life. As a result, these skills were taught in schools, and students were trained in the art of persuasive speaking and writing. Aristotle, the most famous of these ancient rhetoricians, wrote the influential treatise, “Rhetoric,” which detailed the three fundamental modes of persuasion: ethos, pathos, and logos. Ethos speaks to the credibility and character of the speaker, pathos alludes to the capacity to evoke emotion in an audience, and logos points to a logical argument. Though these ancient modes of persuasion have been developed and adapted throughout time, they have remained relevant in digital marketing in the present day.
The power of persuasion
Now, back to the real world: as the world of business-to-business software-as-a-service continues to expand, the challenge of distinguishing one product from another is becoming increasingly difficult. Persuasion is a key tool in this endeavor, and copywriters are the masters of it, relying on strategic language and a deep understanding of their audiences’ needs, values, and beliefs in order to craft persuasive arguments. In addition, they seek to create an emotional connection which helps to foster an atmosphere of trust and openness, making it easier to influence decisions. Unfortunately, many B2B SaaS websites use the same generic buzzwords to describe their products, leading to a blur of sameness that does not adequately convey what the software actually does.
Rhetoric and Ethical Appeal
Rhetoric has long been recognized as the foundation of persuasive arguments, one that involves carefully crafting a logical, reasonable and believable message. Ethos, Logos, and Pathos are the three key elements of rhetoric, but Ethical appeal – appealing to the audience’s sense of morality to influence them to take action – is particularly important.
But how does this apply in the real world? How can businesses use rhetoric to improve their marketing strategy?
Applying Rhetoric to Digital Marketing
As businesses continue to search for innovative ways to reach their target audiences, the use of rhetoric and ethical appeal in digital marketing campaigns should not be ignored. Crafting persuasive arguments tailored to the audience is key, and this process should begin with an effective content strategy. This involves mapping out the pain points and needs of the target audience and detailing how exactly the product can solve them.
Once the narrative is built, the only conclusion your target audience gets to, should be buying the product. Utilizing a professional copywriter to provide convincing content is recommended, and once the groundwork has been laid, marketers can get to work.
What key actions should you take from this?
Marketing = persuasion. It is at the very core of what we do. However, as technology progresses and it is becoming increasingly more digital, we get lost in the technology of it all. We can spend days doing very hands-on work, but sometimes we need to get back to the basics.
For one, I have worked in businesses where senior management declared we had “no time” to run a series of workshops to work on a good strategy. Surprise, our digital campaigns rarely performed beyond benchmarks. While we obsessed about all the practical aspects, what was needed was a return to the core: who do we market to, and what are their issues?
Especially if you’re a solo-marketer (hello, me) or worse, a solo-entrepreneur, it may feel like you don’t have the time to stop EXECUTING and think about what you say, why you say it, and how you say it. But I promise: it pays off!
Leave a Reply