Imagine this…
You’re standing at a bus stop.
You feel hungry.
You see an ad from a brand you’ve seen but never tried.
One-click to get a tasty meal delivered to your doorstep.
You decide to try it.
You like it so much
you buy it again.
What just happened?
The Funnel says you first get people to like your brand.
Then you get them to buy it.
Behaviour science shows that we can change our behaviour without improving our attitudes.
We’ve all bought that soggy sandwich from the overpriced stall at a tourist location.
Why?
Because people aren’t rational.
We make concessions and do what we need to do when the need to do it is the greatest.
That’s how scientists got college students to put more broccoli on their plates by making it easy to pick the healthy option.
In his book Decoded, Phil Barden explains that the scientists made small changes like covering the ice cream freezer, putting unhealthier options slightly out of reach and bringing healthier options closer.
The experiment showed that by making it take a little less effort to reach healthier options, they were able to get students to put healthier food on their plates.
How we act isn’t just based on what we need.
It’s affected by the effort it takes.
The Marketing Funnel is drilled into every marketer, no matter the industry.
We pick the option that takes less effort and gets the job done.
Remove barriers to trial
Removing barriers to purchase isn’t just a marketing hack or activation stunt.
Changes in behaviour changes attitude.
Repeating a behaviour and getting a positive result can improve your attitude towards the activity.
In more cases, changes in attitude happen before people decide to buy a brand. (Ritson, MiniMBA)
But it’s not the only way how people buy.
When your goal is to sell look for ways to reduce mental and physical barriers.
Look for ways to get people to try your brand.
