The Psychology of Free Stuff

[djbaxter]

Use the Psychology of Free Stuff to Generate Leads
by Vinay Patankar, SmallBizTrends
Sep 9, 2015

Free samples, free trials, buy one-get one free.

The thought of getting something for nothing is what makes people line up to avoid spending a couple of bucks, like when Krispy Kreme launched in Cardiff, Wales, and had more than a thousand shoppers lining up for over two hours to get free donuts. And I’m pretty sure that’s a mild example.

More proof comes from Duke professor Dan Ariely in a paper written at MIT:

“His study of 398 MIT students measured people’s reaction (and overreaction) to two different products: Hershey’s candies and Lindt truffles. Under normal circumstances, the Hershey’s products are already significantly cheaper than Lindt products — and the latter also have an air of exclusivity or cache, too. By all measures, the Lindt item has a higher value. Yet, when asked to choose between a free Hershey’s product or a dramatically discounted Lindt candy, the vast majority of students opted for the item that was free, even if it wasn’t objectively the best deal.”


​

Ariely says that the word free “gives us such an emotional charge that we perceive what is being offered as immensely more valuable than it really is.”

Read more...

 

[jcorkern]

I use psychology in ever post, page or any other published material. I use as many triggers as possible while still maintaining quality.

I prefer the more subtle methods/wording as to let them know I am there to help, which is in fact my real intent. I think this is something most forget, and that is the only way to truly gain is to help others gain in their health, personal, business or relationship quest.

It's simply a must.

 

[patco]

Yes. Psychology is the trick to sell things online.. But sometimes it can have a negative effect... So use it "naturally"

 

[BigWreck]

ALWAYS use it naturally!

 

[JosephKatz]

Everyone loves free stuff, this is basic. But how we make it work for us, that is the kicker

 

[ChristianNetworking]

I wonder two things per this topic,

Are people waking up to the word free and realizing nothing is really free?

If I charge even $2.00 for something, won't that give me a better quality list than what I refer to as the gimmees?

Rick

 

[Chris_tax]

Very good post. My prices for doing income tax is already very cheap. My wife is now going to quote my prices. I do think giving away something for free is a good idea.

 

[Netmillionaire]

all you need to know,is all about people's need,interest,desire,pain they have in what you're sharing no matter at the end they are buying so long as you're solving their problem

 

[JasonStormriderr]

Alot of marketers like Eben Pagan call this "moving the freeline".

It also creates a negative effect, in that people expect to get the good stuff for free and sometimes are more reluctant to pay.

 

[HCFGrizzly]

Psychology is important in every aspect of life, but in the marketing business I think it`s one of the most important things.
I remember when I did a campaign that offered a free sample of the product that my company is selling at the moment, the short story is that we had lots of success.
Sure, I should have spelled "free" in the first place, because we asked our customers for some actions (a review, a share on social media etc).
But we have to keep in mind that if people don`t have to pay for a product with money they consider it free.
The other catch is to know what people to target, not everybody responds well to this kind of campaigns, but knowing your target audience is also psychology.
Because of this psychology I encourage and help my affiliates to offer "free" samples of our products.

 

[durell217]

There's also the psychology of persuasion. The 6 principles of persuasion are reciprocation, social proof, commitment, liking, authority, and scarcity. All these principles have been proven to be an effective way to get the best conversions. you can read more about it in this article by Dr. Robert Cialdini: http://www.influenceatwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/E_Brand_principles.pdf