Write Persuasively - Member
An Research-Based Method to Make Your Writing more persuasive
Do you want find a method to make what that you write more compelling?
Most likely, you've heard of his "hierarchy of needs". It's become a bit of an institution in the world of marketing. But the problem is that the idea isn't based on actual research. Maslow just kinda made it out of what he believed.
Fine. This is how many theories start, but ultimately they'll need to be tested. Maslow's theory has been tested, and the results have been inconsistent at best.
That's why psychologists like Henry Murray and David McClelland continued to push Maslow's ideas from the beginning.
McClelland specifically, conducted numerous studies using the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT). The TAT isn't the most accurate test, but as ScienceDirect puts it that it "is useful in revealing the dominant motives of a person's feelings, and the core of personality conflict".
McClelland employed it to refine Maslow's theory of needs.
What did he discover?
In reality, it's really only three needs that dominate human behaviour. Three basic needs drive the majority of why we act the way we perform. Useful for those (like me and you) attempting to motivate people to take actions?
Uh, yeah.
So, what are these "three necessities"?
- The Demand for Power
- The necessity for Achievement
- The Need for Affiliation
McClelland discovered that, of the diverse needs identified by Maslow and Murray McLelland, 86% those who were dominant were in one or more of these three requirements. Evidence, data, something that you can be confident in.
In a flash, what is all of these requirements?
The Need for Power
When people hear "power" when they hear the word "power," they immediately envision the control of evil dictators such as Stalin or Hitler. This is a one aspect however it's much more about impact. The ability to affect the world around you -- people, objects such as objects, people, etc. Imagine a child who throws a ball and is then giggling uncontrollably. It's the ability of her to regulate something that isn't herself that makes her light up. This is the reason why we need Power.
Some phrases that you can employ in your message to address this need are things like:
- "more control..."
- "change the world" ..."
- "have immense influence ..."
- "dominate..."
- "greater influence..."
You speak to their need to influence and impact the world around them since, for those who are who are high on the Need for Power it is the reason that drives their actions.
The Need for Achievement
It's more as it sounds : that desire to succeed. Set a goal, work toward it, and ultimately achieve it. People high in the Need for Achievement want to engage in that simple routine over and over.
A little nuance, though. If a goal is too simple, it's unlikely to give them the fulfillment they're looking for and it won't motivate them. If a goal is too hard, they'll assume they can't achieve it and that's why it doesn't inspire them.
Therefore, the objective has to be "just right" in order to motivate people high in this need. However, set challenging but feasible goals before the people and they'll grind them each and every day like a machine.
The phrases you could use to describe your messages for this purpose could include things such as:
- "mastery"
- "achieve your objectives"
- "challenge yourself"
- "show what you've made of"
- "be all you can be"
The most important thing, now and this would be...
The need for affiliation
In the words of McClelland declares, this is "The need to feel an underlying sense of participation and belonging within a social group." This one's more well-known. Social networks have demonstrated people's need for connection and feeling of belonging.
Nowadays, a variety of items and services are available, including groups, communities Facebook communities, groups that live events, virtual events and many more.
However, it's essential to add these phrases to your message. Phrases you might use include:
- "join an organization of people who are similar to you"
- "connect with others"
- "we're one of you"
- "welcome to the family"
So, how do you utilize all of this?
Well, consider that virtually all (good) copywriting is "reason-why" is based. The purpose of your copywriting is to provide reasons for to take the action you're asking them to take (subscribe to your email list, buy your product, join your community, etc).
Therefore, any argument of any kind can be broken down into two parts:
- Do this now.
- Because reason why
Three needs will reveal the "reasons for" are. It is important to address the three requirements because they are what drive people to act. That's what will make your writing, speaking or whatever type of communication that you're sending out... much more convincing.
Yes, you still have to support these assertions with the evidence, attract attention, and so on... but getting your appeal right in the first place is crucial. In the absence of that, people will just smile and look at the wall and say "Eh what's the point?" It doesn't animate people.
The next time you're sat down at your desk to type out a piece of copy or write video scripts, you should forget Maslow and think of McClelland. Your work will be grateful for it.
However, this is just one of the many tips we've learned about marketing with over 100,000 other online business owners like you.
Do you want to learn the top five secrets we've learned? To ramp up the effectiveness of your marketing, slash your revenue goals, and build a strong communities of people you love working with?
If so, take a look at the free course below, where we'll share those secrets with for you to follow:
Take a look at the five Marketing Secrets Video
From over 100,000 membership sites The 5 most effective marketing techniques we've learned. First Name Email Yes, Please Send Me the Video!
It is also possible to like...
Recent Posts
"We've tried a couple of different membership tools which included in packages we'd put our money into. But there's nothing that can beat Member. I know that there's lots of awesome stuff out there that people have built through the years. When it comes down to customizing, if you use WordPress it's impossible to do this. Of course, I'm biased, but we've made millions of dollars because of this program."
Tristan Truscott Satori Method I've added Member] to the top of my choices for those. The new Member packs a punch! The price of Member is a great bargain.
Chris Lema LiquidWeb Member integrates with the tools I use TODAY. It's so easy to integrate with the new tools coming out. It's amazing how they do it. If I was going to be buying an membership-related plugin now... for me, I'd choose to opt for Member.
Adam Preiser WPCrafter