Catalyst Framework: Infuse Influence with Cialdini

Why are you reading this?

Dr. Robert Cialdini suggests that there are only 6 or 7 reasons why you’d make any decision. Known as the Doctor of Persuasion, do you believe him?

In this post, it’s my pleasure to introduce you to a framework that will enable you to engage more people in almost any situation. If you read this post all the way to the end, I’m happy to provide you with a free review of your Cialdini Brand Strategy.

This offer is known as Reciprocity Influence.

However, if you’re really reading this post because Cialdini is a doctor, that’s Authority Influence.
If you’re reading this because you’ve alreasy heard about this from your friends, that’s Social Proof Influence.
And if you’re still reading this, whether it matters to you or not, that’s Consistency Influence.

Since getting in tune with this behavioral framework, I’ve noticed how often a combination of influence principles, not one but maybe two or three at the same time, cause me to make a decision. Do you believe that such forces could be identified and understood? Do you believe Dr. Cialdini yet? Do you believe us?

When I changed my question to “us” I incorporate a new principle called Unity Influence.
But if you don’t like doctors or books or the concept of influence, you might stop reading due to Likability Influence.
If you don’t read this because you simply don’t have enough time, that’s Scarcity Influence causing you fear.

Knowing these principals can make us more resilient to being influenced. Weave them into strategic marketing and they can also help us break through the noise, explain why seemingly normal things can be so engaging, but also why bad things can be so enticing. Throughout life, you’ve probably experienced how influence can be used by rascals.

In this way, easy mnemonic for all 7 principles is “Rascals University.” R-A-S-C-L-S, U

Reciprocity - I give you something, so you feel the desire to give me something in return.
Authority - Because of your title “president” or your 30 years of experience, your words have a greater impact on me.
Scarcity - This thing is so unique, special, different, and it won’t be here forever so I have a fear of missing out if I miss it.
Consistency - Because I did this, believe this, or feel this, I’m more likely to keep doing, believing, and feeling this.
Likability - Positivity, charm, and excitement, goodwill, ease, or sugar, spice, and everything nice makes this influential.
Social Proof - A lot of people are doing this, talking about this, or in pictures with this, so it must be something good.
Unity - Even though we’re not together, we still feel like we are because of that important moment in our lives.

Personal Best Practices

1. Something or someone influential is often a combination of all of these principals, happening at once.
2. Usually, a moment of influence will have 3 principles you can identify as “stronger” and 3 things as “weaker.”
3. I believe that all of the principals without the use of Authority, added together, assume a certain level of "Authority.
4. Out of all influence principals, Authority seems to have the most power (and be the hardest to socially earn and maintain), but having Authority in the most influential position can also diminish the effect of Likability.

How This Impacts Marketing

This framework is a catalyst for the effectiveness of other frameworks. When combined with frameworks for content marketing, people management, event planning or even negotiations, the influence principals help to reveal or control certain levers.

For example, unite Cialdini with SWOT can you can evaluate the influence of a brand personality, based on it’s 3 strongest principles and 3 weakest principles. You may also be able to determine a principal that could more quickly become a strength, i.e. an opportunity. You might also realize that to achieve assumed authority with the brand, there’s one principal of influence that will require new time and investment to rise against competitors (perhaps social proof if you have a high quality product with low following, or consistency, if you have a popular known product issue).

Or, consider a maturity matrix. Cialdini + Gartner Hype Cycle and you may see the role influence plays on the progression of hype through different stages. In this example, an early product grows quickly in hype when it is most scarce (new, unique, special, innovative) and likable (clean slate, no bad reports, no reason not to like it), and then it may peak when it is now more mainstream, less scarce, and more defects are known in some areas (starting to become less likable and less consistent). Later, hype will gradually return after product improvements correct the defects, or consistent marketing (consistency), or reduced pricing (reciprocity) has encouraged laggards to finally try it. The product may establish prestige over time (authority) elicited by its luxuriously advertised benefits, or more popularized as more people continue to use it with positive results (social proof). Perhaps, the product seems better but is is also more affordable due to scale and, therefore, perceived to be more valuable, which increases adoption (a combination of several principals of influence leading to the buy).

When we merge Cialdini with a classic social media methodology, like an automated messaging strategy that uses a Content Calendar across multiple communications channels, we can insert Cialdini into the content, to categorize posts according to the principles of influence. Each time the post is created, a marketing manager might ask: What is the influential area that we’re conveying to our following? Overtime, people will learn to associate the brand with these influence principles. If taking a survey of customers to understand before/after impact of Cialdini, using a Cialdini-SWOT you’ll likely find that customers associate the brand strengths and weaknesses to the intended brand strengths and weaknesses based on where influence principals were inserted.

Overall, this workshop was designed to help marketers, product managers, and project managers consider the influential forces around you, how to use influence as a high-level checks and balances on the growth of brands, communities, and teams, and use Cialdini like ketchup to the french fry on any go-to framework that’s been getting a little dry with over use. Just add Cialdini and stir for new impact and trackable results!