In five years of writing for plastic surgeons I learned a lot. Some of it I wish I could forget (you don’t really want to know what it looks like when boob jobs go bad), and some of it I’ll probably never use again (like looking at the 510(k) antecedents for SmartLipo), but some of it is genuinely useful. Like this study by OKCupid about how attractiveness ratings impact the number of contacts a person gets. They found that it’s better to have people rate you unattractive (1 on a 5 point scale) than sort of attractive (4 on a 5 point scale). How much better? People were three times more likely to be contacted if they had a mixture of 5s and 1s than if they had mostly 3s and 4s.
Their explanation for this? Game theory. People are more likely to contact a person if they think that other people aren’t. The problem with their theory? People looking at profiles on the dating site don’t see the rating, let alone the distribution of ratings. That is, when people are deciding to contact a person, they don’t really know how other people are responding. Instead, they are acting based on their own response to that person’s profile, and I think the true explanation is a much simpler and more common one.
Strong Reactions Motivate
The reason why people who rate 1s and 5s rather than 4s get more contacts is because their appearance inspires strong reactions. When some people look at the profile picture, they recoil. Others see the picture, and they are enchanted. These profile pictures take risks, and the reward of these risks is that they get more attention than the “conventionally cute” profiles that are objectively fine, but just don’t lead to a level of emotional commitment.
This is a common phenomenon in all types of aesthetic experience, not just when people are trying to select a date. When the VW Beetle was introduced in the US, many people thought it was ugly (and some still do), but it has one of the most devoted followings of any vehicle ever made. When Igor Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring premiered, a near-riot broke out as haters of the ballet battled supporters in the audience before the performance even reached intermission. In beer, one of the most important styles driving the ongoing craft brewing revolution is the IPA, whose extreme bitterness divides drinkers between lovers and haters.
You Will Get More Leads If You’re Not Afraid to Alienate Some Visitors
A successful SEO campaign will bring a diverse audience to your website. If you’re offering a unique service or product that people are most likely going to buy anyway, you will get more conversions if you create a sparse, functional website that doesn’t prevent people from getting what they already came knowing they wanted.
If, however, you are trying to distinguish yourself in a crowded marketplace, you have to try to stand out and give people the emotional activation energy they need to decide you are the right provider for them. This means you need to identify the emotional triggers that will quickly inspire commitment and conversion. Unfortunately, these emotional triggers are not the same for everyone, and playing on the emotions that will convert some visitors will inevitably alienate others.
Which Emotions to Target?
Since there are a wide range of emotions you could use, you have to select the right ones for your business. Here are a few questions to ask:
- What emotions motivate me? (You will convert more people if you are sincere in your appeals.)
- What emotional needs can I actually meet? (You want to motivate people who are more likely to be happy with what you provide.)
- What emotions inspire people to recommend a service? (You want people to recommend you to their friends and family.)
- What emotions motivate potential repeat customers? (Because everyone wants repeat business, right?)
The first question is the most important, because it creates the greatest harmony between what your website is saying and what your office staff is saying when talking to potential customers.
When considering your website content, I can help you decide which are the right emotions to target. Please contact Writer MC today for help getting website content that converts.