Mental Triggers – From Psychology to Communication and Marketing

[muskanislam44]

Mental triggers are brain stimuli that cause reactions in people, inciting decision-making and sometimes impulsive attitudes. For these and other reasons, advertisers, marketers and other professionals who do not work in the field of psychology study psychology.

For those who thought that “mental triggers” were just marketing talk, they were wrong. It’s just psychologist talk. However, it has nothing to do with hypnosis. However, it is a scientifically proven reaction that happens in our brains.

For example, do you know when you are very hot and see an whatsapp mobile number database free download image of something very refreshing? This triggers a trigger in your brain. Sometimes this trigger is so strong that it causes salivation in your mouth. In other words, your body has responded to that trigger in a physical way. Just like when you see an image that reminds you of pain or suffering, you also react in some way. This reaction is triggered by a mental trigger.

Desires, fears. Security, insecurity. Trust, credibility. Panic, anxiety. All of these are feelings and sensations that can be triggered by mental triggers. It is no wonder that on Instagram, for example, users sometimes come across trigger warnings for sensitive content.

The line between persuasion and manipulation is very thin. That's why it's important to be careful about using psychology in marketing.

Psychology of Communication
In communication courses, whether journalism, radio and TV, advertising, marketing, etc., everyone will have the subject psychology of communication at some point in the semester; even if it has another name. Within this subject, the themes of language , colors, mental triggers, among others, are studied .

This is because the use of psychology in communication helps us understand how subjective factors can lead to an action. In advertising and marketing, for example, this action is usually focused on sales. Another very relevant factor in studying psychology within communication is learning about human perceptions.

Mental triggers work differently for each person. And, as already mentioned, they are brain stimuli that act by triggering thoughts or actions.

Some mental triggers are directly linked to emotional triggers. Here, an emotional trigger is considered to be a specific response, connected to past experiences .

Emotional triggers are also used in communication and marketing. That is why it is important to use this knowledge ethically and respectfully. This is because mental triggers and emotional triggers can trigger physical symptoms. In other words, in addition to psychology, the study of mental triggers also involves neuroscience.

Keep reading. Next, we’ll talk about how to use mental triggers ethically and efficiently in your digital marketing.

Mental Triggers in Marketing and Communication
The use of mental triggers in the communication strategy involves planning, studying the persona and consumer behavior. These three pillars generate data that allows the communication , marketing and sales teams to understand the purchasing journey and the factors that lead to the purchase decision, so they can work on mental triggers.

It is important to be very careful not to confuse persuasion with manipulation . That said, understanding the purchasing decision process and creating effective approaches based on it through language, images and formats involves studying the mental triggers that will lead to the action that marketing wants. In other words, if the idea is to convert an ebook to capture contact and then nurture that lead, the trigger is one. On the other hand, if the objective is direct sales to meet the target, the trigger will be another.

In this context, there is also the study of neuromarketing. In this case, the study is more in-depth within the line of psychology. Because it is something that reaches learning about the unconscious, it must be treated with even more care and ethics.

A study by Cornell University shows that an adult makes more than 30,000 decisions per day. Imagine that this adult is a single mother who works outside the home. This number increases. But, what is the relevance of knowing this?

If we stop to think that rational decisions are influenced by emotional triggers, it is a very relevant fact. Especially if your persona is women, single mothers. But this was just one example. Let's go back to triggers in a broader context.

Mental triggers that awaken sensations
When planning, it is important to know that the trigger should arouse sensations. If your business has the possibility of a tasting, explore essences, smells, textures, flavors, images, sounds and words. If your business is digital, you can trigger the smell with a combination of images and words. For example: a video, with a song, the image of food being prepared with a “little smoke” in which someone smells the food and the phrase:

“They haven’t invented a screen that brings you closer to this aroma yet. Order it through the app and try it out.”
Even though the person did not smell it, the publication being made close to the “standard” meal times (lunch and dinner), will certainly have in its favor the biological sensory factor of hunger. If the person has a personal identification with that dish – a feijoada for example, they may have had the sensation of having smelled it and that it may have awakened many other sensory triggers.

And here we come to other factors that influence mental triggers. That is, when triggers are triggered for personal reasons, for identification. Social reasons, linked to sounds or other contexts of life in society . For example, when the trigger is linked to sounds of nature or elements of urban life. And, finally, biological triggers : hunger, cold, heat, thirst, etc.

There are many daily decisions that range from rational to emotional. It is rare for a decision to be completely rational. However, it can happen that a decision is made solely on impulse, an emotional trigger . And here we come to the ethical issue of the difference between persuasion and manipulation.

In short, manipulation is easily identifiable because it tends to lead communication to an exclusively emotional language. In other words, without rational arguments in the sale .

Meanwhile, serious marketing uses emotional triggers to raise awareness, but also presents the rational qualities of obtaining a given product or service. It also provokes reasoning to make the person realize that this is indeed an opportunity. Whether it is to buy at a promotional time, to take advantage of the value or the interest-free payment method. Or even to take advantage of a free shipping benefit. In short, differentiating persuasion from manipulation requires attention, but it is not difficult.

Throughout the text, we suggest some examples and we will finish by highlighting ways to persuade and trigger mental triggers.
Use creative titles or phrases that create identification with your persona.
Work interactive CTAs and interact back to increase engagement
Innovate in the language and formats of your ads, exploring as many sensory triggers as possible.
Develop scripts and test
Copywriting themes that trigger triggers:
Shortage – only two vacancies left; timer running out on the promotion; etc.
Sense of Urgency – only today; only tomorrow; timer; etc.
Social Proof – show that other people have already purchased and are satisfied. This is a trigger that generates security and reliability. For example: testimonials or calls like: Join the select team of 30 people who have already signed up. There are only a few spots left. Here we have already used 2 triggers)
Curiosity – arousing curiosity in digital marketing is one of the main triggers for receiving a click. Capturing attention after that depends on the quality of the content.
Other themes that trigger are: similarity or identification, exclusivity, authority, reciprocity and empathy, novelty and “a common rival.”

Finally, it is worth remembering that in content, whether audio, video or text, it is very common to use more than one trigger. Copy themes are also not restricted. In other words, you can use more than one in your materials. Did you like the content? Share it and if you need help, contact our team.