I got an email recently with this subject line:
Joe, congratulations! You have one of the top 5% most viewed LinkedIn profiles for 2012!
Wow! I felt like I was part of an elite group.
I opened the email and saw these details:
If I’m in the top 5% of LinkedIn profiles, that means out of 200 million users I’m in the top 10 million people.
One in ten million sounds so weak compared to “top 5%.”
The writer of this email crafted their words carefully. Why? Because people love to feel special.
You get bonus points if you can help your customers feel part of an elite group.
Exclusivity is a powerful psychological motivator. It works for marketers when you use the scarcity principle.
Exclusivity works to help customers feel special when they perceive that they are somehow popular or better than the majority.
The email I received appeared to position me as something special. However, when I ran the numbers, I was just one of 10 million other people.
While this example might have relied a little too much on statistical games, you would be wise to learn from why this communication was effective.
It was effective because of the psychology behind the message. And that is something you can use when you communicate with your customers.
How can you help your customers feel special? How can you acknowledge their status, efforts, or history with you to help them feel noticed and appreciated?