How can you nudge a person to make changes to their behaviour?
Posted by TeamPC on 11 Jun 2017
We are all unique human beings and how we behave is sometimes a complete mystery. But is it possible with new behavioural change marketing techniques, to gently nudge a person in a certain direction, so that over time, they positively change their perspective, behaviour and lifestyle choices?
Simply telling someone that a new behaviour is good for them, is unlikely to work
A few years ago, posting up a billboard campaign, or sending out a flyer to households may have created general awareness about, say, the importance of being vaccinated against flu, but, these days, it would have little impact.
The problem is that a one-size-fits-all approach is not as good as tailoring messages that better fit what individuals want to see, read about and engage with. This is where social marketing scores. The idea of social marketing is to not simply enhance awareness or change attitudes towards an issue, but to motivate and empower people to take the desired behaviour. This can be achieved in many different ways, of course, and over a period of time.
Different stages of change
Behavioural change doesn’t happen over night. Over the years, psychologists have spent much time debating and researching what makes people change, how long it takes them to change and what they are most likely to respond to. The ‘stages of change’ mode used in social marketing is helpful when trying to understand the various different phases that people go through, in a change situation.
Social marketing campaigns, and the overriding strategy that they are founded on, need to take into consideration whether a target audience is at ‘contemplation stage’, (thinking about their behaviour), or further along the line and, in ‘preparation stage’ (ready to act, but yet to take the first step), or are ‘ready’ to go.
It has been proven that behaviour change programmes are more effective if they tailor messages at different stages, rather than trying to get an immediate, overriding response in a single shot. Effectively social marketing nudges people in the right direction, and gently moves targets towards the desired behaviour.
It’s by taking this approach, that sustained behavioural change is secured – and that has to be the overall objective.
Trust is more likely to happen when there are shared purposes and values
Since people are gently nudged in the right direction, and at different points in time, behaviour change strategies need to also find ways of spreading key messages to a wide group of adopters.
For more people, and entire communities to participate and be involved with an issue, they need to feel a part of it – to share ownership. This is an essential aspect of social marketing campaigns and can influence the outcomes that are achieved over time.
We’re Perfect Circle – an open and honest social marketing agency that delivers behavioural change for its customers. Visit us online at perfect-circle.co.uk
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