Which Strategies Motivate Behaviour Change?
Posted by Marketing & PR on 20 Nov 2018
An important part of social marketing is raising awareness of the issue at the heart of your social marketing campaign. And while raising awareness is the first step in any social marketing campaign the main objective is behaviour change.
Whether your social or behaviour change marketing campaign is designed to encourage people to adopt healthier habits or lifestyles or improve safety when driving by wearing a seatbelt, keeping to speed limits or not being distracted by mobile phones. There are key strategies that can be adopted to motivate your target audience to change.
Let’s take a look at the strategies that can be used to successfully change behaviours amongst your target audience.
Show the consequences of current behaviour on the individual
Showing your target audience the consequences of their current behaviour whether immediate or in the long-term can be an effective way of encouraging people to change their behaviour. This strategy has been used in recent years for various road safety and alcohol awareness campaigns to encourage people to drive slower and drink responsibly.
This strategy is particularly effective when the target audience is young adults. It is important to ensure that when using this tactic you stick to the facts and do not overexaggerate the consequences.
Show the consequences of current behaviour on loved ones
Many of us only think about how our behaviour affects us and not how it can impact on our loved ones. Showing your target audience how their behaviour could affect their loved ones can be a big motivator for behaviour change.
For example, conveying how an unhealthy lifestyle or addiction can impact on the lives of an individuals spouse, partner, children and parents can be a big driver in encouraging them to want to change.
Focus on the benefits
While showing the negative effects of their current behaviour can work well to help motivate people to change their behaviour, it may not be the right approach for everyone. Which is why it is imperative that you also focus on the benefits individuals will see if they change their behaviour.
Many people are fully aware that an unhealthy lifestyle, smoking and not getting enough exercise is not good for them, but sometimes these behaviours have become so ingrained in a person’s life that it is hard to visualise life any other way.
For example, showing someone the benefits of not smoking not only in the short-term but also in the long-term can have a big impact on helping them to change their behaviour and quit smoking.
Address the barriers preventing change
One of the main reasons people don’t change behaviours is due to a preconception they have or a barrier that is preventing them from changing their behaviour. This could be that it would be too hard to stop smoking or start exercising or that eating healthier would be more expensive.
Understanding these barriers and working to address these can help your target audience visualise themselves changing and can encourage them to make changes to their behaviour. Real-life testimonials work well to show your audience how people like them have changed and are reaping the benefits of changing their behaviour.
Our Expertise
We are passionate about developing relevant approaches that bring about positive behavioural change – on a small scale, big scale, immediately, over time - not possibly, but definitely!
Whether we’re encouraging improving patient communication and outcomes in healthcare, promoting positive lifestyles by discouraging people from smoking in favour of taking more regular exercise, our approach identifies the best way of marketing ideas and initiatives such as Marketing Automation to bring about positive lifestyle change.
Within our team, we have leading nationally recognised academic professionals within Psychology, Mental Health and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy that advise what messages and mediums will deliver the best response when we scope out a communications campaign or deliver any targeted communications.
This provides our clients with the reassurance and confidence of knowing that their communication objectives are underpinned by recognised academic behavioural theory, executed with award-winning creative design and using the latest Marketing Automation communication tools, whether it’s on a local, regional or national project.
If you’d like our help with Marketing Automation within the healthcare sector, then we’d love to hear from you. Please visit our contact page and get in touch.
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