During the first half of 1980, the question on the mind of nearly every TV watcher
in the world was "Who Shot JR?" The answer, as it turned out, was not revealed until
the fourth episode of the next season.
When the ending of one episode leaves unanswered questions in the mind of viewers,
it creates a kind of mental tension. It seems to be a quirk of human nature to be
tormented by a lack of complete information. The entertainment industry uses this
to great effect as a plot device
This ingenious plot device (the cliffhanger) takes advantage of a phenomenon first
documented by Russian psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik. She first discovered the effect
in 1927, after noticing that waiters seemed to remember orders only as long as the
order was in the process of being served and delivered. We now call it the Zeigarnik
effect.
What does this mean to you, the Internet Marketer?
Most people have hundreds of emails, and hundreds of millions of websites competing
for attention every single day. There is simply too much information out there.
Your job is to cut through the clutter and get YOUR message through. The Zeigarnik
effect is one of the best methods of getting a prospect to pay attention to your
message.
You've probably seen the Zeigarnik effect for yourself in some of the emails that
you receive. The following email, or some variation of it, should look familiar
to you:
"How making small changes to my website can brought in an extra $14,237 in just
three days.
Anyone can do this and earn a predictable six-figure income in a matter of months.
Hint: it's not what you think! Click here to learn the answer."
There are just a few things to keep in mind when using the Zeigarnik effect in your
marketing message:
Make sure that you are speaking directly to your target market. It seems like common
sense when you see it written here in black and white, but how many times have you
noticed that the content you clicked through to see had nothing to do with the teaser
that compelled you to click?
Next, make sure that you make specific claims using specific numbers. In the example
above, I used the number $14,237. It has been established through years of testing
that claims using specific quantities has a significantly higher response rate than
mere superlatives, or even round figures. Don't use "The best" or "over 50%;" instead,
use 52.7% or whatever specific term is appropriate in your case.
Next, crank up the curiosity factor as much as possible by using teaser lead-ins
that forces your prospects mind to ask a question.
And finally, test, test and test some more. But when you test, only make one change
at a time in order to accurately establish the individual elements which have the
greatest effect.
The Zeigarnik effect is a simple, highly effective device that can exponentially
increase your email click-through rate IF you use it correctly.
Oh, and who shot J.R.? It was Kristin.
