“Cognitive fluency” is a measure of how easy it is to think about something. Psychologists say cognitive fluency shapes your beliefs, how you invest, and what you buy.
It also influences who and what you think is beautiful, such as faces that you find attractive. Cognitive fluency is “one of the hottest topics in psychology today,” writes Drake Bennett in The Boston Globe in 2010.
So how can cognitive fluency help your business?
Plenty of ways. The bottom line is that the more you use cognitive fluency in your business and throughout your marketing, the more profitable your company can become.
You see, it’s no secret that people like things easy. Yet, psychologists are only now finding out why. Nonetheless, it is not the “why” that you need to be concerned about. It is how you can make things easy within your business that is the key to increasing your profitability.
Imagine telling your investors that your strategy to higher profitability, market capitalization and stock prices is by making things easy for your customers to think about.
Adam Alter, a psychologist at the New York University Stern School is quoted,
“Every purchase you make, every interaction you have, every judgment you make can be put along a continuum from fluent to disfluent.”
So how easy is it for your customers to buy your products and services? The answer is in the content of your marketing.
The easier it is to pronounce the name of your company, products and services, the more profitable your company can be. The same is true for presenting these names in an easier-to- read font. Furthermore, the same is true for your slogans. In fact, adding rhyme or alliteration to your slogan can make it easier to understand and remember.
How well do you think a company with the name Ralph Lifshitz would succeed?
How about “Jerry and David’s Guide to the World Wide Web?”
What about the names Lawrence Harvey Zeiger or Demetria Gene Guynes?
These are the original names for Ralph Lauren, Yahoo!, Larry King and Demi Moore – all very successful brands and/or celebrities.
The first place to improve your profitability involves changing the names of your company and brands.
The ease with which your audience can comprehend your marketing communication impacts your sales and profits. The easier it is for your audience to understand your marketing communication, the more likely they will be to buy your products and services. You need to make your website, email letters, advertising and other forms of communication easier to read.
Website
The first place your customers go to learn more about your company is your website. That’s why it is so vital for you to update the content on your website to make it easier for your audience to understand. Here are a few ways you can make your website easier to understand:
Email Letters
People can receive many email letters each day. So make your letter stand out. Here’s how:
Advertising
Advertising is often the way companies introduce their brand to customers, so it’s important that you leave a good impression the very first time. The way to do this is with a simple message and a memorable tagline. Allstate, for example, has a very simple message and memorable tagline. After showing a catastrophe that could happen to you, the ad shows Allstate is there when you need them. The ad ends with their slogan,
“You’re in good hands with Allstate.”
A general rule in marketing is to say it once and say it again. Repetition enhances customer understanding and memory. Repetition also builds trust.
The bottom line is that the easier your marketing content is to understand, the easier it is for customers to buy from you. So make things simple and clear. Your customers will reward you.