Persuasive Messages

1. Persuasive Messages AOS 272

2. Types of Persuasive Messages • Requests reader would most likely refuse • Unknowing • Disinterested • Unwilling • Sales messages

3. Appeal to Reader’s Interests • Facts • Logic • Emotional appeals

4. Self- Actualization Esteem Love and Affiliation Security and Safety Physical Needs Motivation Survival

5. Survival Needs • Food • Water • Air • Reproduction

6. Applies to: • Unemployed • Homeless • Environmentalists

7. Security and Safety • Safe shelter/neighborhoods • Personal safety • Routines and habits • Job security

8. Applies to: • Parents • Women • Children of dysfunctional parents

9. Love and Affiliation • Relationships • Organizations and clubs • Friendships

10. Applies to: • Teens and adolescents • People with high social needs

11. Esteem • Respect and admiration • Academic success • Career success

12. Applies to: • Those who have satisfied lower level needs • People with low self-esteem

13. Self-Actualization • Accomplishment • Fulfillment • “Be all you can be!”

14. Applies to: • Financially successful • Empty-nesters • People with high self-esteem

15. Gardner’s Seven Factors of Mental Change • Reason • Logic • Analogy • Classification • Research • Statistical tests • Experiments

16. Resonance • Feels right • Fits the situation • Convincing • Redescription • Described in different forms: linguistic, spatial, numeric

17. Rewards • Resources • Reinforcement • Real world events • Natural • Political • Economic

18. Resistance • Opposition • Inertia

19. Arguments • FACTS - Proof of superiority or benefit • Statistics • Features • Expert opinions • Testimonials • LOGIC • What are reader’s objections? • Answer/refute these objections.

20. Logic • What are reader’s objections? • Answer/refute these objections.

21. Emotional Appeals • When facts or logic don’t apply or are not effective • Happy Families • Humor • Exotic Places • Something for Nothing • Bandwagon • Plain Folks • Sex Appeal • Science and Statistics • Patriotism • Fears and Insecurities

22. Happy Families • Plays on needs for affiliation and affection.

23. Humor • Associate product with positive feelings • May be subtle or slapstick Feeling lost in the shuffle?

24. Exotic Places • Make us want to be there • We would be beautiful, glamorous, and sexy if we were

25. Something for Nothing • Coupons, giveaways, premiums.

26. Everybody’s Doing It • We’d all like to be as attractive and popular as these people.

27. Plain Folks • Trust and credibility

28. Celebrity Endorsements • “Be Like Mike” • Use sports and entertainment figures

29. Sex Appeal

30. Science and Statistics

31. Health and Nature

34. Patriotism

35. Fears and Insecurities • Personal characteristics • Future

36. Positive Effects • Tobacco advertising – all the good things we do • NFL participation in the United Way

37. Planning the Request Goals: 1. Get audience to read entire message 2. Get receiver to react positively

38. Indirect Plan (AIDA) • Attention • Interest • Desire • Action

39. Attention • Show benefit to reader • Show need or problem • Interest • Expand on benefit • Show relevance to audience • Appeal to logic or emotions

40. Desire • Supply proof of reader benefits • Answer potential questions • Downplay any negative points or obstacles • Action • Motivate reader to immediate action • Make action easy

41. Critical Points • Benefits must appeal to reader • Connection between benefits and request must be clear • Action should be easy and immediate

42. Types of Appeals • Humanitarian • Your action will help others • Individual responsibility • It’s your “job” to do this • Personal experience • You are unique, or you may have had a similar experience

43. Attention Devices What kinds of persuasive messages get your attention? • Medium • Mail • Telephone • TV/Radio • Interest vs. Annoyance

44. Establishing Credibility • Use simple language • Evidence • Research, facts, testimonials • Credible Sources • Verifiable • Qualified • Knowledge • Background • Research

45. Common Ground • Shared experience, similar beliefs • Enthusiasm & Sincerity • Care about the subject & audience • Objectivity • Fair and balanced • Trustworthy • Honest and factual

46. Sales Letters • Advantages • Inexpensive • Can be targeted to a specific market • Can be personalized • Direct – product is obvious • Indirect – goodwill, introduction, job application

47. Knowledge Needed • Know your product • Features, competitors, market • Know your customers • Who they are • What they want or need • Know how sales are made • Practice effective writing • “You” viewpoint • Positive language

48. Central Selling Point • The item of information most likely to motivate the reader to buy the product.

49. Other Persuasive Messages • Proposals • Recommendations • Persuasive Claims • Collection Letters

50. In-Class Assignment At Tolson Auto Repair, We have been in business for over 25 years. We stay in business by always taking into account what the customer wants. That’s why we are writing. We want to know your opinions to be able to better conduct our business.