We recently interviewed Dr. BJ Fogg, Experimental Psychologist and Director of Stanford University’s Persuasive Technology Lab, on what “persuasion tips” he has to share on doing effective video in e-commerce.  BJ also share’s his opinions on what’s wrong with how many businesses today are doing video, and how creative professionals need to get off the “viral video craze” and develop a much better foundation with understanding human psychology.  This, according to BJ, “Is where effective persuasive technologies come into play.”

About BJ Fogg

BJ Fogg, was featured in Fortune Magazine as one of “10 New Gurus You Should Know.” He was also the keynote speaker at the July 2010 Video Commerce Summit sponsored by Liveclicker, and presented on how persuasive web design and Internet video play into human psychology and greatly affect consumer behavior.  The following is my own compliation of the “persuasion tips” he shared at the conference for how to do successful video in e-commerce. (I initially covered BJ Fogg’s presentation for ReelSEO, and there was so much good information, it deserved more coverage here.)

The big problem with e-commerce today: Viral video craze is a virus

BJ explained that many businesses (especially e-commerce sites) get so caught up in the technology and doing creative design with video, that they fail to take the time to understand the relation of online video with the underlying human psychology that causes desirable behaviors to be triggered (by their intended audiences).

Instead, BJ says businesses have been too distracted by thinking that making a viral video is going to solve all of their problems, mis-equating increased attention and brand perception with real business value. BJ argues that real business value comes not just from views or “buzz” with a video, but on the actual facilitation of behavior change in an audience. I.e., demonstrating a video or video campaign was actually successful in persuading people to take an intended action towards real business value.

“Just the fact that many people watch a video is not an indicator that it drove anything valuable; and without having that, doing the video becomes a waste.” Says BJ. “Video needs to have a purpose. It needs to lead to a desired behavior. Because viral gets so much attention, businesses get carried away and think, ‘Why didn’t our brand do that? We could have done that!’ I think that’s the common misjudgment.”

“Certainly a viral video can change the brand perception.” Adds BJ. “A lot of the people I work with say, ‘We just want awareness. We just want to get the message out.’ And I’m like, what good is awareness if people aren’t doing what you want? I mean, viral videos are clever and funny, but at the end of the day it didn’t boost sales, then, oh well.” Money and effort is wasted.

“I tend to take the more extreme case of what drives actual behavior.” He adds. “If it’s not driving behavior, then don’t do it. It’s a little too extreme I admit. But I say, if you do not create a daily habit within your customers, you will lose. Because, someone else is working on that right now, and they might not even be in your space.”

What’s “persuasive technology?”

The change in attitude and direction, BJ argues, is for businesses to be focusing on persuasion, and the technologies today that encourage persuasion.

Persuasion is about behavior influence; and for many business-minded people, it’s about how to change it.  “We live in a world full of persuasion.” Says BJ. “We are constantly and increasingly inundated with attempts to influence and change us – both with our attitudes, and more importantly, with our behaviors.”

“Generally, people have at least a modest level of motivation and ability [to do something] – and these levels can be manipulated. That is where effective persuasion technologies come into play. Persuasive technology, plays a huge part in our lives, and is fundamentally about learning to automate behavior change.”

BJ says the best examples of effective persuasion technology are the obvious ones, which we can all learn from: Google, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. And, not just for their uniqueness to the industry, and not just for their cool features. Instead, BJ would argue its’ because of how well they first knew to understand human psychology.

Why behavior patterns are crucial to e-commerce video

BJ’s made his introduction to the audience with this key theme: While technology has gone through multiple revolutionary changes in modern business and marketing, and has empowered everyone with tools for reaching a mass audience scale expediently -  what hasn’t changed for thousands of years is human psychology. In other words, human behavior has remained a constant. For that reason businesses should shift their base strategy from projections with technology (which is forever changing, and rapidly), and instead work from the base on what we already know has stayed the same and will not change- human behavior.  “Whatever you invest in psychology will help you [with understanding effective video in e-commerce]. These are results that you can expect today, 5 years from now, and 20 years from now.” He says.

So how do you get to understand human psychology as it relates to doing video for e-commerce? Fortunately for us, BJ has put together some learning devices that can help us understand a systematic view of human behavior: The Fogg Behavioral Model and Behavioral Grid.

The Behavioral Model – factors of existing behavior

Getting people to do what we want means that we need to change their existing behavior, says BJ. And to do that, we first need to understand what are the factors that cause a change in someone’s behavior. “The good news is, humans are fairly predictable. We’re all motivated by the same things.” He says.

BJ presented to the audience his self-created Fogg Behavior Model, which “is intended to help us see beyond the surface to the underlying psychology. We can use it to understand how motivation, ability, and triggers are working together to produce the target behavior.” He says.

These are the 3 major factors of creating behavior change, according to the Fogg Behavior Model:

1.    Motivation -3 core motivators for people are 1) Pleasure/Pain, 2) Hope/Fear (The anticipation of something good and/or bad happening, and 3) Acceptance/rejection (social acceptance vs. social rejection).

2.    Ability – people must be able to actually do what you are asking of them. It must be simple enough for them based on their level of ability, in accordance with their level of motivation to do the task.

3.    Trigger – the general concept of triggers goes by many names: prompts, cues, calls to action, and so on. The idea is similar: A trigger is something that tells people to perform a behavior now… you need to do it in a way that people think that they have to do it now.

Now, here’s where it get’s tricky: BJ explains that all three factors must be present at the SAME moment for the behavior change to happen. And it’s the combination of the first two is what’s required to cross the behavior activation threshold.

The Behavior Grid – seeing the paths to behavior change

BJ explains that these are Behavioral Grid is the equivalent of the periodic table of elements – with concrete names for different types of behaviors, and helping us see the paths to behavior change, “Once you understand the relationship between the elements, there are sequences of understanding and formulas you can create. We can sequence them; we can see how they fit together, and so on. When you understand behavior patterns, you also understand what motivates your audience; and you can see that there’s more than one path to get to your goal.

BJ’s explains that e-commerce with video relates to three “flavors” of behavior shown on his grid below: Green (Starting a new behavior), Blue (Working with a familiar behavior), and Purple (intensifying an existing behavior).

Here’s an overview of each of these 3 groups as it relates to e-commerce:

• Green behaviors (New) – are about motivating your audience (and helping them get over their initial fear) to do something that’s original unfamiliar to them, in a simple enough manner based on their ability. With the Green group, video is a great way to address these particular motivation issues, which include fear, and the how-to-issues. “It can make them have more hope, make them feel more socially accepted.” He explains.
• Blue behaviors (Familiar) – they’re familiar and typical. Blue behaviors, such as “Visit us Online” (which is super-familiar) bring up questions like, “What’s special? “why not alternative?” , “why shouldn’t I go to your competitor,” and “why now?” With the Blue group, it’s not so much having to address fear and the what-if questions, but instead presenting yourself as a better option than the known alternatives.
• Purple (Intensified) behaviors – are about intensifying things (the experience). “Why more?” “Why not alternative?” “Why now?” For the Purple Group, it’s about showing an existing familiar behavior, and wanting them to do more of it.

BJ says that for the commerce world, it’s all about Green-Blue-Purple: “do once, do again, and do more.”

“That’s your world. But before you start creating video, you should figure out first, where does your audience fall into right now? Is it the Green, the Blue, or the Purple category?” he adds. “That’s important to follow, because the requirements are different for each. You need to think, is what you’re offering, are you helping people to do something that’s new? Or is it something they already know how to do? There are videos that can address each [category].”

BluePath as the key for video e-commerce

BJ says that the most desired behavior for e-commerce business is the BluePath – creating a familiar behavior and doing a lasting change. When your audience has been conditioned to do something regularly, then you don’t even need to have a trigger mechanism in place anymore; it becomes a habit and a ritual for that person, a routine in their life.

However, BJ does emphasize that the way to get to BluePath is probably not directly. Take again the popular social networks – YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter – which BJ says are all excellent means for understanding the Green-Blue-Purple Pattern. “They all didn’t start off by telling people to login every single day. For them, it was step-by-step thing.” He says.

BJ’s tips for doing persuasive e-commerce video

Understand the fundamental goal of being persuasive

“What we’re talking about here, is how to create motivation, or how to make something easier.” Says BJ. Your goal is to change behavior in some way – start a new behavior, make it a habit, and/or intensify it – that will lead to a tangible business conversion. Remember, persuasion is crucial to e-commerce. If you can’t persuade your audience to do something, they certainly aren’t going to buy your product otherwise.

Understand what motivates your audience

BJ explains that humans are fairly predictable, in that we’re all motivated by the same things. These are what he’s shown are the 3 core motivators for people (with a positive/negative connotation for each one). By understanding the core motivators and what your own audience is likely to be influenced by, you can tailor your video strategy around those motivators and be much more persuasive.

• Pleasure/pain – the instant sensation that is positive. The flip side of that is pain, the instant sensation that is negative.
• Hope/fear – the anticipation of something good or bad happening.
• Social acceptance/rejection – “We’re hard-wired for the social element; we want to be accepted, we don’t want to be rejected.” Says BJ. “For some reason, this element has been the built-in driver of Facebook, or LinkedIn, even. We have numbers to show we’re accepted, and we’re not a social reject. There’s this natural energy we’re leveraging. The just can facilitate the behavior and let it naturally play out.”

“The best use of video is to motivate people, ” Says BJ. “You can figure, out what’s stopping them? What is the motivator we need to tweak? Is it social acceptance? Is it fear reduction? Is it highlighting the pleasure? What is it? When you understand the 3 dimensions to motivation, you can better know how to tap into the right motivational element with your own videos.”

Understand video as an emotional medium

BJ says that “online video has become one of the most effective ways to motivate people towards certain behaviors.” Video can overcome some questions like, “What’s the benefit?” “How do I…?” “What if…?” Rather than just making sterile product videos, BJ emphasizes that it’s important to showcase the emotional connection whenever you can. One good example can involves featuring real people expressing real passions for something. That’s when it goes beyond just being about the product; you incorporate the life experience they have from it, which helps the audience development their own emotional attachment.

(Watch this video for an example: E-commerce video as an emotional medium – Zappos Interview)

Understand your audience’s level of ability

Understanding the motivators for your target audience is the first step. The next step: they must be able to DO what you’re asking. “People can be super-motivated to do what you want them to do,” Says BJ, but you still need to make sure they have the ability to do what it is you want, and they want, if it’s going to happen. Ability is the combination of a person’s skill level to how simple or complex the task put in front of them, which takes into account factors like: location, time, money, effort, health, routine, and social mores.  BJ’s Behavorial Grid is a good means of measuring the levels of motivation with ability in your audience.

Start small

Everything big started small. “As the small offerings succeeded, they expanded.” Says BJ. “That approach to innovation works. In contrast, services launched with many features or ambitious goals always seem to fail.”  As an example, before thinking that your video solution has to be feature-rich, start off with what’s the most desirable thing your audience wants to see or have, and emphasize just that one thing in your video content or application. This can also include trying out just one or two of the most desirable calls-to-action, rather than many.

Start with the easiest little thing

“Usually it’s about making the behavior easier. Usually that’s the missing piece in changing people’s behaviors.” Says BJ. “If you get the easiest thing right, you can add something over time. If you get the pieces right, you can change behavior.” When doing video, think of what’s the most efficient way for your business to change something that will net a positive effect in your users’ behavior.

Create a sequence of events

BJ says that if you’re obsessed with having people go directly to an end goal, you are likely to fail. Instead, start off with encouraging one initial behavior, which will naturally (and eventually) lead to a sequence of behaviors.

“Like chess, there’s a sequence of moves you need to make to achieve your goal. Now that there’s this mapping of behavior types, we can see what ‘path’ we need to take to get to your goal. You start one time, then a period of time, before you make it a permanent fixture of someone’s behavior.”

Video is an excellent means of showcasing, and leading, people to a desired sequence of events. Certainly with the how-to’s and step-by-steps, but also for validating the user’s motivators along the way.

Accept imperfection

BJ shared his frustration on when he works with brands that suffer from what I refer to as ‘perfection paralysis…’

“Sometimes they say, ‘Oh, we can’t do that,’ or ‘What if we make a mistake?’ It’s frustrating. Not so much as video with a channel, but institutionalized calcification – just moving people forward.” Hey says.

“It’s not with video itself; it’s that they’re afraid of doing something and not having it be perfect. So you’re seeing the smaller, more nimble companies succeed (with video), or you’re seeing the more innovative companies [do that].”

“Yes, you could make a mistake. But the bigger mistake is not learning how to do it.” Hey says. It’s sort of like a company saying, ‘Oh, we don’t want to let our workers on the Internet because they might do something wrong.’ 10 years later, every other company and everyone in your space has the advantage of being on the Internet, and you still don’t know how to do it. So there might be a learning curve, and they only way you get past that learning curve is to start.”

Don’t think you need top-notch quality

BJ describes this as the #1 thing for effective video in changing behaviors. Sometimes, accomplishing a feel of authenticity with your videos can often be better accomplished by NOT doing high-end production. Take for example, new research out of the Department of Psychology at Rice University finds that people who are enjoying what they’re watching are video.

It’s not just about “buy”

BJ stresses that persuasive video in e-commerce is not just about getting people to buy stuff. It’s really about understanding the path to change. “What can you do with your brand, your company, your video, to create a habit in users? You’ll need to think about it systematically.” BJ says that getting people to “buy” is about creating rituals, a series of actions that feels so natural that it becomes unquestioned. “Rituals are the ‘holy grail’ of behavioral change.” Says BJ.

Tap into your social networks

BJ explains that triggers don’t just come from brands anymore. They come from our friends.

“Social networks like YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter have proven excellent means for understanding the Green-Blue-Purple pattern. They’re great for creating habits and rituals. It doesn’t have to trigger you anymore. It’s done enough now that it’s a habit, a routine in your life. So you have to look at what they’re doing that’s so compelling, and imitate those techniques.”

So what’s the obvious recommendation? Regularly feature your own video across the popular social networks!

Have all 3 behavioral change elements in place

BJ explains that you need to make sure that all three of these things – motivation, ability, trigger – are be present at the same moment. “Even if there’s a difference of just 30 seconds, it won’t happen.” He says.

“One great thing about technology is that you can orchestrate these characteristics to all come together at once.” That’s what Facebook has done very, very effectively. It puts the motivations and the triggers together at the same moment, and gets you to do stuff that they want you to do.” Says BJ.

Consider a user-generated video content platform

BJ says that if you have the resources to setup and maintain it, hosting your own user-generated social network with video content is an excellent means of finding an authentic way of pushing your products.

“Social networks are excellent platforms for persuasion.” Says BJ. “I just think it would be super compelling to go to an e-commerce site, I look at a product, and someone using that product is giving their review or sharing their experience [on video]: Here’s how I use it, here’s what I like about it, here’s what I don’t. There’s lots of reasons why that would be great.”

Expand on success

So, have you accomplished what you set out to do with creating a new behavior in your audience? Here are some options to consider. (And remember to always have a motivator!)

• Encourage repetition; create a routine.
• Try other simple behaviors.
• Make behavior harder. (This is where you can get more feature-rich with your video.)
• Scale to reach more people.

Want more BJ?