Cialdini's 7 principles applied to holiday accommodations.

Everyone knows them, Cialdini's principles of persuasion. But how exactly do you use them to your advantage? And how do you use them to convince consumers to choose you? By correctly using the principles of persuasion you can influence the consumer's decision-making process. We would like to share with you how you can use these principles in your holiday rental or campsite business.

The American psychologist Robert Cialdini introduced the six principles of persuasion more than 30 years ago. His theories are still relevant and used by many marketers today. In 2016 he even added a 7th principle, Unity. The techniques he introduced are used to persuade people to perform a certain action. 

"People have always seen successful persuasion as an art, something a person is born with, a natural gift for saying just the right thing at just the right time." That's true, but what we haven't traditionally recognized is that it's also a science. "It's something that can be taught and learned." Robert Cialdini at the American Psychological association's annual convention in Washington, 2017. 

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Robert Cialdini's principles are reciprocity, scarcity, authority, consistency, sympathy, social proof and unity. Below we take a closer look at the 7 principles.

1. Reciprocity

The reciprocity principle is based on give and take. Have you ever caught yourself smiling at a colleague because he or she smiled first? This smile is the idea behind reciprocity. In some way, you feel inclined to smile back, so this is what you do. To be successful with reciprocity, you must make the first move and offer something. Make it as exclusive and personal as possible. That way, people are willing to do something in return. Do you want more reviews on your website? Send your guests an email after their stay thanking them and asking them if they would like to visit again with a personalized 15% discount code. Next, ask them if they would like to leave a review about their stay. Because you thanked them first and gave them a discount, they will be more likely to give something back. See below for another example to encourage early bookings: "Book now and get 10% off."

2. Commitment and consistency

People want to be consistent in their actions; if they say yes to the first question, they will want to answer yes to the second question as well. For marketers, this principle is advantageous because it can create brand loyalty. Once people say "yes" to you, they are more likely to keep saying "yes" in the future. Being able to answer yes to a series of questions makes them more likely to actually purchase something from you. Putting a vacation in a shopping cart, liking a holiday home or saving a destination are great examples of this. 

3. Social proof

People are herd animals and value the opinion and experience of those around them. Before making a decision, we find it essential to know what others are doing. Especially the people we trust. These can be friends and family, but also an expert in a particular field or industry. One way to use social proof on your website, for example, is to collect online reviews and share these reviews. Consumers tend to value the ratings and opinions of others more than the information shared by the company itself. A positive review or good product rating is an important factor in considering whether or not to buy. Approval from relevant experts is also an example of social proof. Below we show you an example of social proof.

4. Liking

People buy from people they like. To influence people, you need to win friends. You can do this by seeking similarities or ratings. Cialdini calls this "charming and disarming." We instinctively like people more when they compliment us or when there are similar interests. Keep in mind that when you give compliments, they should be as sincere and specific as possible. The same goes for businesses. People prefer to buy products or services from a company they feel good about. One way for online businesses to use the like or dislike principle is to have an attractive and well-designed website or give customers the opportunity to share what they just bought. Responding to mentions on social media to make your followers feel special or even putting them in the spotlight by showing photos is also a way to apply this principle.

5. Authority

We are more easily influenced to buy or believe something by people we view as an authority. Consider a dentist who recommends a certain toothpaste, a travel influencer who promotes a luxury hotel, or a dietician who has written a cookbook. Even in the leisure industry, there are countless authorities you can make work for you. Think about showing reviews from travel influencers, partners you've linked with, awards you've won and travel companies you're affiliated with.

6. Scarcity

People want more of what they can get less of. An example is the domino effect involving toilet paper that occurred during the Covid pandemic. As the shelves became empty, people started buying more products than strictly needed "just to be sure", causing the shelf to empty again. You can implement this principle very simply and effectively on your website. By showing how much availability is left, guests are confronted with the fact that this accommodation is not available forever and that they need to book quickly to be sure of their stay. This creates a sense of urgency. Companies in the travel and leisure industry make great use of this principle, see the example below:

7. Unity

Unity is Cialdini's newest persuasion principle. People like to belong somewhere, the group feeling. To persuade people, you have to make them feel that you belong to their group, or they belong to yours, so that you can use the word "we". Unity can be applied by asking for advice, as this gives the feeling that you can have input and thus collectively improve something. Like letting people participate in deciding which type of accommodation you will have placed on your park. This makes it much more likely that they will book that accommodation later on, since they made the choice together with you (read "we").

When you have persuaded them to book that accommodation, they are more likely to book it later on (i.e. together with you).

When you use Cialdini's persuasion principles at the right time, it massively boosts the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns. Do you have questions about this? Contact our Boosters!