TEST IDEA #14: FORER/BARNUM EFFECT
INTRO
Humans love to define and apply categories to themselves, and that?s why personality tests like the Briggs-Myers one are so popular. We tend to believe generalizations and broad descriptions that can actually be applied to a big number of people, and think they?re made specially for us. You can use this psychological bias to your advantage by making it sound like your website was created to cater to each individual customer, rather than a group.
HYPOTHESIS
SCIENCE BEHIND THIS IDEA
We tend to believe fortune tellers, astrology and personality tests because we seek subjective validation and wish to identify with other groups, even if that means putting ourselves in categories and boxes. One way our brain tricks us into finding validation where there is none is by believing
general statements that could be applied to anyone. We interpret them in such a way that we think
The ??Forer/Barnum effect?? psychological trigger can be targeted by language that is designed to create intimacy and a connection. By using a lot of ??you??, ??your??, ??I??, ??us?? and ??we??, you create the impression that you are focused on the person and not speaking to some undefined group of
strangers. If you identify your customer?s main pain point and discuss it on your website with language and copy that will make it sound like you are addressing each individual customer, rather than a broad audience, your visitors will be more likely to feel like your company understands them.You can nudge them into believing that they already belong to your customer base and this will translate into them trusting you more.they?re tailor made for us and a lot of it has to do with the language used.
What to test
Variant A, or your current landing page, does not contain any personalized copy nor does it mention what is the main pain point for your customers. Instead, it contains impersonal language, speaks only about the product and doesn?t convey intimacy. Variant B, or the test version of your landing page, features copy that addresses the main pain point of your average customers and does so using language that will help them believe your statements are specially made for them.
Examples
Trello

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