Imagine you’re at a carnival. You stop in front of a game called Pick Pink. Sitting on the table are two boxes side by side, each with a covered hole cut into the top, just large enough for your hand to fit. The booth attendant tells you that inside both boxes are yellow and pink marbles. The object of the game is to reach in and pull out only pink marbles. Admittedly, not the most exciting game in the world, but you decide to give it a try.
The only thing is, you have to decide whether you want to pull from the box on the left or the box on the right. The box on the left has 50 yellow marbles and 50 pink marbles. The box on the right also has 100 marbles, but you don’t know how many of each color. There could be 90 pink marbles or 50. Or just one. Which box do you decide to play?
This is exactly the type of experiment that led Daniel Ellsberg in 1961 to conclude that most people will take their chances with a known probability for success (selecting from the box containing the 50/50 mix) as opposed to the unknown (ambiguous) probability of the other box.
That, in a nutshell, describes the ambiguity effect. It is the tendency for people to behave as though ambiguous information will lead to negative outcome rather than a favorable one, even if the actual chances are even, or positive.
We’ve discussed a few cognitive biases before and how they can impact your bottom line (Read more: “Running on Default”, “The [Ethical] Way to Use Cognitive Biases to your Advantage”). The ambiguity effect is yet another cognitive bias that can impact the success of your marketing. In laymen’s terms, we can just call it “the fear of the unknown” and this uncertainty can send potential customers running to your competitors if they seem more like a sure thing.
Of course, there could be many factors at play here. How do you know if the ambiguity effect is one of them?
To answer, you have to put yourself in your prospective customer’s shoes. If anything about the process is unclear, or not compelling enough to proceed, they won’t.
Let’s take a look at the three situations above from inside the head of your website visitor…
STOP SCARING AWAY YOUR CUSTOMERS.
The solution to not enough information seems obvious: more information.
On the surface, this may seem like a catch-22. Why? Because web experts claim that “people don’t read anymore” and that “less is more.” These are valid data-based conclusions. I don’t dispute them.
So we need to restructure the problem. It’s not always “not enough information.” It could be “not enough relevant information” or “not clear enough information” or “not the right information.”
Therefore, our solution to the ambiguity effect is not “more information,” but “better information.”
How can you present better information to your prospective customers? Here are some actions you want to take on your website to make a future with you seem less scary for them.
What are the obstacles in people’s minds that could potentially keep them from purchasing? Price, availability, quality, usefulness, value? How can you reassure them on these objections? Weave in your reassurances naturally into the flow of information, or list them all on a separate FAQ page.
You want your pages to be simple so as not to overwhelm your users. But you want information readily available to offer more clarity. So, keep top-level web pages concise, but offer an easy way to access details when desired. For example, on an overview of your services, a “more details” button is all you need beside a concise description for each one. Those interested will click; those not ready will keep skimming.
If you’re asking people to take some action on your website, you want to make sure you’re not scaring them away or misleading them with the call-to-action (CTA) that you use. Rather than use “Submit” on your button, use copy that is more descriptive, like “Complete Signup”. And if your button says “Complete Signup” don’t make people go through another three steps before the signup is actually complete. People are going to be wondering what the consequences are of giving up their personal information, making contact with you, signing up for your free trial, etc. If your CTA is not clear, and consequences not stated, people will be hesitant to take that step.
Especially for service-based businesses, people may be wary of what exactly to expect. If you have a set process in place, communicate it clearly and simplistically. Just knowing that there is a tried-and-true procedure will help reassure people that you offer stability and consistency, and that they can trust in what comes next. Setting expectations is vitally important as a trust factor.
It’s been shown that product photography can make or break an e-commerce site. Since people can’t touch and hold items in their hands before buying something online, you want to provide the next best thing. Professional, detailed, high-quality photography and video will lessen the ambiguity of your product and make people feel more comfortable about buying. Use large photos and show the product at different angles.
Social proof is one of the biggest trust factors there is. If 99 out of 100 people recommend something, there’s a good chance you’ll like it too. If 0 out of 0 people recommend something, it will give pause. There is less of a perceived risk when you know others have bought from a company and have had favorable results.
Because you want each word on your website to deliver the biggest bang for your buck, it’s worth it to invest in a professional copywriter. Ideally you want one that is well versed in both conversion and SEO. Many business owners, while experts in their field, may not be experts in communicating or selling. A professional copywriter can state your case in a compelling way, clearly stating the benefits of buying from you. This is possibly the single best thing you can do for your website.
Ultimately, to defeat the ambiguity effect, you need to make people feel more confident in the decision to give you their business. Be clear, build trust, and eliminate ambiguity. Case closed.
Nonprofit organizations have a special marketing challenge: how to convince people to donate their hard-earned money. This is not just a marketing challenge; it’s an organizational challenge, but marketing communication can make a big difference to the bottom line.
What’s that your momma always said? “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.” But ma! The flip side — “don’t look a gift horse in the mouth”, right? No. That’s not even what that means. Listen to your mother and beware this common email scam.
A website is designed to be viewed on a screen, right? Sure, no-brainer. So should you care how your website looks when it’s printed? Good question.
