Run time: 57 seconds
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Have you ever wondered, where’s the line between helping your audience and manipulating them? Last week, we explored what nudges are, but let’s talk about using influence ethically to benefit both the business and the customer.
Ethical influence is about ensuring that you use nudges to help your customers, not just to benefit yourself. For example, instead of burying the opt-out link in your email sign-ups, keep it clear, making it just as easy to unsubscribe as it was to join. Transparency wins trust, and trust leads to longer, more valuable relationships.
When structuring your packages, labelling one as “Best Value” or “Most Popular”, “Ideal for x type of person” can steer people with a gentle nudge, especially if decision fatigue is creeping. Beware of ‘sludge’, those deliberate obstacles that frustrate users into making a choice they didn’t want, like unclear free trial terms. They just damage your brand.
If a customer feels you’re working with, not against them, they’re much more likely to trust your brand and stick around. That’s the foundation for real advocacy, not one-off wins.
Next week, we’ll see how the architecture of a choice, from layout to labelling, can boost your results.
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