The internet has changed the way we look at and use psychology. For years, the only way to get professional help with marketing and selling was to visit a live counselor, who would ask you a series of questions and help you identify the best approach to take for your situation. Thanks to digital marketing and the internet, all of that has changed. There are dozens of apps and websites that can help you with your marketing and sales strategies. Some of these tools are more suited to online marketing and sales than others, but they can all be used to gain a better understanding of consumer behavior.

The Live Chat Option

One of the most convenient and beneficial tools that online psychologists and marketers can use is live chat. Thanks to applications like Skype, you can hold a video chat with a live person, while simultaneously searching through a library of books or watching YouTube videos on your screen. You can ask the counselor questions and get responses immediately. Depending on the software, you can even keep the conversation going even after the session has ended. Using live chat allows you to get a better understanding of your target audience, and helps you plan your strategies accordingly.

Using Gamification to Your Advantage

Another great way to use psychology for marketing is through the use of game-like mechanics. When you add game-like mechanics to a marketing or sales application or website, you can encourage your users to do something, enter the right information, or make a purchase. These mechanics help keep your users engaged with your product or service and make them more receptive to your brand. They also allow you to determine how motivated your audience is, and how easily they can be persuaded to take the desired action.

The game designers at Uber know this concept well. When you request a car ride through the Uber application, you are initially presented with a simple questionnaire, designed to elicit your information. However, the more you answer, the more you enhance your experience with the application. It starts out fairly harmless, asking for your email address and selecting a favorite movie. But eventually you are asked questions about whether you have children, how you feel about organized religion, and what country you are originally from. It may seem like Uber is just getting your information so that they can sell you things, but the more you participate, the more you engage with the brand. With every new piece of information that you provide, the game gets a little bit more challenging, leading you to participate more and more. In fact, people who used to avoid online surveys because they felt like they were being sold to now eagerly answer the questions because they want to continue participating in the game, even after the survey is over.

Empirical Research

Last but not least, we have empirical research. Thanks to websites like SurveyMonkey, you can easily set up a survey, and within minutes, you will have a wealth of data that you can analyze. The advantage of empirical research is that you can easily compare the results to similar studies that have already been done. In the case of marketing, a great resource is MarketingCharts. According to their research, people who use the term “viral marketing” in their marketing plan are 38% more likely to achieve their sales goals than those who don’t use the term. Furthermore, marketers who use social media to promote their products are 4x more successful than those who don’t.

The Bottom Line

All of these tools and tips might not seem obvious, but when you put them all together, the results can be pretty powerful. There are several case studies online that show how marketing tools and platforms can be used to effectively treat a variety of mental health issues. If you’re the type of person who feels overwhelmed when you’re not sure where to start, these tools can be a great help, allowing you to take a manageable chunk of the overall process and get the results you need to move forward.