The first thing to remember is that sometimes there is no clear psychology behind a person’s motivation to purchase. Sometimes it is a number of factors that causes people to buy. Sometimes it is things beyond their control such as external pressures. Other times it is simply a matter of having the means to purchase. How many people have bought “any old thing” from eBay because they have $5 left in Paypal? How many people have bought junk they don’t need on their birthday, because they received some money in their cards?

This article only covers some of the generalizations in psychology. You have to remember that psychology is not a strict science. It creates answers in the form of theories that are incredibly subjective and can only ever be proved one person at a time. For example you cannot say that all people are afraid of spiders because your test group of seven people happens to be afraid of them.

Copywriting is done for two reasons; the first is to grow a brand so that people recognize it and what it stands for. The second reason is to appeal to a person’s desire to purchase. So why do people buy? The short answer is that they make a decision that they want something. Sometimes they make the decision and have the means (the money) to make it happen in which case it becomes a desire. Other times they make the decision but do not have the money--this decision then becomes a “want” (as opposed to a need). You can turn wants and desires into sales via copywriting.

The key to successful copywriting has always been to target your customer. You need not shout at a crowd when you can whisper in an ear. The more targeted your advert is then the more chance you will make a sale. The most targeted type of customer is a past customer. If you have kept a means to communicate with them (home address, phone number, email, etc), then you may contact this “targeted” group of people and convince them to make another purchase. Their psychology will be very different from new customers. They have already decided if they trust you, if they believe your brand ideals and if they like your products. The way to copy write for this psychological makeup is to address those three issues.

Do they trust you?

Did they experience any form of problem during their last purchase? If so then add compensation to your adverts, saying how you will offer such-and-such in order to make up for the miss-hap the last time. This will show the customer that you can be trusted to be caring and conscientious. If they had a good buying experience then they will already trust you--you are half way to making a sale.

Do they believe your brand ideals?

If the customer has made more than one purchase then yes they do, and you can move on. Otherwise you need to examine your ideals compared to your products. Does your brand stand for quality? And if so, has your customer bought cheap versions in the past? If so you may need to offer a reason as to why it was not high quality before you lead to another sale.

Do they trust your product?

This can only be answered if they have not sent a return, and/or have bought again. Otherwise you will have to market the item in a way that increases peoples trust in the item

So how does this help you copy write for new customers? 

You need to ask yourself the same questions of new customers. How can they trust your company, believe your ideals and trust your products? People have multiple psychological reasons for buying, such as emotional reasons, acceptance, lust, self-abuse, etc. But if you cannot answer the three most prominent psychological questions involving trust and belief then you will fail to sell them anything. A person may make a decision to buy plastic surgery in order to gain love and respect (psychological motivators), but if that person cannot trust the plastic surgeon, his/her clinic (his/her brand) and his/her skill (his/her product) then no amount of desire for love or respect will overcome these barriers.

Other psychological reasons for purchasing will not even come into play if you are unable to get around the first three (basic) psychological barriers. Any needs, wants or desires will simply be unfulfilled, and this goes for any industry. Imagine buying food at a takeaway. The buyer needs to trust that the chef is competent (trust you), that the premises are clean (believe brand), and that the food is tasty and safe (trust product). A need is something that a person must have or else their quality of life lowers. Yet, even if the person has a need for the takeaway product, in that he/she is hungry with no other food available, they would still not buy if all three psychological factors were not present.


Author bio: 
Korah Morrison, writer at EssayWritingServices.com and writes about seo, blogging, social media and internet marketing.