Use These 2300-year-old Methods of Persuasion in Your Marketing to Get People to Act
Imagine you’re in 337 B.C. Greece.
You’re sitting in a class and the teacher?
One of the wisest historical personalities and philosophers of all time.
What is he teaching?
Persuasion.
The techniques that have been used by many influential communicators to deliver powerful speeches, presentations, and share their ideas to move the masses.
(Including Alexander the Great, Napoleon, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King, Jr.)
What if you could learn the same techniques and use them in your marketing to persuade people to take action?
You may not be able to go 2300 years back in time, but you can certainly learn those techniques TODAY.
The techniques that Aristotle introduced in his work, “Rhetoric.”
You can use them to sell ideas, attract investors, build brands, inspire teams, trigger movements, and become a master of persuasion.
Aristotle gave us 5 rhetorical devices.
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Let’s see what Aristotle has to teach us.
1// Ethos or Character
Establishing your ethos or character is vital to gain your audience’s trust.
But how do you do that?
By showcasing your credibility and experience.
By sharing what you have already done.
Because if your actions don’t align with your words, you lose credibility and weaken your message.
Nobody listens to a person with a weak character.
Instead of listing your degrees, and awards, focus on building trust with your audience by establishing your character.
Remember, humans naturally seek reasons to trust others.
Give them one.
2// Logos or Reason
Why does your audience care about your message?
Logical appeals, such as demonstrating how your idea can save money, make them healthy, or increase profits, will also help you gain support.
Use data, evidence, and facts to form a rational argument.
Show them the damn proof. Give them a damn reason.
But that’s not enough.
3// Pathos or emotion
According to Aristotle, emotion is the most important persuasive device.
You simply cannot persuade any audience without using emotions.
But how do you do that?
Tell authentic stories of failure, misfortune, disaster, etc.
Neuroscientists have found that such stories trigger the release of oxytocin in the brain.
Something that connects people on a deeper level.
Remember… the most personal is the most relatable.
Then comes my favorite.
4// Metaphors
If you have seen my content, you know that I use them all the time.
Even in my email newsletters, social media posts, I have used them a lot.
Metaphors can be effective by comparing new ideas to familiar concepts.
Use metaphors to transform words into images.
It helps your audience understand and remember your message and makes it easy for them to share it with others.
5// Brevity
According to Aristotle, brevity is crucial for persuasive messages.
Meaning your message needs to be expressed as compactly as possible.
Cut the fluff and unnecessary jargon.
He also observed that the opening of a message is the most important part since it captures the audience’s attention.
Therefore, it is important to start with your strongest point or the biggest benefit your audience would gain.
Final Thoughts
Aristotle believed that persuasion can be learned.
Why?
While the modes of communication have changed, the human brain has not.
The same techniques that worked then can still work now.
So use Aristotle’s 5 persuasion techniques in your marketing messages and get people to take action:
- Ethos or character
- Logos or reason
- Pathos or emotion
- Metaphors
- Brevity
You don’t have to have all in your marketing message, but if you manage to have that?
You become unstoppable.
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