An effective digital marketing strategy should wield multiple psychological principles, but one of the most significant is the Choice Paradox. The Choice Paradox states that too many choices lead to less satisfaction. This may seem counterintuitive to some of us — who doesn’t want more options? — but too many choices can be overwhelming.
Consider this. In one 2000 study, researchers found that people were more likely to purchase gourmet jams when they had to choose from only six options instead of a whopping 24.
Even if you are not selling gourmet jams (kudos if you are!), the Choice Paradox is an important consideration when building and expanding your online strategy. We will show you how to implement this technique across a wide range of digital marketing mediums, including ads, social media, and email marketing.
Why Should Your Digital Marketing Strategy Account For the Choice Paradox?
The number one reason you need to simplify your options is information overload. If you give your prospects too many services or products to choose right from the start, they may feel overwhelmed. This usually leads to information paralysis, meaning your potential customers will probably not purchase anything at all.
Homepages
The Choice Paradox does not mean you have to cut down on all of your product offerings. When you flesh out your homepage, you can provide a few options right off the bat. For example, you can include the three most popular products or services that you provide. If your consumer wishes to see what else you offer, they still can.
Ads
In terms of ads, one of the most important tactics to implement is personalization. This is a large part of the consumer experience and it is vital for avoiding decision paralysis. If you do not personalize each prospects’ options, they will spend tons of time browsing your website without ever making a purchase. Worse, they may go to a competitor’s site to continue their search.
Rather than wait until your site has confused customers, you should organize your products or services into easily understood categories that do not overlap. They should be able to clearly navigate your offerings without confusion.
When you personalize their options, you will help them to focus their decision process — hence, they are more likely to buy from you.
Email Marketing
Similarly, emails benefit greatly from customization. When you send out campaigns, each email should focus on one topic and one related pain point. If you try to stuff too many topics into an email, your customer may experience information overload and bail out.
You should also be focusing on one Call to Action per email. Give your prospects one specific action you want them to take.
Social Media
When it comes to social media, you should choose a few platforms that your ideal client is active on. Customers love when you are responsive and engaging online — but you cannot spread your attention equally across 10 different social media sites. With such a large number of social platforms, your prospects will communicate with you on the ones they are most comfortable with. It’s important for you to be on those sites to communicate with them. Narrowing down your social accounts will also simplify the process greatly for you.
In the Internet age, your digital marketing strategy needs to take the Choice Paradox into account. Make it easy for your ideal customer to decide on a purchase and be sure to personalize their options. When the choices are simple, you are more likely to convert a prospect into a customer!