How to use Framing Psychology in your marketing message

Would you rather go on a vacation that is “wasteful and terrible for the environment” or one that “offers luxury lodgings and access to several of the world’s most beautiful cities”? You would probably choose the second one, but the truth is that both descriptions refer to the same thing: a trip on a cruise ship. They’re just framed in different ways.

What the above demonstrates is that framing your product or service is as important as, if not more important than, the thing you’re actually selling. Framing is all about the context that you want to be associated with your business. It’s about making people think about you in a positive way.

Now I'm not suggesting that your business is harmful to the environment, but if framing can help the cruise industry, it can help your message too.  Framing can either be used to present the most positive aspect of the results of your message, or to avoid the negative consequence of not using your service.  Research has shown that we are more likely to take action to avoid disappointment than to achieve a positive outcome (human psychology is odd isn't it?).  Regardless, the way a message is framed can make us feel more certain about what we have to gain (or avoid losing).

Here are a few examples:
- For less than the cost of your daily Starbucks...(sounds better than it costs over $1800)
- 90% of our clients stay with us for over a year...(sounds better than we have 10% attrition)
- Business owners without proper legal documentation are putting their personal assets at risk. (example of negative framing)

Negative framing is most effective when we're unclear about a choice (e.g. do I really need to hire that attorney?) and positive framing is most effective when the choice is clear.

The framing effect is a concept in psychology that describes one of the factors in how we make decisions.  The next time you're preparing a message, pay attention to how you frame it.