If you want to know how create a landing page that generates conversions, you're in the right place.

And in order to do that, you need to know how the human brain works. And more specifically, the reptilian brain. This part of the brain is activated quickly, through “shortcuts”: it is the part of the brain that allows us to survive. We make decisions based on impulses and biases.

It's because of our reptilian brain that first impressions count. We judge people at a glance, even if we don't want to, and we also judge a website the first time we see it unconsciously.

Recent studies show that it takes an average of a tenth of a second for a human being to form an impression of another human being. And 0.05 seconds to do the same with a website.

0.05 seconds. Let's stick with this fact.

The big difference between the first impression we have of a person and that of a website is that we rarely give an extra chance to a website, quite the opposite of what we do with people.

It may be that the product or service you offer is the best in the market. But if the first impression of your landing page isn't good, the user will leave the page immediately. This means that you will most likely miss out on a lot of visitors. And in the worst case scenario, you're losing leads, sales, and revenue.

What we are talking about can be called reptilian marketing or modern neuromarketing.

El Neuromarketing basically consists of persuading people to make a purchase, speaking to them from the cognitive bias that affects the brain of your target audience and encouraging them to act, consciously or unconsciously. Rational and (very often) irrational.

To understand why and how, we need to take a quick look at the human brain. It basically consists of three parts that developed at various stages of evolution:

1. The Rational Brain: The last and most recent part of the brain is called the Neocortex and it is the part of the brain that allows us, for example, abstract thinking, language, empathy and other advanced functions that are distinctive of the human being.

2. The sensitive brain: The limbic part of the brain is deeply buried in the brain, it is the center of our emotions and our short-term memory.

3. The primitive brain: The oldest and most primitive part of the brain is the reptilian brain, also called the “reptilian brain”. It is responsible for instinct and survival, and its main objective is to avoid pain. The reptilian brain is the one that makes all the quick and irrational decisions.

The 5 reptilian brain triggers you should know and use on your Landing Page (and in your marketing in general)

You're probably very intelligent and have a lot of critical sense. But it's your reptilian brain that, along with the limbic part of the brain, makes many of your decisions. The two almost always win over the rational brain. It's a fact.

The reptilian brain is the guardian of the rest of your brain's attention. If you convince him first, you'll have come a long way. And if you can also talk to the sensitive brain, you're almost at the goal.

So how can you use it on your landing page?

To put it bluntly, here are five brain triggers you can activate so that your visitors stay on the page and take whatever action you want:

1. Feed my FOMO (the Fear Of Missing Out) and you make me act fast
2. Highlight your value proposition with images and you'll get my attention
3. Make me look good and you'll fall in love with me
4. Talk about my problems and I'll thank you for solving them for me
5. Give me a gift and you'll steal my heart

Sounds good, right? So take a journey where even your reptilian brain can follow.

1. Feed my FOMO (the Fear Of Missing Out) and you make me act fast

The reptilian brain is concerned about its own survival. Therefore, he is often skeptical and afraid of change and the unexpected. And you can take advantage of that.

The reptilian brain causes us to be afraid of missing out on something good. For example, ecommerce that are very good use these types of techniques:

• The early bird discount that ends just in time.
• The pair of shoes with only two units in stock in your size.

How is it used

In this case, scarcity is your companion. Scarcity of time, scarcity of resources and scarcity of stocks.

Tell my reptilian brain that if it wants this product or service, it has to act now. Otherwise, you will lose it. At this point, drafting is very important for conversion, you must make your reader act. Not next week, not tomorrow, but you have to do it right now.

Use, for example, a countdown timer on your landing page to clarify when your offer will expire. Make it clear that there are only a few products left.

2. Highlight your value proposition with images and you'll get my attention

The optic nerve is closely related to the reptilian brain. It's a pure survival mechanism, allowing you to detect the lion in a fraction of a second before it attacks you.

That's why we react instinctively and quickly to impactful and powerful images, such as metaphors, comparisons and meanings.

How to use it

Persuade my reptilian brain to invest time on your landing page using powerful and compelling images. Accompany me with simple and attractive language to make it easier for me to decode and understand your value proposition and your messages.

Use images that truly visualize the value of your performance and the benefits I get. And he describes in short sentences an image of how I definitely can't live without those products or services.

The more visual, simple and tangible you can make your text, the easier it will be for my brain to understand what you offer and need.

3. Make me look good and you'll fall in love with me

You're probably familiar with the EFU model: there are advantages to your product, and then there are benefits.

Let me give you some good advice: if you want to attract the attention of the reptilian brain, move quickly towards the profits that your product has.

You already know that. It's about me, me, me.

The reptilian brain is self-absorbed and only likes to relate to itself. The more you talk to your self-absorbed brain, the more likely it will hear or read you.

How to use it

Make sure that the parts that stand out the most in your Landing Page be the upper and lower parts, since they are the most viewed and read areas, and at the same time those that we remember best with our reptilian brains.

Profitability can be of many types: maybe your brand and product feeds my ego, saves me time, gives me confidence, or makes me look good in a social context.
The more I can see myself on your product, the more likely I am to buy, download the document or subscribe to your page.

But is that enough to satisfy the reptilian brain?

No. In the middle of your landing page, be sure to describe all the features, important facts and benefits of your product or service.

Facts and benefits clearly have a role to play when you persuade the reptilian brain to allow my more rational brain to enter the picture.

4. Talk about my problems and I'll thank you for solving them for me

The reptilian brain operates with emotions rather than logic and rationality. So, when you trigger emotions, you appeal to this brain. And one of the easiest emotions to trigger is fear.

The reptilian brain is very concerned with avoiding pain and discomfort. Fight or escape is their primary instinct and their standard reaction. So when you show something that's uncomfortable or scary, it will respond quickly and you'll have captured attention.

Translated to your landing page, look for pain points in your reader. A pain point can translate into a specific problem that your potential customer experiences during their Customer Journey. And that's the problem that your product and landing page have to solve. Because let's be realistic: Your customer doesn't buy products but solutions to problems.

The problems can be as different as your customers. But in general, they usually fall into one of these five categories:

1. Economy (making more money, saving money)
2. Health or Aging (overweight, shape and appearance, fear of death)
3. Relationships (not complying with the law, divorce, fitting in, creating a family)
4. Work (career, unemployment, retirement)
5. Existential (the feeling of having a vocation or serving a purpose)

How to use it

Identify the main problems of your target audience and talk directly about them on your Landing Page. You have to make sure you highlight the problem, which is often latently buried in the back of the brain.

Describe in clear, concrete terms how the problem feels and why it's not pleasant or desirable, in any way. Then, you have to make sure that you eliminate what bothers me through a value proposition, so that it solves my problem. Thanks to your product, of course.

5. Give me a gift and you'll steal my heart

This one is at number 1 on the podium. The reptilian brain really likes to get something for free. It triggers endorphins and gives a sense of instant gratification. He also likes quick and easy solutions. If your product is difficult to use, understand, or get hold of, then don't bother playing with it.

How to use it

Make your product or service tangible and easy to test. It provides something of value that keeps the user coming back for more.

For example:

- If I can get your e-book or whitepaper in exchange for my email, give me a short extract that is impactful and useful, but that extract ends up where it becomes really indispensable for me.

- If you want to sell me software, let me try it for a week so I can see if it makes my life much easier or my work 10 times better, or faster.

- If I buy your advice, give me your 3 most valuable tips and show me how they have made a crucial difference for your current clients.

A quick summary in honor of your reptilian brain:

- The first impression is crucial. And you have less than a second to leave a good impression on your landing page. Once you've made a bad impression, it's very difficult to correct it. But with effort, everything is achieved.

- Take advantage of what you know about the reptilian brain while making your landing page and make sure that your content is tangible and easy to understand for everyone.

- Remember the five triggers: feed my fears, highlight value propositions with images, make me fall in love, scare me and remember to offer me a gift.

Now you're ready to create a successful landing page to persuade the reptilian brain, good luck!

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