{"id":188,"date":"2014-04-24T08:53:05","date_gmt":"2014-04-24T08:53:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/plugmatter.com\/blog\/?p=188"},"modified":"2014-04-24T08:53:05","modified_gmt":"2014-04-24T08:53:05","slug":"get-email-subscribers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/plugmatter.com\/spark\/get-email-subscribers\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use the Psychology of First Impressions to Get More Email Subscribers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Let\u2019s face it, who doesn\u2019t want more email subscribers?<\/p>\n

Ask any blogger, and you\u2019d get the same answer. There\u2019s nothing like building a big, juicy list of targeted subscribers who\u2019re waiting to receive emails from you.<\/p>\n

However, there\u2019s a catch…<\/p>\n

Most people leave a website in the first 10-20 seconds<\/a> if they don\u2019t see what they\u2019re looking for. And it doesn\u2019t take genius to understand that the less number of people stay on your site, the less number of them convert into email subscribers.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The solution?<\/p>\n

Make a strong first impression that not only gets your visitors to spend more time on your site, but also gives them a reason to subscribe to your mailing list. How long does it take to form a first impression?<\/p>\n

According to an eye-tracking research<\/a> conducted at Missouri University of Science and Technology, it takes website visitors less than two-tenths of a second to form a first impression. However, it takes about 2.6 seconds for the visitor\u2019s eyes to land on that area of your site that influences his first impression the most.<\/p>\n

There are a number of things that you can do to ensure that your website impresses your first-time visitors, such as having a great visual design<\/a>. But you need to do more in order to convert them into subscribers. You need to make your first impression count and win their trust<\/a> so that they\u2019re ready to part with their email address.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s see how you can use the psychology of first impressions to grab more email addresses. Ready? Here we go!<\/p>\n

1. Let Your Visitors Hear You Talk<\/h2>\n

According to a report published in PLOS ONE<\/a>, psychologists have discovered that even a simple \u201chello\u201d is enough for listeners to judge how trustworthy you are.<\/p>\n

The researchers found that people formed their impression based on a person\u2019s tone of voice, and men who raised\u00a0the tone of their voices were seen as more trustworthy. Whereas women who alternated the pitch of their voices gained higher trust ratings.<\/p>\n

This just goes on to show that people tend to make \u201csnap judgments\u201d when they hear someone\u2019s voice. Can you use this for your advantage when impressing your first time visitors? Of course you can.<\/p>\n

\"Talk\"<\/div>\n

Image credit<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

If you want to convert more of your visitors into email subscribers, you may want to place a nifty audio recording besides your opt-in form. Something that your visitors can play and\u00a0listen to you.<\/p>\n

Your audio doesn\u2019t have to be too long. Keep it short and to the point. Use it to talk to your visitors in the right tone, minus any fluff. Your aim is to get them to take action, and nothing more.<\/p>\n

Also, one of the concerns that people have when it comes to giving their email is whether they can trust you. By letting them hear you talk, you prove that you\u2019re real \u2014 and ready to go that extra mile<\/a> to connect with them.<\/p>\n

Asking for your visitors’ email address is common. But letting them\u00a0actually hear you ask for it? Not so common. Which means you\u2019ll automatically stand out from the rest of the competition.<\/p>\n

2. Even Better, Let them See You Talk<\/h2>\n

Study<\/a> after study<\/a> has proven that video is great for maintaining trust levels similar to a face-to-face conversation. \u00a0So when it comes to persuading your visitors to join your email list, creating a short video can help you get more conversions.<\/p>\n

A video gives your visitors another reason to trust you and see you as someone genuine. It sends out a signal to your potential subscribers that you are serious about giving them value. And since video has a higher perceived value, it increases your chance of making a good impression on people visiting your site for the first time.<\/p>\n

Now, we all know shooting a video of yourself is no big deal. However, get it wrong, and you may end up doing the opposite of impressing your visitors. In order to make that lasting first impression, you have to come out as a professional. Somebody your prospects will find easy to trust.<\/p>\n

\"video\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Image credit<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

A research<\/a> published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin says that people tend to judge personalities based on physical appearance. As noted by Science Daily<\/a>, the research experiment went like this:<\/p>\n

\u201cResearchers asked participants to assess the personalities of strangers based first on a photograph posed to the researchers’ specifications and then on a photograph posed the way the subject chose. Those judgments were then compared with how the person and acquaintances rated that individual’s personality. They found that while both poses provided participants with accurate cues about personality, the spontaneous pose showed more insight, including about the subject’s agreeableness, emotional stability, openness, likability, and loneliness.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

This study measured how first impression was formed based on these ten physical attributes:<\/p>\n