A master class in persuasion from an unlikely place
Resources and ideas to put modern marketers ahead of the curve Insights and strategies for managing contacts, pipelines, and customer relationships at scale Guidance on automations that personalize campaigns, nurture leads, and drive growth Tactics to align marketing and sales, close deals faster, and support modern selling teams Ideas and best practices for delivering seamless support and memorable customer experiences Tips for building high-performing websites and content that attract, convert, and educate Resources for measuring performance, reporting results, and turning data into action Practical perspectives on using AI to streamline work and scale smarter marketing efforts Strategies for selling online, managing payments, and optimizing the digital buying experience Original research, data-backed insights and industry analyses All of HubSpot's marketing, sales, and customer service software on one agentic platform. Marketing Hub Marketing automation software Free and premium plans Service Hub Customer service software Free and premium plans Content Hub Content marketing software Free and premium plans Revenue Hub CPQ, billing, and payments software Free and premium plans Agent Hub Your central home for building and managing AI agents across the platform Learn more AEO (Beta) Answer engine optimization tools that track and improve your brand's visibility in AI results Learn more Home Marketing A master class in persuasion from an unlikely place Topics: Social Proof A master class in persuasion from an unlikely place By: Phill Agnew Updated: 07/14/26 AN INTRODUCTION TO MARKETING PSYCHOLOGY This guide will help you make more informed decisions in marketing. Article Summary The core insight: People follow the actions of others — Cialdini's hotel towel study found that telling guests "most people in this room reuse towels" boosted reuse from 35% to nearly 50%, beating even an environmental appeal. Walk down a suburban street, and you might stumble across a following sign. It’s probably messy with poor formatting and inconsistent font size. Here’s one that I saw in Houston. One line stuck out to me. It reads, “Window cleaning in progress.” I love this board because it showcases something that most marketers forget. K&C Window Cleaning doesn’t try to persuade you with flashing slogans or in-your-face claims. They’re far more subtle, and that subtly makes them more effective. While ads are about influence, no one wants to be sold to. Instead, this sign uses psychology to get people thinking, “Other people are using the service, so maybe it’s time to clean my windows.” The idea feels organic and nothing feels forced. Back in 2008, the legendary researcher Robert Cialdini ran a notorious study. Set up over 80 days in a mid-priced hotel in the American Southwest, the three researchers ran tests in 190 rooms. Their goal was to encourage visitors to reuse their towels. Inside the room, they tested different signs with over 1,058 guests. First, they tested a standard environmental message saying, “Help save the environment.” Guests said this message would be most likely to persuade them. But the researchers also tested a message that read “most guests reuse their towels.” The results were surprising. The environmental plea encouraged 35% reuse, but the suggestion that the majority of guests reused their towels boosted reuse to 44%. But, then they added a third message: “Most guests in this room reuse their towels.” This had an even greater impact. Now, almost 50% of guests reused old towels, up from 35% in the control. The takeaway is simple: we follow the actions of others. So, if a neighbor pays for window cleaning, we’ll consider doing the same. But marketers forget one important element: Consumers don’t like to feel forced. Messages like “we’re the most popular” and “we’re number one” work, but they’re not perfect. Nicolas Guéguen in 2000 showed that people are more likely to act if they feel autonomous, not forced. The study attempted to persuade French commuters to spare some coins for a bus ticket. The researchers tried two messages, which yielded surprisingly different results: This method, coined the “but you are free to refuse” technique, has been proven in multiple different domains, both online and offline. A 2013 meta-analysis found that the effect worked across 42 different domains. That brings us back to K&C Window Cleaning’s sign. It takes all this advice to heart. It showcases the actions others take, but doesn’t force the reader into a corner. And plenty of other companies do the same. They don’t say they’re popular; they prove it. My favorite example comes from Sam Tatam’s wonderful book, Evolutionary Ideas. At his favorite cafe in Sydney, Australia, the owners don’t say, “We’re popular.” Instead, they show it by sticking the loyalty cards of their customers on the wall. Don’t say it. Show it. It’ll make your message far more effective.
Source: HubSpot
This article has been carefully curated and reformatted for educational and informational purposes. Full credit goes to the original publisher.
📚 Visit more helpful articles on Joab Peters Blog
No comments