Psychology – Running a business requires knowledge of many different fields. Areas like finances, product design, and marketing instantly spring to mind. But what about psychology? You’re probably thinking, what does psychology have to do with running a business? The short answer is ‘a lot.’
There are a number of different areas where a good understanding of psychology could help you make more informed decisions about how to run your company. As such, the following are just some of the ways that psychology can be applied to your business – no matter what market it’s in.
Marketing
At its core, marketing is psychology. Getting caught up in the metrics and numbers side of things is easy, but when you strip all of that away, it’s about understanding how people think and what marketing strategies will resonate with them.
Businesses collect a huge amount of data about their customers these days. Using that data, you can build a customer profile with information like age, gender, social status, hobbies and interests, and purchasing habits – and when taking advantage of that psychology and behavior, you can determine how a person in your target market thinks and what drives them to make a purchase.
For instance, are they more likely to make impulse buys, or are they the kind of person that researches a product for a long time first? The first type of person responds better to flash sales, while the second would prefer informative content marketing.
Social media marketing also benefits from a knowledge of psychology. Understanding the way that people think can help you determine what kinds of posts are likely to gain traction and get shared more often, which is the key to success on those platforms.
Branding
When you create a brand, you need to know who you are making it for and what attracts people to some brands over others. Branding is part of your marketing effort, but it is a separate issue that requires a lot of attention. Still, psychology can help you improve your branding in significant ways.
Color psychology is a big part of branding. It describes how the brain responds to different colors, causing them to evoke certain feelings. Red, for example, is a vibrant color that creates feelings of excitement, so it’s good for attracting a younger audience. On the other hand, green is a soothing color that helps ease anxieties, which is why it is often used by health and wellness companies. Blue is considered a dependable color, often associated with strength – that’s why you’ll find this color used by financial services companies.
By implementing this branch of psychology into your branding, you can create something that instantly gives a sense of what your business is all about and attracts the right people.
Leadership
Being a successful boss is much harder than people realize, and there is a lot of theory behind it. By looking at the latest research into the psychology behind leadership and the different concepts that be implemented, you can ultimately become a much better leader. You can also take an online leadership doctorate degree to learn more about leadership techniques and theories. This knowledge could be applied to a range of different positions, including business leadership roles.
There is also a strong branch of psychology related to personality types, which is very valuable when managing a team. The biggest mistake that leaders make is treating every employee the same and assuming that their management style is the best one. However, the reality is this: every employee fits into a different category that describes their personality type.
Each of these personalities responds to different management styles, and good leaders adjust how they interact with people depending on their personality type. Some people are introverts that work best on their own, while others are extroverts that thrive in a team. Additionally, some people need constant reassurance and guidance to keep them motivated, while others can be left to their own devices.
Overall, there are a lot of different systems for determining personality types, and they each have their own pros and cons. The system use isn’t necessarily that important, but it is crucial that you pay attention to the distinct personality of each employee and manage them accordingly.
When you run a business, it’s easy to get caught up in the numbers and forget about the human side of things. But the truth is, the most successful managers and business owners recognize that psychology can be incredibly valuable. It gives an insight into how the minds of customers and employees work, which allows leaders to meet their needs more effectively.
