What is Smaller Commitments?

Smaller Commitments is a marketing strategy that works by encouraging customers to make minor engagements continuously instead of asking them to make a significant commitment all at once.

Rooted in psychology, this tactic banks on the observation that people tend to affirm their prior actions. In other words, once someone has said 'yes' to a little request, they are more likely to say 'yes' to subsequent, larger requests. The technique simply eases potential customers into a cycle of agreement by breaking down the interactions into less intimidating steps.

When looking at conversion, the tactic of Smaller Commitments holds substantial importance. It is designed to garner the user's trust and move them along the customer journey stages comprehensively. The technique minimizes the risk of overwhelming potential customers and increases the likelihood of them making a purchase or subscribing to a service.

Examples of Smaller Commitments

1. An online clothing retailer may initially ask visitors to answer a short quiz to understand their fashion preferences before asking for their email address for personalised recommendations. 2. A fitness app encouraging users to log in daily and perform a simple workout routine before aiming to upgrade them to a premium membership. 3. A news website, instead of immediately pushing for a subscription, showing readers a few articles and then prompting them to sign up for unrestricted access. 4. An e-commerce platform offering a product catalogue and inviting visitors to view more items with the help of a quick survey. 5. A tech company providing a trial version of the software, subsequently sending personalized offers for premium versions based on users' experiences.

Marketing Tactics Similar to Smaller Commitments

- **Foot in the Door Technique**: This technique is highly similar to Smaller Commitments. It involves getting someone to agree to a modest request to increase the chance they will consent to a larger one later. - **Sunk Cost Fallacy Strategy**: This strategy also plays on psychological tendencies to get customers to continue to use a product or service because they have already invested time, effort, or money into it. - **Customer Nurture Program**: These programs progressively build relationships with potential customers by providing them relevant content at each stage aligning with the concept of smaller commitments. - **Micro Conversion Optimization**: This practice is focused on sealing smaller transactional engagements that ultimately lead to a more significant conversion goal.

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