The Self-Determination Theory (SDT) focuses on the types of motivation people may have, rather than how motivated they are to do something. It’s usually broken down into three categories:
- Autonomy - The need for control in one’s behavior.
- Competence - How effective you are in accomplishing something.
- Relatedness - The feeling of connectedness and a sense of belonging.
This theory is important to all aspects of life, but today let’s look at how to apply this thinking to aid in marketing and what resources RELAYTO has to help take it a step further.
Autonomy
Consumer control is becoming increasingly relevant in the modern market. People are more inclined to purchase and invest time in products they can manipulate or control.
That’s why interactive content is essential nowadays. It encourages people to consume media and engage with it rather than just passively taking in information from boring PDFs or documents.
RELAYTO incorporates this by not only having multiple forms of content on various platforms but also by incorporating calls to action (CTAs) and providing multiple other sources of information readily available for consumers to take advantage of.
Autonomy is maximized when the consumer is given breathing room, allowing them the freedom to process information at their own pace and interact with content to retain that information.
Competence
The basis of this idea lies in making content as easily accessible to each individual as possible. Think from the perspective of a digital marketer trying to sell a service to someone. You’re going to want that service to be easy to navigate and offer personalization features.
It’s also beneficial to have information that can be processed in multiple ways to avoid overwhelming consumers.
These features increase your product's effectiveness and convince consumers that your product is reliable.
Relatedness
Arguably the most important aspect of the theory, relatedness is essential to building customer relationships with your brand.
This can be accomplished by using many forms of media, like videos and presentations, to appeal to human emotions.
RELAYTO does this by presenting podcasts with people who can offer information on all aspects of business and share their backgrounds to inspire others to take action.
Adding other pieces of information, like client testimonials, can also help people connect and spread information about your brand. Building a community around your brand should always be a priority, and these examples showcase that thought process in action.
Understanding these three main psychological needs will help you build an audience willing to engage with your brand and stay loyal to you in the long run.
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