What Is The Perceptual Contrast Effect?Changingminds.org offers us the following description of the perceptual contrast effect:
When we make decisions, we tend to do it by contrasting between the decision item and reference items. When two things appear close to one another, we will tend to evaluate them against one another more than against a fixed standard.
A simple physical way of illustrating perceptual contrast is to put one hand into hot water and other into cold water, then move them both to lukewarm water. The cold hand will feel hot and the hot hand will feel cold.
I know this may sound interesting, but seems irrelevant to your firm. Let me explain a bit more so you can get a better understanding of how to use the perceptual contrast effect to your firm's advantage.
Remember that we have a tendency, when two things appear similar, to evaluate these things against one another. Because of this effect, the amount of information someone thinks they have about something can be influenced by the amount of information they learn about something else. Allow me to present a study as illustrated in YES!.
Researchers asked for people to read a persuasive marketing message for a fictitious department store they named Brown's. However, this message was read after reading a persuasive message for a different fictitious department store the researchers called Smith's.
The message for Brown's department store was the same for all participants, it described three departments of Brown's. However, the prior message given for Smith's department store varied with either less information (only 1 department) or more information (6 departments) given.
When the first message, about Smith's, contained more information the marketing messages for Brown's were seen as less persuasive and produced less favorable attitudes. In contrast, when less information was provided about Smith's, the marketing messages for Brown's were seen as more persuasive and produced more favorable attitudes. It seems that people felt they knew more about Brown's after learning less about Smith's and vice versa.
Perhaps you have a prospect that can't decide the type of legal service they need. Maybe the individual is considering handling their issue without an attorney. They might be opting to use a different company or service besides a law firm (ie: Legalzoom, debt consolidation company). In any case, by providing a relatively small amount of information about the contrasting decision first (remember it doesn't need to be negative info, just sparse) and than following it up by providing abundant information about your services, you can shape the perception of your services. This should lead to a more persuasive and favorable view of what you can do for the client.
Photo by Tama Leaver
Conrad and I recently joined Zack at Lawyerist to record a conversation about AI and marketing. You might think that we spend the whole time on how lawyers can use AI to publish content. You'd be wrong. While AI can certainly support publishing, there are many more interesting ways to use it in legal marketing. […]
As more legal services consumers turn to ChatGPT for local law firm recommendations, a fascinating intersection between AI, search, and maps unfolds. While Google remains the undisputed leader in local business data, ChatGPT is increasingly becoming an entry point for searchers seeking legal representation. But here’s the kicker: instead of keeping users within its ecosystem, […]
When law firms contact us, they usually want to talk: • PPC Ads • SEO Rankings • Lead Generation Very few want to talk: • Brand • Trust & Recognition • Emotional Connection Admittedly, much of this concerns that AttorneySync is known for lead generation across those common digital channels. But even when we start […]
According to an October 2024 study by SE Ranking: "The legal niche triggers the highest percentage of AIOs (77.67%). The average number of links matched between the AI Overview resources and the top 20 search results was 6.49 for legal topics. AI Overviews for legal topics most frequently link to NYCourts.gov (114 links), YouTube.com (48 […]
I'm grateful for my friend, Charley Mann of Law firm Alchemy. If you're a lawyer, subscribe to his Free Email List. In a recent email, Charley calls out bad guru advice on hiring: "Trying to execute a major SEO improvement? You need to find people who will help you, instead of trying to DIY it […]
If you’ve spent any time on LinkedIn, you’ve likely seen posts from law firm SEO experts showing off charts with an “up and to the right” trajectory. These screenshots, often pulled from tools like Semrush or Ahrefs, are meant to signal SEO success. And it’s not just the agencies celebrating—𝗹𝗮𝘄 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗺𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 […]
Meh, links! All things being equal, links still tend to move the dial more than any other factor in legal SERPs. Maybe links are having a diminishing impact internet-wide. But in my experience, quality links, especially relevant links (both topically and geographically), tend to improve law firm visibility in search more than most everything else. […]
When you think of "marketing," what's the first thing that comes to mind? Ads? SEO? Social Media? What about: Helping others?Taking the lead? Rallying around your community? Need an example? Learn from Bart Siniard at Siniard Law Injury Attorneys efforts to help rebuild Mary's Pit BBQ. These efforts aren't about marketing. They're about supporting a […]
The Beauty of Small Law Firms: Why "Small Is Beautiful" in Legal Practice As you may (or may not) have seen on LinkedIn, 𝗜'𝗺 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗺𝘀. 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱. I recently received an email from a real practicing lawyer requesting the following: "Somebody on Linkedin […]
