photo credit: gingerpig2000
One of my research and academic passions include behavioral and psychological theory and their application on the social web. As I noted in yesterday’s post, there is a necessity to understand your market at a deeper level than simple demographics. Part of that understanding, I believe, must include the behavioral and psychological components to what connects individuals in your market to your brand, products, messaging, and so on. One such theory, Choice Theory developed by Dr. William Glaser (developed after 50+ years of research and practice application) – has had a significant impact on my understanding of marketing on the social web.
I believe Choice Theory has significant implications for the marketer or company seeking to leverage the social web in their marketing and communications.
[Heads up to my fave gal, Sarah Newton, on the reading recommendation!]
Choice Theory
Choice Theory says that, much like Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, we ALL have 5 basic human needs (survival, belonging, power, freedom and fun/learning/adaption). Maslow’s theory, related to motivation of behavior, is just the beginning for Glasser. Glasser goes one step further to define the worlds (interior and exterior) that define the inherent freedom of choice we all have, as well as how and why we behave — the quality world, the perceived world, the comparing place, and total behavior.
The quality world is completely intrinsic and inside of us. It is a picture or perception of all the things that have “satisfied” our basic needs. I’ts a gathering of our perceptions and beliefs of what will satisfy our needs in the future.
The perceived world, in a simplified form, are the perceptions we hold of the world. Based on our information intake, environment, and the individual ways we process that information – we see the world in a certain way.
The comparing place is where we “compare what we want from our quality world with our perceptions of what we believe we are getting from the perceived world.” (Kim Oliver, Choice Theory Report*) When these two match, all is happy 
When these two do not line up, we’ll take action, based on our individual motivations to match up the two worlds.
Total behavior, is the total package of the action and behavior that we exhibit. It includes action, thinking, feeling, and physiology. Total behavior is also purposeful, meaning that — because we are all driven by basic needs and compare our picture of a quality world with what is in our perceived world — all behavior is purposeful and is our best attempt to get something we want to line up our quality and perceived worlds. (Dr. William Glasser, Choice Theory**)
Therein lies the application — personal freedom — we are all looking for something and we make choices to achieve and align whatever that is for each of us.
How Does Choice Theory Apply to the Social Web
This is where it gets good. All day, according to Choice Theory, we are continually taking in and processing information, comparing what we want to meet our needs with what we perceive as the picture of reality. Meaning we are always making choices, employing our freedom of choice, to create our quality world. This applies to everything in our lives, including relationships — which have the biggest influence upon our perceived worlds.
Here’s the connection. If you believe, like I do and Dr. Glasser does, that relationships are the most influential part of a human being’s life…
When you attempt to force or coerce or bribe another person to do things he or she doesn’t want to do, you may be successful. You may be able to find the right reward or incentive to get another person to do what you want, (whether either party realizes it or not) in doing so, also building resentment and contempt (that only grows with time). Your relationship (with them) will suffer… that relationship is the root of all influence, you are losing your ability to influence another by exerting external control. * **
Think about that for a minute.
Today, and from this point on, your market in its entirety has complete freedom of choice. They are not only using it, they are embracing it. And, you better believe, they will not give up that freedom. Even though we, as Marketers, may experience temporary, short-term success in getting our market to do what we want them to do — whether through copywriting, landing page optimization, and the like — we are very well jeopardizing the long-term relationship and “value” of that customer/client. This ultimately affects our long-term profitability.
Now, that’s not to say that we, as marketers, can not influence our market to take action – remember, influence is directly linked to relationship… therein lies the problem for most marketers, they attempt to exert influence without relationship.
Questions for you …
Are you respecting the value and influence you could have, in actually building a relationship with your audience that is based on their needs, wants, desires, and terms?
Are the actions you take online, everyday, building relationships or are you unknowingly alienating your market with feable attempts to control and herd them through a sales funnel like cattle?
How much are you and your business losing as a result?
The social web and all this technology we now have access to, are made for relationships… just something to think about 
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… looking forward to connecting (and yes, having a relationship) with you!
Maria
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