The Unity Principle & Sales Copy: What Every Business Owner Should Know
Lil Key Takeaways: This Blog at a Glance
Sales Psychology = Subtle Persuasion: Sprinkle in some brain tricks to gently guide your dream clients toward you.
Unity Principle 101: It’s all about making your audience feel like they belong to a special group – your group!
Belonging is gold: Make your audience feel like they belong, and they’ll love you (and buy from you) even more!
Unity Principle’s Core: People love buying from those they share an identity with. Make them feel included, and they'll likely stick around.
Brain Wiring & Belonging: Our brains crave connection – it’s a survival thing! Use that to build trust and loyalty in your community
Practical Tips for Unity in Copy: Share common values, use words like “we” and “our,” highlight the community aspect, and tap into how your stuff speaks to belonging
The Unity Principle: Sales Copy & Belonging
Writing great sales copy is nuanced. For words to truly hit the right audience in the feels, connect with them, and inspire them to take action, you need a few different elements at any given time.
First, clear messaging is a must. You need to know what you’re communicating (why you’re different, why that matters, why people should care) before you start writing.
And then, of course, what’s the point of mastering that messaging if you’re not going to say it in a head-turning way that your people remember – that’s where sticky brand voice comes in.
But wait, business owner, there’s more.
Truly excellent sales copy has layers of something we like to call sales psychology subtly woven in – small little persuasions that get into our dream people’s brains and create a little tug, prodding them closer to choosing us.
Sales psychology is a wildly fascinating subject on its own – it helps us, as people, understand why we make choices and buy the things we do.
But it’s even more interesting when we take note of how we can ethically infuse it into our words to help us connect with our people and sell better.
In other words, sales psychology connects us with customers, helps us understand buyer behavior, and fuels better sales strategies.
There are endless odds and ends to know about sales psychology principles and how they relate to selling – behind-the-scenes content to create exclusivity, storytelling to set our brain neurons firing, and even ask-and-answer style CTAs to get people to click buttons.
But today, we’re talking about one principle in particutular– the unity principle.
What is the Unity Principle & How Does it Help You Connect, Click, & Sell?
First things first, let me be extra clear – unity, like other elements of sales psychology, was discovered and articulated by scientists and researchers much, much smarter than me.
All the information I’m sharing about the unity principle comes from a blend of research and info developed by others–but I’ll do my best to link everything I share here for a lil extra credibility.
Much of the knowledge I – and countless others – have about unity comes from a sales psychology pro, Robert Cialdini. Cialdini is a psychologist who’s spent a good chunk of his career researching and sharing about the unity principle, among other key principles of sales psychology (like liking, authority, and scarcity–but we’ll talk about those later).
For now, let’s dig into the unity principle (and why you–a service pro or business owner trying to sell–should care about it).
What is Unity? An Intro to This Sales Psych Principle
The unity principle suggests something pretty straightforward–people are more likely to be influenced by other people who share a sense of identity or belonging.
The unity principle says that making people feel like they’re part of your special group helps them feel connected to you. And in turn, that makes them more likely to buy from you. And that’s because unity is all about shared identities, forming bonds, and fostering connection–an inherently human thing (but more on that in a second).
The principle stands on this foundation: when people feel connected to a group, they’re more inclined to support and trust the other people in this group.
Want the short and sweet explanation? If you feel included, you’re more likely to participate.
Why Unity Appeals to the Human Brain
If you’re sitting there thinking, “Great, I get it – but why would anyone spend hard-earned money on my services or products just because they feel like they’re part of my special group?”
Well, because it’s all inherently human.
Let me explain a little bit more. Have you ever heard of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs?
It’s essentially a scientifically-developed rank of human needs. It’s a ladder, if you will, of stuff that people need to feel happy and healthy–starting with the basic needs on the bottom, leading up to the more advanced ones.
On the bottom rung, we’ve got the foundation–food, water, breathing, etc. On the tip-top, we’ve got self-actualization–morality, inner potential, spontaneity, etc. In between those rungs is love and belonging–and that’s where the unity principle comes into play.
Humans are wired to need things. And, as social creatures, finding our neat lil group that we connect with is part of that need. Sure, we’re not entirely ruled by our instincts (we have Independent thoughts! Free will!), but we do have this need for connection sort of engrained into our primitive brains.
Here are a few reasons why unity resonates with us:
We love numbers (for survival + social stuff): History tells us that humans survive and thrive in groups. Whether you believe in evolution or intelligent design or that we’re all spinning on Kabbalah monster’s fingernail, we can all likely agree that human behavior evolves over time. And smart people realize that, over time, our brains learn patterns. When our ancestors long ago understood groups meant safety and social fulfillment, they kept doing it. And that spurred the continued practice. Now, our brains are sort of hardwired to want to belong.
Really though, we’re wired this way: Our brains naturally categorize people into groups–you know, the classic us vs. them–because it boosts our sense of identity and self-worth. That kind of stuff leads to loyalty and strong connections within our groups
It’s comforting to belong: People like to be comfortable. They like to fit in. They like to know that they’re part of something bigger. Being part of a group minimizes anxiety and stress and maximizes support and affirmation. We like to be understood and accepted by our group.
Our Mirror Neurons tell us to love it: These brain cells help us empathize and resonate with others' experiences, making shared identities and commonalities more impactful. When someone highlights shared traits or values, our brains are more likely to ping with a “Hey! I trust and relate to that person!”
How to Incorporate the Unity Principle Into Your Sales Copy
How Understanding Unity Can Help You Write Better Sales Copy
OK, the psychological stuff is fascinating on its face – but it’s also incredibly useful when it comes to connecting with your ideal audience and ethically making sales with your words.
We already said that unity is about creating a sense of connection and belonging. We also noted that connection and belonging are something we, as humans, are actively seeking out (even if we don’t know that on a conscious level).
Here’s how the connection works:
The unity principle appeals to our human brains because we have a deep-rooted need for belonging and social connection.
When we have an “I’m one of them!” moment with a company, we feel a connection – that connection makes us feel more loyal and trusting.
Because we’re more loyal and trusting, we’ve developed a bond with that company that goes beyond “Should I buy this?” We’re more likely to support what they do and what they say and buy up what they sell.
You have a favorite band, right? (We all do). If you’re deeply into that band, you likely have some sort of merch that tells people you’re into that band. And sure, that’s because you genuinely like the band. But it’s also because you’re signaling to a community out there – “Hey! I like this band! I’m part of this group–I’m in this special club.”
You feel like you’re part of something that matters.
That’s powerful. Now, think about how powerful it could be for your sales if you could foster that sense of unity within your community.
What if you could write words that make people feel those genuine connections, consider themselves part of your special group, and show them they’re not just a customer but part of your valued community?
It might click with your people a little harder and persuade them that you’re the right choice.
Writing with the Unity Principle in Your Sales Copy – Inspo to Try In Your Next Launch
When a brand uses the unity principle in its sales strategy–including its sales copy!–it’s tapping into something deeper in your brain–the need for human connection.
Using the unity principle in sales copy means making your potential customers feel like they are part of something bigger, something they belong to.
You can do this by creating a sense of shared identity, values, or goals. Here are a few tips to try in your next round of sales copywriting for your offer, launch, or service:
Talk about your shared values: Show your audience that you have the same values as them. You care about what they care about. You struggle with what they struggle with. Showing them they’re not alone–that you’re out there–helps them feel like they can connect with you like they’re part of a special group that gets them.
Lean into the we mentality: Try saying “we” and “our” instead of singling them out with a “you.” Flip the script on them! Talk in terms of “us” and “together” – create a connection and reframe the perspective so they feel like they’re part of the team!
Show ‘em that it’s a community: Don’t just have them opt into an email list with a “Join Now” button–shake things up with a “Join the Movement” or “We’re Waiting for You.” Give them a clear peek into the community aspect. Make sure they know that there are people out there like them who are part of something bigger–and they can be, too.
Create a sense of belonging: How does your service or product fit into the larger piece of the community? How does it appeal to their sense of belonging? Instead of simply listing our features, explore how it could benefit them or change them for the better from a community perspective.
Reframe social proof from your community: It’s always a good idea to share customer testimonials, but don’t just slap them up on your sales page. Provide real context so they understand clearly they could be part of something! You could write something like, “join hundreds of other industry pros” to share the gravity of it!
The Unethical Side of the Unity Principle: Leveraging Unity the Wrong Way
Understanding sales psychology and using it in your sales copy is a game-changing tool–but that doesn’t mean it can’t be exploited unethically, cause harm, and make people feel pressured to invest in things they don’t need.
There are people out there who leverage sales psych principles in their copywriting in unethical ways. From a unity perspective, they might lie about what bonds them with their people, create divides, question a potential customer’s loyalty if they don’t buy, fib about the size of their community, or pressure them to make choices.
Let me be clear: It’s not wrong to want to make sales. It’s not wrong to want to connect with your people. And it’s not wrong to learn how to use your words to do that more effectively.
How can you tell if you’re ethically leaning into the unity principle in your sales copy?
At the end of the day, here are the questions you need to ask yourself before you tap into the unity principle:
Am I trying to build genuine connections through authentic shared identity?
Am I manipulating someone’s emotions or leveraging personal identities to make sales?
Am I using the unity principle to create divisions or fear? Am I trying to pressure people into purchasing by harping on exclusion or questioning their loyalty?
We all have our own moral lines in the sand. But as a copywriter who’s firm on ethical sales copy, you better believe if the answer is yes to any of those questions, I’m cautioning you to evaluate your choices.
Ethically Tapping Into Unity to Click, Connect, & Sell–We Can Help
Looking for a little help on your next launch? We get that sales copy can be tricky–especially if you want to start far away from the icky, pushy copy you read all over the internet.
Boundless has a no-ick policy that’s firmly rooted in ethical sales psych because we care about finding your people, helping you connect, and improving their lives. (See what we did there? That’s a lil unity principle in practice).
Want to chat about how we can help out with your next launch, new service, or upcoming offer? Our 1:1 Sales Copy service was made for business owners like you. Fill out our contact form to pop into our inbox to learn more!
