Audience
If there is one single thing more important than timing when it comes to persuasion, it is the audience. The lesson regarding persuading children began to explore this topic but it was merely a beginning.
Certain ages are more conducive to certain types of persuasion. However, more important than the type of persuasive technique that you use is your ability to target the content of the technique towards the age of the audience. If you are marketing a service towards twenty-somethings, a more successful approach would be to convey excitement, adventure, and independence. Alternatively, marketing to older individuals might be more successful by focusing on practicality, family, and financial stability. Younger individuals are more susceptible to peer pressure and their desire to fit in, while elderly people rarely have this concern. Lastly, you do not want to use any terminology or cultural references that are likely to be lost on your target audience. A joke about a Disneyland E-ticket ride will be lost on the young while a reference to a Disney Fast Pass may not make sense to someone older.
Age is not the only factor to consider when it comes to evaluating your audience. Aside from age, assess the mental capabilities of your target audience. If you are trying to persuade the general public, you are likely to find success using simpler concepts than if you are trying to persuade Mensa members. Life experience is a combination of gauging age and mental ability; while people may not be any smarter at 50 then they are at 20, common experiences will have taught most of them certain things about life.
Depending upon the topic, you may need to factor in any particular knowledge or expertise of your audience. If you are trying to persuade investors to buy a house, what you discuss with them and your style of persuasion will be different from that if you are simply trying to sell a house to an individual. Likewise, do not complicate your statements with jargon or references that your audience may not understand; no one likes to feel stupid so you will not only fail in your attempts to persuade but also may damage any future chance that you might have. Alternatively, if you tried to use certain techniques, such as flattery, or overly simplistic words and phrases on experienced or educated individuals, they are unlikely to appreciate being patronized and again, your attempts will fail.
If you are addressing large groups of people, allow for some variance in their knowledge and experiences. If it is a large group but is still specific to a particular field or age, you can make some basic assumptions. However, the larger or more generalized that your group gets, the more you need to adjust to find a middle ground, but remember to err on the side of inclusion rather than exclamation.
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