The Ben Franklin effect—or why interviews are a great way to build meaningful connections
Seasoned marketers will probably already know that interviews or discussions are a great marketing tool. Articles and social media posts based on interviews get more traction because they are promoted twice over—by both the interviewer and the interviewee. More importantly, however, they build connections between interviewer and interviewee. The only question is why—and the answer to that lies with American founding father, Benjamin Franklin.
Franklin observed that when you do someone a favour, you are more disposed to like them. Yes, that’s right: not when someone does you a favour, but when you do one for them. He reported that he had asked a rival Pennsylvania Assembly member if he could borrow a rare book from that person’s library. The man sent it over immediately, and it was duly returned with a note of thanks a few days later. The next time the two men met, the other man spoke to Franklin for the first time, and they went on to build a friendship that lasted many years.
[caption id="attachment_9467" align="aligncenter" width="1020"]
Unpicking the psychology
Some people have suggested that the psychology behind this is based on the theory of cognitive dissonance. We need our thoughts and actions to be aligned. We therefore tend to reason that we only do favours for people we like. If someone asks us for a favour, and we are prepared to do it, we must like them. Studies have even shown that when we are rude to people, we start to dislike them. When we praise people, we see them in a more positive light.
You can see this happening in dog training. People who train their dogs using positive reinforcement, such as praise or treats for good behaviour, actually come to like their dogs better. Those who focus only on the negative behaviour, and trying to stop it, tend to start to dislike their dogs. It’s the same with small children: if you focus on problem behaviour, you start to see the child as a problem. This is why psychologists (and dog behaviourists) recommend reinforcing the good behaviour with praise, and simply ignoring the unwelcome actions altogether. It’s not just more effective in changing the behaviour, it’s actually better for your relationship.
There is another aspect worth considering. In his bestselling book How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie noted that asking someone for a favour is a subtle—but very effective—form of flattery. The person asking the favour is effectively saying that the other person has something that they do not, and is asking them to share that knowledge, skills, or resources. When you are asked for an interview for a blog article or marketing study, this is a way of showing that you are seen as an expert in that area. The person asking for the interview is effectively showing both admiration and liking, and that is very pleasant.
This, in turn, builds stronger connections. You reason (subconsciously) that someone who wants to tap into your knowledge must be worth knowing. Even if you did not previously know them, or did not think much of them, you are likely to start to change your views. Your brain says that someone who respects you must be a discerning person. It turns out that we’re actually quite shallow, and we really do respond to flattery, especially when it’s sincere!
There is another side to this. If we do something bad or unethical to someone, we may start to justify it by suggesting to ourselves that they deserved it in some way. They must be bad, or we wouldn’t have wanted to behave like that. This is the psychology behind soldiers dehumanising ‘the enemy’ during wars.
Using the Ben Franklin effect
It is therefore clear that the Ben Franklin effect operates when you ask someone for an interview for a marketing article. However, the really good news is that this effect isn’t just useful for building relationships with peers and experts. You can also use it to build rapport with clients.
If you ask customers about their needs and wants, you tap into the Ben Franklin effect. You are asking them to share information with you: their expertise on using your products, or on their problem. They therefore feel flattered, and will readily share that information. You, in turn, get essential information direct from customers, without having to pay for expensive market research. It really is a win–win.