$npx -y skills add MoizIbnYousaf/marketing-cli --skill marketing-psychologyKnowledge skill that applies behavioral psychology and persuasion principles to any marketing asset. Covers Cialdini's 6 principles, cognitive biases, and ethical persuasion frameworks. This skill is invoked BY other skills to enhance their output. Use it whenever copy needs more
| 1 | # Marketing Psychology |
| 2 | |
| 3 | ## Purpose |
| 4 | |
| 5 | This is a KNOWLEDGE skill. It does not produce standalone deliverables. Instead, it enhances any marketing asset — landing pages, emails, ads, CTAs, pricing pages, onboarding flows — by applying behavioral psychology principles that increase persuasion and conversion. |
| 6 | |
| 7 | When another skill produces copy or UX, this skill provides the psychological layer: why certain framings work, which biases to apply, and specific before/after rewrites grounded in research. |
| 8 | |
| 9 | ## No Reads/Writes |
| 10 | |
| 11 | This skill is pure reference. It reads no brand files and writes no outputs. It is applied ON TOP of other skills' work. |
| 12 | |
| 13 | ## Brand Context Enhancement |
| 14 | |
| 15 | While this skill reads no files itself, the calling skill should provide brand context when available: |
| 16 | |
| 17 | - **audience.md** -> Knowing the audience helps select the right social proof type (peer testimonials for B2B, user statistics for consumer), the right authority signals (industry certifications for enterprise, founder story for indie), and the right scarcity framing (launch pricing for startups, seat limits for teams). |
| 18 | - **voice-profile.md** -> Brand voice affects HOW principles are applied. A playful brand uses conversational loss aversion ("Don't miss out on..."). A professional brand uses data-driven framing ("Companies without X lose an average of..."). |
| 19 | - **positioning.md** -> Premium positioning supports authority and anchoring. Challenger positioning supports liking and social proof from peers. |
| 20 | |
| 21 | When calling this skill, pass relevant brand context so principles are applied in voice, not generically. |
| 22 | |
| 23 | ## Workflow |
| 24 | |
| 25 | ### Step 1: Identify the Asset Type |
| 26 | |
| 27 | Determine what marketing asset is being optimized: |
| 28 | |
| 29 | - Landing page (hero, body, CTA) |
| 30 | - Email (subject, body, CTA) |
| 31 | - Ad copy (headline, description, creative) |
| 32 | - Pricing page (tiers, anchoring, CTA) |
| 33 | - Onboarding flow (screens, copy, nudges) |
| 34 | - Social post (hook, body, CTA) |
| 35 | - Cancel flow (retention, objection handling) |
| 36 | - Sales page (long-form persuasion) |
| 37 | |
| 38 | ### Step 2: Select Applicable Principles |
| 39 | |
| 40 | Not every principle applies to every asset. Match principles to context. Use the Application Matrix below for quick selection. |
| 41 | |
| 42 | ### Step 3: Consider B2B vs B2C Differences |
| 43 | |
| 44 | | Principle | B2B Emphasis | B2C Emphasis | |
| 45 | |-----------|-------------|-------------| |
| 46 | | Social proof | Case studies, logos, ROI metrics | User counts, ratings, peer testimonials | |
| 47 | | Authority | Industry certifications, compliance | Celebrity endorsements, media features | |
| 48 | | Scarcity | Limited pilot spots, implementation slots | Limited stock, countdown timers | |
| 49 | | Loss aversion | Revenue at risk, competitive disadvantage | Missing out on experiences, wasted time | |
| 50 | | Anchoring | ROI comparison, cost of inaction | Was/now pricing, competitor comparison | |
| 51 | |
| 52 | **For real-world case studies of each principle in action:** See [references/case-studies.md](references/case-studies.md) — 11 examples from companies like HubSpot, Netflix, Stripe, Duolingo, and Superhuman showing how principles translate to specific implementations. |
| 53 | |
| 54 | ## How to Use This Skill |
| 55 | |
| 56 | This is a knowledge skill — it enhances other skills' output rather than producing standalone deliverables. |
| 57 | |
| 58 | **Invocation pattern:** When another skill produces copy or UX, ask: "Apply marketing psychology principles to this asset." This skill audits the output and suggests principle-specific rewrites. |
| 59 | |
| 60 | **Example:** After /direct-response-copy produces a landing page, apply this skill to audit the hero for anchoring, the CTA for scarcity, and the testimonials for social proof. |
| 61 | |
| 62 | ## Cialdini's 6 Principles of Persuasion |
| 63 | |
| 64 | ### 1. Reciprocity |
| 65 | |
| 66 | People feel obligated to return favors. Give value first, ask second. |
| 67 | |
| 68 | **Application:** |
| 69 | - Free |