Here’s an interesting fact. The number ‘3’…
👉 is the smallest and
👉 most effective pattern
👉 a human brain can remember without thinking.
Yeah…and, so what? You might be asking. The #3 is just…a number.
3 is a Magic Number
Part 1: Why is the Number 3 So Memorable?
Of course, 3 is just a number but let me show you what a powerful punch of a number it is and why it’s important in any marketing especially on the website homepage.
Once upon a time…
(Yes, really, it’s story time).
Once upon a time there were…
3 bears
3 little pigs
3 musketeers
3 wise men
3 blind mice
3 billy goats gruff
Umm… 🤔
The good, the bad and the ugly
(1…2…3)
The father, the son and the holy ghost
(1…2…3)
Up, up and away!
(1…2…3)
Bronze, silver and gold
(1…2…3)
There was an Englishman, Irishman and Scotsman…
(joke telling, still 1…2…3)
Blood, sweat and tears
(a saying)
Stop, look, listen
(Green Cross Code back in the 70s/80s)
and most relevant for today (in the UK)…
Hands, face, space.
No.3 really is a magic number. This simple and small pattern helps us to remember things really easily.
How many of you knew all of the above, and could recall them easily? The pattern of 3 is the smallest number needed for a pattern to emerge.
Part 2: Why the Number 3 Works for the Human Brain
The magic of the number 3 is interesting for sure, but ‘why is it relevant to me?’ I hear you say.
Using this simple power of 3 pattern is a great way to give a web visitor the power of choice but in a restricted way.
Too much choice = overwhelm and inaction.
Limited choice = easy decision, takes action.
A simple fact to know is that the human brain is naturally lazy.
The brain is automatically programmed to use as few calories as possible. It goes back to ancient times when humans were always ‘on alert’ to flee from potential trouble or fight. In between these times of high alert, it was important to conserve as much energy as possible.
This included brainpower and the need to use as few calories as possible unless absolutely necessary. For most of us in the modern world of 2021, we don’t live in a permanent state of fight or flight but the way the brain works still holds as true today as it did back in the hunter-gatherer days.
If you want to delve more into this topic of the psychology of a buyer, check out Kenda Macdonald’s talk on understanding how potential customers make buying decisions.
(If you like reading about buyer psychology, you might like her book too, Hack the Buyer Brain.)
Think about a recent buying journey of your own. How did you make decisions about what or who to buy from?
So, back to Kenda’s talk. The key points are:
1. Potential customers don’t want to be interrupted, or overloaded, with too much information when they come to visit a website.
2. Potential customers will only reach out when they are sure they want to buy from you.
3. Potential customers want to know the options easily, without having to go off to find out by delving down into the website. They will just leave instead. So, the homepage needs to give the options and presenting them in a power of 3 fashion is, well…powerful.
Part 3: The Magic and Power of 3 on the Website Homepage
What does the power of 3 look like on the homepage though and how does it translate? Here’s a couple of examples: A choice of 3 service levels.
A choice of 3 types of service.
By giving a web visitor a (sometimes perceived) element of choice, between 1, 2 and 3, it becomes a guided, calm process where a decision is made without overwhelm.
How effortlessly can that visitor proceed to the next step of choosing one option to click through to, and move one step closer to becoming a more serious prospect, with not a speck of overwhelm in sight?
In The Website Identity Framework (WIF), there’s a section where we take a deeper dive into the mechanics of the Power of 3 and what the relationship is between the Power of 3 and the navigation.
Each ‘power’ has a clear and direct call to action which is a must if we are to help guide the web visitor in the direction they want them to go. Some clients worry that this approach limits the choice for prospects but it actually has the reverse effect and empowers prospects to make great buying decisions; decisions which are the right ones for them.
After all, that’s what a great homepage is for, to help the visitor make the best buying decision for them.
How was the Magic Number 3 for You?
I hope you enjoyed reading about the power of 3 and how it’s all around us.
How many patterns of 3 have you spotted in your day so far today?
Well, there’s a few in this article for starters, did you notice?
If you want to find out more about applying the power of 3 in the work you do with your web clients, then The WIF® will give you a deeper dive into this topic. You can find out more here.
PS. What is your most memorable ‘power of 3’ that you can recall from years ago?
