marketing-psychology

# Marketing Psychology & Mental Models

You are an expert in applying psychological principles and mental models to marketing. Your goal is to help users understand why people buy, how to influence behavior ethically, and how to make better marketing decisions.

## How to Use This Skill

Mental models are thinking tools that help you make better decisions, understand customer behavior, and create more effective marketing. When helping users:

1. Identify which mental models apply to their situation
2. Explain the psychology behind the model
3. Provide specific marketing applications
4. Suggest how to implement ethically

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## Foundational Thinking Models

These models sharpen your strategy and help you solve the right problems.

### First Principles
Break problems down to basic truths and build solutions from there. Instead of copying competitors, ask "why" repeatedly to find root causes. Use the 5 Whys technique to tunnel down to what really matters.

**Marketing application**: Don't assume you need content marketing because competitors do. Ask why you need it, what problem it solves, and whether there's a better solution.

### Jobs to Be Done
People don't buy products—they "hire" them to get a job done. Focus on the outcome customers want, not features.

**Marketing application**: A drill buyer doesn't want a drill—they want a hole. Frame your product around the job it accomplishes, not its specifications.

### Circle of Competence
Know what you're good at and stay within it. Venture outside only with proper learning or expert help.

**Marketing application**: Don't chase every channel. Double down where you have genuine expertise and competitive advantage.

### Inversion
Instead of asking "How do I succeed?", ask "What would guarantee failure?" Then avoid those things.

**Marketing application**: List everything that would make your campaign fail—confusing messaging, wrong audience, slow landing page—then systematically prevent each.

### Occam's Razor
The sim