Bestselling Dutch author Bas Wouters and his Online Influence Institute have launched a new, scientifically based program designed to boost online results. The program combines proven behavioral psychology with practical cases and tools, and the skills required to put it all into practice. Blue Dragon is the first Dutch agency to be certified based on this new methodology.

The Online Influence program is based on research conducted by world-renowned scientists such as Nobel Laureate Daniel Kahneman, behavioral scientist BJ Fogg, and Robert Cialdini, the world’s most cited scientist in the field of influence and persuasion. Wouters and his team translated this research into a methodology and 37 principles that can be applied in everyday life.

In addition to its solid theoretical underpinnings, the program itself is also scientifically based. Participants are provided not only with the knowledge, but also with the tools and skills required to apply behavioral science strategies and insights both ethically and successfully. Dr. Robert Cialdini has described the program as a “must-study for everyone in the field of online persuasion.”

Dr. Robert Cialdini & Bas Wouters

Important trend

The Online Influence program is part of a wider trend spearheaded by companies such as Netflix, Google and Amazon. They regard behavioral science – along with Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) – as a key to success at a time of declining brand awareness and ever-shorter attention spans.

Wouters: “Not surprisingly, research by Markets Insider shows that CRO software is a massive growth market. Also, research by LinkedIn reveals that ‘persuasion’ is listed in the Top 3 of most in-demand skills for today’s professionals. And the best part is that you don’t even need huge resources to gain access: anyone can apply the principles of behavioral science, especially if they’re using a proven methodology. Our mission is to support marketing professionals as they navigate this world. We had already started in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and are now ready for the Netherlands as well.”

Blue Dragon

The Online Influence program is designed for anyone looking to increase their online success using ethically responsible methods, whether it’s about generating more leads and sales or more app downloads and customer reviews. Blue Dragon is the first Dutch agency to have embraced the Online Influence Institute methodology. Based in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, the agency currently employs four Certified Coaches.

Managing Partner Pepijn Keukelaar: “Everyone in the online business was looking for a methodology that’s both scientifically based and can be applied in everyday life. Believe me: a few years from now, we’ll all be wondering how we ever managed to operate without this knowledge.”

About Bas Wouters

The founder of the Online Influence Institute, Bas Wouters is the only person in the world to be certified by both Robert Cialdini and BJ Fogg. Together with his co-author Joris Groen, he wrote the bestseller Online Invloed (‘Online Influence’), which was proclaimed Marketing Textbook of the Year and has been translated into English and Russian (with Chinese, Thai and Japanese editions to be published soon). Wouters applied his knowledge to hundreds of organizations, ranging from SMEs to Fortune 500 companies.

About the Online Influence Institute

The Online Influence Institute enables professionals and organizations to apply behavioral science theory in an efficient and ethical way. Participants attend an Online Academy that provides them with the knowledge, insights and tools they need. They also have access to live coaching, an A/B test database containing hundreds of cases, and live sessions with Wouters and other experts.