Many marketers implement their strategies based on research, past experience, and trends. While these are crucial factors for a successful campaign, one key part of being a great marketer is understanding how people think and act the way they do. Understanding how people operate is essential in order to take your marketing from good to great—all because the right audience can identify with it and most likely convert on it too.
- The study of consumers helps firms and organizations greatly improve their social media strategies by understanding issues such as:
- The psychology of how consumers think, feel, reason, and select between different alternatives (e.g. brands, products)
- The psychology of how the consumer is influenced by their environment such as culture, family, media, etc.
- The behavior of consumers while shopping
- Limitations in consumer knowledge or information processing abilities influence decisions and marketing outcome
- How consumer motivation and decision strategies differ between products that differ in their level of importance or interest for the consumer
- How marketers can adapt and improve their marketing campaigns and marketing strategies to more effectively reach the consumer
Understanding these issues can help you adapt your social media strategies by taking the consumer into consideration. By understanding that a barrage of different messages compete for your potential customers’ attention, you learn that repeated and shared social media posts can be effective. Additionally, consumers will sometimes be persuaded more by logical arguments, but at other times will be persuaded more by emotional or symbolic appeals. Through studying the reasons why people behave in certain ways, you will be able to make a more informed decision on the best strategy to employ.
Psychology plays a significant role in social media’s success and it is influencing how business owners are using various social media channels to market their products and services. No matter how much technology advances, the triggers behind human behavior remain the same. Before the boom of social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest, people didn’t fully understand social media’s capabilities. But as these platforms started becoming one of the primary techniques to share content, people began to use them as a way to not only communicate with each other, but to share the stuff they liked as well.
People react to content that touches them on an emotional or personal level, and if you offer content that is arranged in a format that’s easy to follow, presented clearly, and has emotional elements, people will pay attention and will want to continue engaging. Using content that is relevant and has a personal feel to it is a very intelligent choice when it comes to your social media campaign.
When it comes to attracting customers, emotions are important for developing long-term customer relationships. It’s important to establish a bond with customers instead of driving pure sales with hard sell pitches when handling your social media campaign. In the long run, you will be able to provide them with the kind of content they want. Remember, your customers won’t just base their buying decisions on practicality, but on their emotions as well. In the long run, the positive emotions linked to your brand can drive success.
As a social media marketing expert, it is critical to understand that conversion is a process, and not a one-off moment. It needs an entire social marketing funnel that cannot be defined in the particular time frame in which a customer commits to the sale. While sales remain the ultimate goal, the focus of present day marketing should be on building relations with customers. But how do you use psychology to generate a successful social media campaign? Here are a few tips:
Engage their senses
The type of content you create doesn’t have to be complex or expensive. The heart of social media marketing is shareability. This needs imagination and creativity. If you give your reader something that goes beyond mere information, you engage their senses. Leave a lasting impression on your readers by offering them something that’s memorable and timeless.
Build a brand personality
Marketers know that having an online persona is important. Your brand personality can be anything you want as long as it sticks to your brand identity. When creating a social media campaign, make sure that all posts reflect your brand personality.
Welcome feedback
Be a sport and be honest. Just because you put out positive or friendly posts, doesn’t mean visitors will appreciate them all the time. Since you are tapping into their emotions, you are likely to receive mixed reactions. As such, be open and you will learn to interpret these reactions accordingly.
Acknowledge your audience
Everybody wants to be acknowledged. When it comes to acknowledgment through social media, people want others to recognize that they are thinking, behaving, and operating on the cutting edge. They want to feel that they are part of a social media community. Part of the foundation that you will be laying for your business through your social media marketing strategy is acknowledging your audience.
Approve interactions
Approval is an essential part of acknowledging your audience. When they begin connecting through social media, many people know how to engage others. Expressing your approval of what they have to say and make them understand that there is value in what they’re contributing can strengthen your relationships.
Acclamation
There are people who go on social media to see their name in the spotlight, and it's why giving acclamation to your potential customers and current customers can be effective. Through your communication in social media, you can show acclaim by highlighting them in discussions with other people and forwarding their posts to others. You can also respond to them so that they understand that you find value in what they say and think.
Being a part of the group (Social Proof)
One of the main reasons that people decide to connect with others on social media channels is to have a sense of belonging to a community. They want to feel that they are an important part of a meaningful group. When you focus your social media marketing campaign on your target audience, your approach should be simple. Include them in your communications, and invite them to be a part of relevant and appropriate online communities.
If you approach your social media campaign from a psychological angle, you will find that people are more likely to respond to your business offerings. They will gladly spread the word about your products and services, as well as your expertise in your niche. People will be speaking about your business on your behalf before you know it, bringing you another step closer to success.
