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Social media is a way for people to connect online. All the behavioral traits come into play when engaging on this medium. Social media marketers can apply different human relation principles to tactically increase the engagement of their users. There are many potential avenues to use when reaching a reader. Many times a marketer will have to use a combination of principles to achieve their stated goal.
Humans form social groups at all stages of their life and get meaning from their place within them. They can look at their position in the group and be curious of what people they admire like. Marketers can constructively guide this curiosity to create advantages for the things they are promoting. People can seek cues from watching others develop behavior. In the social media world, this is sometimes referenced by the term influencers.
For a variety of reasons, these people have developed a personality that others seek to emulate. The products or services they consume can lead others to want the same things. If a marketer can provide something of value to the influence the chance of this being shared increases exponentially.
Followers
A chain reaction occurs as followers of the influencer share the information on social media. Each follower’s individual social group also will be interested in what is being discussed. Eventually, people many times removed from these first movers can be swayed by their choices because it is found all around them. It can be challenging to show up on the screen of the influencer due to limited time and too much information. But if the marketer succeeds the rewards are great.
Human emotions influence rational thoughts. Consumers can develop a personal appeal for a product or service. These fans feel an emotional connection. Companies can nurture these feelings through social media. Product previews or launches make them feel engaged. In return, these fans will promote the company on their own social media accounts to friends and family.
Emotional Appeal
Marketing content is more likely to be read when framed from an emotional standpoint. If people feel something after reading your message they will retain the information longer. Bypassing the rational and finding emotional triggers is a valuable skill for marketers. You want a reader to laugh, cry or get angry. Obviously, there is an infinite sliding scale between these emotions but the main point is to cause a feeling. This skill is difficult for many writers and takes practice.
An anecdote or story can convey a complex message masquerading as something else. Emotional appeals can be risky if an unexpected feeling is linked to your product or service. This content writing technique can be very powerful but it should be tested on a small scale before pushing out to a large audience. Connecting your concrete information to the emotional side is the ultimate goal.
Depending on what is being promoted, limited amounts will usually equate to exclusivity in social media. A marketer can offer something special to a select group of people who have access. This preview can be given to a select customer segment. While this principle is not designed for mass appeal it can be an efficient way of engaging a core group that is considered important to the marketer.
Loyalty
The idea is appealing to these customers that they have been chosen for a special offer. They also can connect with other people who were afforded this privilege and feel validation for their importance to a business. A feeling of loyalty is more likely to emerge from this type of interaction. This loyalty can lead to long-term engagement.
Instead of being a generalist a marketer might be better served choosing a topic to become an expert on. This is not accomplished overnight and requires dedication to achieve. A constant drip of content proving your knowledge in said topic can draw other social media users.
You can bypass traditional media to broadcast your thoughts. If the ideas you present to readers resonates they will continue to communicate with you. Social media will provide a forum for two-way communication and you will gain insight from other comments.
Trends
Trends you might have missed can be revealed by paying attention to what people discuss. Instead of claiming to know all, just giving your informed opinion can gain you the respect of users. They will follow you to get your take on issues affecting their lives. If enough people value your unique insights you could parlay this into a separate brand.
Be cognizant of the self-interested side of human nature when attempting to increase your social media profile. Pushing a message that no one wants over and over again just annoys people. You should not take their refusal personally instead view it as a form of constructive criticism. These are opportunities to self-evaluate and readapt the message. If the content you provide doesn’t immediately show what’s in it for the user it can be discarded just as quickly. So before you set out to market yourself ask why should anyone care about this?
Benefits
Look at your end user from their perspective and you might be surprised what you see. What you thought wonderful, to them is not so interesting. This could be because they don’t see anything in it for them. Pointing out exactly how interacting with you will benefit their life is a step in the right direction. After you establish an ongoing exchange you can introduce different ideas that they might not have listened to at the beginning of the relationship.
As technology advances and enters more areas of human life, some things still remain the same. Human relation principles like those discussed above will always affect people no matter where they choose to interact. Adapting to the reality of human behavior will give marketers a chance to more closely interact with users on social media.