How to succeed on Instagram? At VROOM Digital, we often hear this question from brands and marketing managers, all hoping to find a better way to serve their community online. This is especially important now, during the Covid-19 crisis, when a vast majority of Users expect their favourite brands to provide them with valuable, helpful content, reinforcing that positive relationship.
Last week we attended an excellent webinar, hosted by the UK-based agency Social Chain, providing us with some great insights, which we’ll be definitely implementing as part of our Social Media Strategy for our clients. Here are some key takeaways for you to consider.
Hacking the Algorithm
In 2020 the average internet user is a member of 8.5 social networks, 95 millions photos are shared on Instagram every day, 500 millions tweets are sent per day and on average we are hit with 4000 advertising messages per day. How can you possibly reach your audience and get noticed?
The fight for attention is intense. How do you make sure you are victorious? How do you hack the algorithm? According to Katy Leeson, the MD of SocialChain, it has nothing to do with how often you post, the number of hashtags you use or the time you share your content. She thinks that everything you do is a waste of time without SOCIAL FIRST creatives that provide VALUE to your audience.
Katy shared with us her 5 secrets that go into strong social first creatives:
- Why do people share on Social Media?
- Trust is important
- The science of emoji
- Colour builds relationships
- The power of scratching backs
1. Why do people share on Social Media?
According to a recent survey conducted by the New York Times, 94% of users share on social media to improve other people’s lives. Science shows that giving activates the same parts of the brain as food and sex: altruism is pleasurable. The takeaway from this is that if you create helpful content people will be keener to reshare it to improve their peers’ lives.
68% of respondents share to define themselves. Our minds soak up everything we see as reference points of comparison: we are constantly comparing ourselves against others as to what happiness or success looks like (awkward social comparison). To reach your audience, make content that meets their self-definition needs and that they would be proud to share.
80% share to grow and nourish relationships. Connections are fundamental for human beings as they lower anxiety and depression, increase our self esteem and even improve the immune system. As marketers, you should consider creating content that fosters relationships between yourself and your followers.
81% share on social media for self-fulfillment. As humans, we all want to be liked, to belong in a group and have social approval. Make your audience feel like they are accepted and part of your tribe and you’ll succeed.
84% share to get the word out about causes they believe in, which sums up all the psychological traits mentioned above: your need for identity, self-fulfillment and belonging.
2. Trust is important
Social proofing builds brand trust. The trust hormone, oxytocin, is released when people feel like they are part of something. People are more likely to change their behaviour if they feel they’re part of a group. That’s why UGC (User Generated Content) is so powerful, it makes you feel part of that group and makes others want to belong to it too.
3. The science of emoji
Face to face we mimic people’s facial expressions to build a connection with them. The same happens when emojis are used: our brain is building connections. Evoking emotions increases the likelihood of things being shared.
4. Colour builds relationships
People make decisions on other people or products within 90 seconds of the first interaction and 90% of those decisions are based on colour. Colour affects how your brand is perceived. It’s important that your brand lives its brand values through colour and you are not disjointed in what you stand for versus the colour you use in your content.
5. The power of scratching backs
The last secret is based on the theory of reciprocity: if someone does something for you, you want to do something for them. The key is to get in there first and give something unexpected and valuable!
So, are you ready to start getting attention? If you found this article useful, stay tuned for the upcoming “3 Takeways About Successful Social Media Marketing Strategy From Social media World Conference You Have to Read”.
