• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Social Media Examiner

Your Guide to the Marketing Jungle

  • 🔥 Free Newsletter
  • 🎙️ Podcasts
    • Social Media Marketing Podcast
    • Social Media Marketing Talk Show
    • Marketing Agency Show
    • Our YouTube Channel
  • 🗓️ Social Media Marketing World
  • đź’ˇ Society
  • 🎯 Partner With Us
    • Podcast Sponsorship
    • Email Sponsorship
      • Email Newsletter
      • Dedicated Email Blast
    • Event Sponsorship
      • Social Media Marketing World
  • đź‘‹ About Us
    • Marketing Events
  • Search
  • Social Media Marketing WorldImprove your strategy, find your next big marketing idea...DISCOVER WHAT YOU'VE BEEN MISSING

    3 Ways to Use Psychology in Your Social Media Marketing

    by Shane Barker / May 17, 2016

    social media how toLooking for ways to connect with fans on a deeper level?

    Have you thought about using psychology in your marketing?

    Implementing basic psychological marketing principles in your social media activities can help you attract, engage, and form emotional bonds with your target audience.

    In this article, you'll discover three ways to use psychology in your social media marketing.

    psychology in social media marketing
    Discover three ways to use psychological principles in your social media marketing.

    Listen to this article:

    Where to subscribe: Apple Podcast | Google Podcasts | Spotify | RSS

    #1: Give Gifts to Encourage Responses

    If you give people something they find valuable, they'll typically feel indebted to you. To incorporate this neuromarketing tactic in your social media marketing, you can offer a small gift like a discount, free trial, or free resource guide to your fans. Whatever you decide to offer, the goal is to answer the question: “What's in it for me?”

    On their Facebook page, Spanish soccer club Real Madrid recently offered free shorts with the purchase of a kid's shirt from the team's official store. In just an hour, the post received over 16,000 reactions and 63 shares.

    facebook page offer to fans
    Get followers to reciprocate by offering them gifts.

    Although Real Madrid's massive Facebook following played a role in the success of their offer, this tactic can help drive engagement for businesses of all sizes. If you don't have the luxury of spending money on giveaways, you can drive engagement using free gifts.

    Anytime Fitness offered their Facebook followers a free downloadable calendar to plan their activity in and out of the gym and track progress toward their fitness goals.

    facebook page free download
    Even the smallest of gifts can work wonders to engage followers.

    To use the reciprocity tactic on your social channels, take a closer look at your audience to better understand what they like and expect. Figure out what compels them to engage and come up with an offer that they're likely to share with friends.

    Offer something that's valuable to your audience while ensuring that they give you something in return. For example, give a 5% discount or a free trial of your product to anyone who shares and comments on your post. Or host a giveaway contest in which followers with the most shares and social media engagement receive a free product.

    In the tweet below, users are offered a free design course in exchange for being a beta tester and providing feedback on the course. Users can reciprocate by clicking on the link to apply. They might also want to share the good news with their Twitter followers, which is a form of engagement.

    twitter account offer to fans
    Highlight an offer in exchange for an action.

    The idea behind the reciprocity tactic is to compel the action of engaging with your brand by making people feel obligated to you. While you can't offer a giveaway every day, you can always post useful, shareworthy information related to your business. For example, if you're in the fitness industry, share articles and tips about exercise and healthy eating.

    #2: Use Emotional Triggers to Create Authentic Connections

    Connecting with your audience is one of the most basic ways to increase your social media engagement. This neuromarketing tactic makes use of the emotional reaction that's triggered when people feel connected to you. When people feel close to you and can relate to you, there's a great chance they'll engage with your company.

    To form an emotional connection, you need to start interacting with followers in a meaningful way.

    The Conference You've Been Waiting For

    As a small business marketer, you can probably only pick one or two events to attend each year. Get an unbeatable conference experience and expert training at Social Media Marketing World in sunny San Diego, California—from your friends at Social Media Examiner.

    🔥 As a valued reader, you can save $750 if you act now! Sale Ends Tuesday! 🔥

    CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

    Laughter is one of the most effective tools for forming a strong emotional bond with people. Like Chipotle does here, you can use wit and humor to connect with your Twitter followers. The Mexican grill has a deep understanding of their target audience and the kind of humor they'll likely appreciate. This helps them avoid using humor that their followers might find offensive or lame.

    twitter humor in tweet
    Chipotle drives Twitter engagement with lighthearted tweets.

    Chipotle also posts humorous replies to tweets from their fans. Your tweets can show enthusiasm toward your products with the right mix of humor. This works well for driving social media engagement.

    humorous tweet example
    Humorous replies can be great for driving Twitter engagement.

    Here's how you can pull off this neuromarketing tactic to connect with your fans:

    Study your audience to see what kind of humor they like. Remember that not everyone appreciates sarcasm or satire. You want to joke with your fans on social media without insulting them. Replay your post multiple times to ensure that it can't be perceived as offensive. If you can, run it by your team to get their opinion on the reply.

    Even when you're sharing an important fact about your company, try to communicate it in a lighthearted or humorous way. In this tweet, Taco Bell highlights their $1 breakfast menu with an amusing survey question.

    humorous tweet example
    Tell your company's story in a humorous way and fans will listen.

    Brainstorm topics that your fans can relate to. Analyze your past posts and see which ones received the most engagement from your followers. If there's a topic or cause your fans are talking about, come up with more posts related to that topic.

    Attention Agency Owners, Brand Marketers, and Consultants

    Marketing Agency Show

    Introducing the Marketing Agency Show–our newest podcast designed to explore the struggles of agency marketers.

    Join show host and agency owner, Brooke Sellas, as she interviews agency marketers and digs deep into their biggest challenges. Explore topics like navigating rough economic times, leveraging AI, service diversification, client acquisition, and much more.

    Just pull up your favorite podcast app, search for Marketing Agency Show and start listening. Or click the button below for more information.

    CLICK HERE FOR THE DETAILS

    Strand Book Store typically receives high engagement from Instagram posts that tap into their fans' love of perusing the shelves of a bookstore.

    instagram post example
    Find out which types of posts have received the most engagement from your followers.

    Rather than simply sharing or retweeting a post where fans have mentioned you, take the time to react and join the conversation. For example, if fans show you how they've used your product, think of a short line or two and respond to fans. They'll appreciate that you've noticed them and taken the time to respond.

    tweet to fan example
    Respond to fans when they reach out to you on your social channels.

    You can also connect with your audience by targeting other emotional responses, such as compassion or empathy. Perhaps you could share a touching story with your audience or highlight some volunteer work your company is doing. Whatever you do, focus on establishing a face and personality for your business.

    #3: Partner With Trusted Authorities to Build Credibility

    Trust is an important factor in influencing conversions and engagement. So what should you do if you're taking the first steps in building trust with your audience? Start by associating with people or brands that your target audience already trusts. Build relationships with authority figures or influencers who can give your brand credibility.

    Cosmetics brand Smashbox has partnered with prominent people in the beauty industry, including beauty vloggers, hair stylists, and makeup artists. These influencers promote their products by engaging a niche audience via social media. YouTube beauty vlogger Casey Holmes posted an image of herself wearing their foundation on her Instagram account. The post received over 29,000 likes and more than 500 comments.

    instagram influencer post example
    Partner with authority figures to reach out to their audience.

    Smashbox's regram received over 13,000 likes and drove social media engagement to the company's Instagram account. Notice how the company mentioned that the vlogger's skin always looks amazing thanks to their product. That's a subtle product promotion technique you can use, too.

    instagram influencer regram example
    Show off your connection with social influencers.

    This neuromarketing tactic is effective because people respond better to those they admire. Here's how you can start partnering with influencers:

    Identify what kind of influencers your target audience idolizes. An authority figure for one industry may not be very influential in another. A Variety survey found that YouTube stars dominated the top five on the list of most influential people for Americans between the ages of 13 and 18. However, if your target audience mostly consists of moms, you may want to reach out to popular mommy bloggers.

    Airline Cathay Pacific partnered with travel blogger Jessica Stein for their Life Well Travelled campaign. Jessica shared every aspect of her travel experience from the airport to the flight, and at various destinations.

    instagram influencer post example
    Influencers are a great way to build credibility and trust for your business.

    Once you've identified the authority figures your audience will best respond to, look for prospective influencers in your industry. You can use tools like Traackr, BuzzSumo, and Ninja Outreach for this.

    Compile a list of potential influencers and then study the number of likes, comments, shares, and retweets they get for their posts. You want to find out which influencers drive the most social media engagement with their audience. Also look at how actively they engage with their followers.

    Next, reach out to the influencers you want to work with and deliver your best value proposition. Let them know what benefits they'll reap if they decide to partner with you and promote your company. Work with influencers to establish an actionable strategy that sparks social media engagement on your pages. For example, maybe they can talk about your company in their next tweet or Instagram post, or write a product review on their blog and share it on their social media account.

    Working with authority figures helps build credibility for your company and products, which ultimately leads to trust and engagement.

    Conclusion

    These neuromarketing tactics not only can increase social media engagement, but can also improve other aspects of your business performance. For instance, giving free gifts for every purchase helps boosts your conversions. Making an emotional connection with your audience and interacting with them regularly can help you build a loyal social following.

    In good time, all of these neuromarketing strategies can encourage brand loyalty among your followers and existing customers.

    What do you think? Have you tried these neuromarketing tactics to encourage engagement on your social channels? What techniques have worked well for your business? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

    social media and psychological marketing principles
    Tips on three ways to use psychology in your social media marketing.

    3 Days of World-Class Training—Zero Travel!

    Social Media Marketing World

    Travel to Social Media Marketing World off the table? Get all of the great content at a fraction of the price with an On-Demand ticket.

    That’s full access to recordings of every keynote, workshop, and session—the ones people travel thousands of miles to see. Don't wait. Get your On-Demand ticket and enjoy actionable content that you can watch anytime, anywhere.

    GET YOUR ON-DEMAND TICKET NOW

    About the authorShane Barker

    Shane Barker, a digital marketing consultant, specializes in sales funnels, targeted traffic, and website conversions. He has consulted with Fortune 500 companies, Influencers with digital products, and A-List celebrities.
    Other posts by Shane Barker »

    Get Social Media Examiner’s Future Articles in Your Inbox!

    Get our latest articles delivered to your email inbox and get the FREE Social Media Marketing Industry Report (37 pages, 50+ charts)!

    Industry Report Cover

    Worth Exploring:

    Facebook

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    Instagram

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    YouTube

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    Linkedin

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    Web3

    Next Frontier Explore More →

    Social Media Marketing Industry Report

    Get Free Report →

    Social Marketing Trends

    The data you've been missing!

    Need a new plan? Discover how marketers plan to change their social activities in the 15th annual Social Media Marketing Industry Report. It reveals what marketers have planned for their social activities, content marketing, and more! Get this free report now and never miss another great article from us. Join more than 400,000 marketers!

    Enter your email to get
    our free report:


    Footer

    Your Guide to the Marketing Jungle
    Copyright © 2023 Social Media Examiner®
    All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use | Privacy Policy.

    Helpful Links

    • About us
    • Our content via email
    • Our podcasts
    • Our YouTube channel
    • Our live show
    • Our industry report
    • Sponsorship opportunities
    • RSS
    • Accessibility