Psych Eye for the Social Media Guy

Psych Eye for the Social Media GuyA quick crash course in need-to-know psychology for social media professionals

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Dr Paul Marsden Psychologist

@marsattacks

Here’s a little psychology to communicate more effectively using social media

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ALS Ice Bucket Challenge 2014

First, say hello to the best problem solving device on the planet…

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The essential fact to understand is that our brains evolved uniquely and exclusively to solve problems…

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Without problems we wouldn’t need brains and so we’d probably just eat them (as the sea-squirt does)

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Dennett, D. C. (1993). Consciousness Explained. Penguin UK. Chicago

Fortunately for psychologists, people continue to have all sorts of problems to keep us in business…

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Problems also keep communicators in business, only brains with problems engage with our messages…

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So what kind of problems do brains have to make them want to consume corporate social media?

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20 JulCeleb boutique @celebboutique#Aurora is trending, clearly about our Kim K inspired #Aurora dress ;) Shop: buff.ly/LCU1wbExpand

Brains tend to use social media to solve the problem of staying in touch with other brains, not corporate entities

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Although brains may connect with other brains in corporate entities, if those brains can solve their problem

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Which is how social media became a problem-solving platform for customer service and crisis communications

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Even if there are issues of scaleability and sustainability to address…

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Samsung #PowerOn SXSW 2013 Campaign

But let’s briefly return to why brains would want to connect with each other in social media…

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Psychologists believe our brains are ‘social brains’, evolved to work together because they solve problems better together

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And as a result our emotions have evolved to crave social contact - even at a distance

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And which is why ‘affiliation’ evolved to become one of our three core psychological needs

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Sokolowski, Kurt, et al. "Assessing achievement, affiliation, and power motives all at once: The Multi-Motive Grid (MMG)." Journal of Personality Assessment 74.1 (2000): 126-145. APA Deci, E., & Ryan, R. (Eds.), (2002). Handbook of self-determination research. Rochester,s NY: University of Rochester Press

POWER

SENSE OF CONTROL

AUTONOMY

AFFILIATION

SENSE OF BELONGING

RELATEDNESS

ACHIEVEMENT

SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT

COMPETENCE

If corporate social media can help people connect with each other, then it will be tapping into powerful psychology

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Which explains why successful social media initiatives do just this - help people bond and benefit with each other

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And help us connect - affiliate - with people we admire

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Corporate social media may work better when it’s less about messaging and more about connecting people

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How could you use social media to help social brains bond and benefit together?

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In addition to ‘affiliation’, our social brains have evolved two other core psychological needs

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Sokolowski, Kurt, et al. "Assessing achievement, affiliation, and power motives all at once: The Multi-Motive Grid (MMG)." Journal of Personality Assessment 74.1 (2000): 126-145. APA Deci, E., & Ryan, R. (Eds.), (2002). Handbook of self-determination research. Rochester,s NY: University of Rochester Press

POWER

SENSE OF CONTROL

AUTONOMY

AFFILIATION

SENSE OF BELONGING

RELATEDNESS

ACHIEVEMENT

SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT

COMPETENCE

The first is a need for power - the sense of control and autonomy that is necessary for solving problems

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When we feel powerless, we become victims of others and of circumstance, unable to solve problems

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Rorschach Inkblot Test )Card IV) detects underlying thought disorders where patients are reluctant or unable to describe their thinking processes openly

Which is why power is essential to psychological wellbeing, and perhaps why we’re susceptible to ‘power trips’

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Part of the psychological appeal of social media is that it is empowering, it allows us to take control of our identity

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It follows that corporate social media will have more appeal if it empowers, proving a sense of autonomy and control

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#LikeAGirl

Which is just what the rare cases of social media success do - they empower people

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How could your social media strategy focus on empowering people or delivering empowering messages?

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Finally our social brains have a third core need, that of ‘achievement’

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Sokolowski, Kurt, et al. "Assessing achievement, affiliation, and power motives all at once: The Multi-Motive Grid (MMG)." Journal of Personality Assessment 74.1 (2000): 126-145. APA Deci, E., & Ryan, R. (Eds.), (2002). Handbook of self-determination research. Rochester,s NY: University of Rochester Press

POWER

SENSE OF CONTROL

AUTONOMY

AFFILIATION

SENSE OF BELONGING

RELATEDNESS

ACHIEVEMENT

SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT

COMPETENCE

Achievement means solving problems and rising to challenges, a trait that makes us attractive to allies and mates

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Which is why our emotions are hardwired to reward achievement, or ‘self-efficacy’ as some psychologists call it

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So we get an emotional buzz not only from achievement itself, but from being seen to achieve

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Which helps explain the appeal of social media ‘likes’, each one is a mini-achievement, self-validating virtual applause

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So psychologically smart corporate social media will have more appeal if it furthers ‘likeable’ personal achievements

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Smart corporate social media may be less about winning likes for us, and more about helping audiences win them

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Porter Instagram #IAmPorter cover campaign

How could your social media strategy help people achieve, and be seen to achieve?

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So that’s it for Part 1, four ways to do psychologically smart social media based on what brains do and rewarded for doing

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Solve People’s Problems Help People Connect Empower People Help People Achieve

Now onto Part II, psychology doesn’t just help with what to say in social media, it can help with how to say it

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Psychologists believe problems are so important that we have all evolved two problem-solving minds

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Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow. Macmillan.

There’s an associative, fast and mostly unconscious problem-solving mind (‘System 1’)…

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‘SYSTEM 1’ FAST

AUTOMATIC UNCONSCIOUS

And a conscious, slow, deliberate and reasoned problem-solving mind (‘System 2’)

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‘SYSTEM 1’ FAST

AUTOMATIC UNCONSCIOUS

‘SYSTEM 2’ SLOW

DELIBERATE REASONED

System 1 is our dominant and default problem-solving mode, so the social media opportunity is to appeal to this…

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‘SYSTEM 1’

‘SYSTEM 2’

…and it helps that System 1 problem solving uses social information to find solutions that ‘feel’ right

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Based on new understanding of how System 1 problem-solving works, we can structure messages to appeal to it

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So here are six ways your social media solutions can appeal to the System 1 problem-solving mind

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First, solutions ‘feel’ right when supported with ‘Social Proof’, the proof of others having chosen that solution

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Social Proof and the 42nd Street experiment

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Social Proof @ Work

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Use social proof to persuade colleagues by showing that your

idea is popular with peers

Social Proof @ Work in social media

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How could you use Social Proof to make your solution ‘feel’ right?

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Second, solutions ‘feel’ right when they’re backed by the voice of ‘authority’, experienced experts and leaders

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Authority and the Milgram Shock Experiment

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Authority @ Work

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Use authority to persuade by letting others know how you

already solved a similar problem

Authority @ Work in Social Media

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Teen Hauler Bethany Mota https://www.youtube.com/user/Macbarbie07

How could you use Authority to make your solution ‘feel’ right?

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Teen Make-Up Authority Michelle Phan https://www.youtube.com/user/MichellePhan

Third, solutions ‘feel’ right when they’re only fleetingly available or in limited supply, using ‘Scarcity’ for appeal

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Scarcity and the cookie jar experiments

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Scarcity @ Work

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Use scarcity to persuade with secrets and ‘insider’

information… ‘just found this out, but it won’t be made public

until next week’

Scarcity @ Work in Social Media

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How could you use ‘Scarcity’ to make your solution ‘feel’ right?

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16 Handles Frozen Yogurt ephemeral Snapchat discounts

Fourth, solutions ‘feel’ right when they’re Consistent with what we’re already doing

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Consistency and the billboard experiments

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Please Drive Carefully

Consistency @ Work

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Please Drive Carefully

Use consistency to persuade by only asking for provisional buy-

in, but do it publicly and the consistency principle will ensure you get full endorsement later

Consistency @ Work in Social Media

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How could you use ‘Consistency’ to make your solution ‘feel’ right?

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TV talent shows use consistency to turn voting viewers into music buyers

Fifth, solutions ‘feel’ right when they’re adopted by people we like or are like us

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Liking and Kennedy-Nixon experiment

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Liking @ Work

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Use liking to persuade by making yourself more likeable, try create informal bonds with new peers and managers and

use charm to disarm

Liking @ Work in Social Media

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How could you use ‘Liking’ to make your solution ‘feel’ right?

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TV talent shows use consistency to turn voting viewers into music buyers

Finally, solutions ‘feel’ right when they harness reciprocity and pay back debts

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Reciprocity and the Coke & Raffle Ticket Experiment

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Reciprocity @ Work

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Use reciprocity to persuade by helping first and asking later, reciprocity means they’ll be anxious to pay back favours

Reciprocity @ Work in Social Media

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How could you use ‘Reciprocity’ to make your solution ‘feel’ right?

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So that’s a wrap for Part II, 6 ways to enhance social media messages with social information that has System 1 appeal

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Social Proof Authority Scarcity Consistency Liking Reciprocity

For more practical marketing psychology digitalintelligencetoday.com

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Dr Paul Marsden Marketing Psychologist

@marsattacks