Psychological Tricks to Improve Your Social Media Post
Whether you’re running a multimillion-dollar company or a small brick and mortar business, it’s crucial to understand the power of social in today’s era.
A business without a social media presence is a shipwrecked merchant who is out of reach.
A business with an average social media presence is an average merchant in the market.
A business with an outstanding social media presence, backed by psychological principles and strategies, well, that would be the most successful merchant in the country.
Social media marketing is the art of attracting, connecting, and engaging with a targeted demographic defined by prospective customers and interested prospects.
Writing psychological social media posts can make the entire difference between being average and highly successful. Great marketing presumes basic psychology understanding:
- Why do people buy stuff online?
- Why do people choose certain brands over others?
- Why colors can change the faith of a conversion?
- Why do people share posts?
- How do people make decisions?
- How do they justify those decisions?
There are lots and lots of “hidden” psychological aspects behind great social media content. In today’s article, I’ll try to cover the most significant tricks you can leverage to skyrocket your social reach by crafting relevant and impactful social media posts.
Reasons Why People Share Social Media Content
Before we tap into the practical stuff, let’s see what the New York Times has realized (through extensive studies) about people’s sharing behavior. Here are five main reasons why people share content on social media:
- It helps them learn more about themselves. 68% of respondents suggested that they’re sharing online posts in an attempt to define themselves as individuals.
- It helps them make the world (and the lives of others) better. 94% of respondents suggested that they’re sharing content to improve the lives of their friends and audience.
- It provides self-fulfillment. People tend to like content more if they’ve shared it. If they have “left their mark” on it, they’re automatically looking for recognition. Likes, shares, and comments will often generate feelings of satisfaction and self-fulfillment.
- It helps them nurture their relationships with others. 4/5 participants share social media posts because it allows them to build rapport and strengthen connections with other people.
- It gives them a chance to promote their cause and ideas. Again, 4/5 people suggested that they’re always going to share something they believe in – a cause, a brand, a movement, etc.
Do Your Homework Well
It all starts with homework. That’s another word for extensive audience research. In other words, you need to know who you’re targeting.
A successful social copy is always focused on a very specific audience. You generally want to “hit them hard”, and you’ll only be able to do that if you’re reaching the right persons and you’re communicating your message effectively.
Find out more about your audience by analyzing their online behavior on social media, niche forums, and by organizing various surveys that’ll provide you with direct feedback. Also, make sure you focus on social media analysis and website traffic analysis at the same time!
Write Amazing Copy
I’ll be frank with you – the single most important factor that can make a post successful and even viral is the quality of the content. I call it “copy” because it’s the next level of business writing, and it’s what you need to aim for.
Honestly, not every entrepreneur or marketer is a great writer. For that reason, I’m highly advising you to outsource the copywriting process and allow some experts to help you.
In the past, I’ve used a paper writing service and an essay writing company to create killer content. It wasn’t cheap, but it wasn’t expensive either. Was it worth it? I wouldn’t have mentioned it otherwise!
Here are some good places to outsource writers who can tap into psychology principles and writing techniques:
Take Your Social Proofing to the Next Level
When you take a quick peek at your social profiles – how much trust and authority do they inspire? How many likes does your page have, what resume can you show, and what unique value proposition can you feature?
Individuals that are reaching your social profiles for the first time need to be left with a good impression. There’s a number of techniques you can use to improve your social proofing:
- Fill your page with text and video testimonials
- Write a professional bio, emphasizing your brand’s or personal status.
- Associate yourself with high-reputation experts and make sure that people see
- Find your way into recognized media outlets and display it on your profile (Entrepreneur.com, NYT, etc.)
Persuade Through Reciprocity
The easiest way to make people feel that they “owe” you something (even the smallest thing) is to give something away for free first.
Free value. This technique is very popular nowadays, as most brands are offering an incentive for the people who choose to subscribe to email lists, programs, or trials. Therefore, every now and then, make sure you bring up a free opportunity, a discount, or free resources.
Ask Significant Questions and Provide the Answer
We have a lot of unanswered questions. A brand that assumes the role of a teacher and provides high-quality educational content will manage to become an authoritative figure in the marketplace.
Here are some of the most shared types of educational posts:
- “What is”
- “Why is”
- “How to”
Give People the Status They Seek
We’ve already seen the reasons why people share things. Now that we know, we can give our audiences exactly what they’re seeking: a chance to shine in front of their audience, a chance to define themselves as individuals, and a chance to inspire others and make the world a better place.
The best way to do that is to share “high-frequency” content that generates intense and positive emotions – anything that makes the person who shares feel desirable, educated, passionate, well-informed, caring, etc.
Before writing a post, put yourself in the prospect’s shoes and objectively decide whether this post is truly remarkable or not.
Takeaways
If we simplify the process of business, we’ll discover that it’s the exchange of value between two peers that matters most. However, the same process is influenced by the way each peer showcases its value. Whether it’s packed nicely or chaotically, that’s up to each business.
Psychology is at the roots of business – people do business with people. So, learn how people think, use the knowledge you have, and make a positive change in the way your brand communicates online. Take our tricks into consideration and implement them without hesitation!
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