As a specialist in building content experiences with a more stronger focus on humans, I've also applied these skills within the context of social media. Many times, companies place immense focus on adopting the latest tools, analytics and technologies to do well in this area. Of course, who doesn't want to grow a loyal audience where the members love what the company offers and are all too happy to comment, like, and share the content and posts? The question of how to achieve this desired end state actually does not have its answers in the latest technological advancements. These of course, can help optimize campaigns. But the insights and revelations that everyone wants to know really has its origins in learning and behavior psychology. Whether or not a campaign aligns with these dynamics explains the difference between success or stagnation.
​
Associative Learning Is What Builds Brand Sentiment
Cultivating the sentiment you want around your brand doesn't just happen by default. There are learning dynamics at work which actually shape the way people think and feel. In fact, all of us learn by building associations. For example, we've learned to associate pleasurable emotions with the things in life we consider to be positive and rewarding. In many cases, these processes of how these develop occur over time. According to Adobe, it takes around 7 impressions before people remember your brand. With the right additional exposure, they then learn to associate a state of positive feeling around your brand name and the collective experiences you offer.
​
So it's not just about a series of repeated exposure, each touch point needs to offer an element of positive reward that is valued by the person.
​
Behavior Psychology and Social Media - Combining It All With What's Interesting and What Excites
​
The ongoing nature of social media is not a chore, but really an opportunity to present experiences that will benefit your audience members and be embraced by them. Social media allows you to take control over shaping these associations. But as time goes on, you also have the ability to enhance and encourage the behaviors behind your performance metrics.
​
Learning by association is really the first stage. By continuously building in rewarding components within your social media campaign (i.e. rewarding to your users, not just the messaging you want to promote), your audience learns to behave in the direction of experiencing more of the rewards you present to them. This does not necessarily have to be in the form of points and rewards, or a carrot on a stick. Intrinsic gratification (e.g. lifestyle, inspiration, tips, advice, how-to's) also counts. Over time, people eager anticipate your content. And when you offer experiences that delight help or better their lives, they will automatically want to comment, share and like your content. These are the exact principles that influencers on sites like You Tube and Instagram are aligned with. And likewise, they can be applied to take your brand to the next level.
​
In short, the behaviors you want to occur more frequently are contingent on the reward value as well as freshness and novelty of the experiences you offer.
​
The posts and social media content I create are not arbitrary. I develop them using reliable insights of learning and behavior psychology, combined with effective choices of visuals and verbiage that positively resonate with your audience, while getting your message across. By offering better quality experiences that are strategically aligned with your business objectives, you are then in a position to make optimal use of the latest tools and technologies.
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​