psych eye for the social media guy
DESCRIPTION
A quick crash course in need-to-know psychology for social media professionalsTRANSCRIPT
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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
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Here’s a little psychology to communicate more effectively using social media
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ALS Ice Bucket Challenge 2014
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First, say hello to the best problem solving device on the planet…
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1.5KG 1,200CC
78% WATER 200K YEARS OLD 100BN NEURONS 100TR SYNAPSES 2% BODY WEIGHT
20% ENERGY EXPENDITURE -10% SIZE VS. 20K YEARS
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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There’s an associative, fast and mostly unconscious problem-solving mind (‘System 1’)…
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‘SYSTEM 1’ FAST
AUTOMATIC UNCONSCIOUS
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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
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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’
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…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
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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
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Authority @ Work in Social Media
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Teen Hauler Bethany Mota https://www.youtube.com/user/Macbarbie07
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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
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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’
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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For more practical marketing psychology digitalintelligencetoday.com
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Dr Paul Marsden Marketing Psychologist
@marsattacks