Social Media Marketing is NOT Psychology! False?

Which of the following articles are you most likely to read? –

1. 8 things you can do to boost your Social Media Following
2. 8 things NOT to do on Social Media
3. 8 things that threaten the loss of your Social Media fans
4. 8 things you must do to improve your Social Media presence

If my guess is not wrong, many of you would want to read the second one i.e what NOT to do on Social Media. Some of you would want to read the third one while a few of you might opt for the first or the fourth article. One has to admit that the second and the third title generate an impulse in the reader to find out what one shouldn’t do. This is because it is a noted psychological observation that loss motivates us more than gain. This is known as the negative impulse – and it is important to keep in mind when executing your social media marketing.

It is human nature to do what is NOT expected of us, or to try and rebel against the norm. Added to this is the fear of loss that is inherent in each one of us. We tend to remember our losses far more than our wins. Even if you’re a millionaire, the loss of $1,000 will haunt a little more than your monthly income.

This tendency for human beings to become attracted to ‘negative connotations’ and focus more on ‘losses’ than gains is an important aspect for social media marketing. An easy way to grab somebody’s attention would be by recommending them something they shouldn’t do – or by telling them what they are losing out on.

Now why is this important and how can you use it to your advantage? It’s simple! Whether you are into digital or offline marketing, tell your costumers what they’re losing out on by not subscribing to your brand. Focus on the loss more than the gain in every pitch.

Even as a Social Media Marketing guy, you can design some of your posts/tweets around what NOT to do to grab the reader’s attention. But be careful with your usage, too many posts using negative connotations will turn off your regular audience. So, use your audiences’ negative impulse cleverly and sparingly.

Feature Image Credits: http://derekdavalos.deviantart.com/art/Mind-Games-no-171-431521244