Psychological Principles That Increase Facebook Interaction

A significant portion of human behavior is driven by subconscious factors, meaning that the motivations for our actions are frequently unknown to us. Psychological theorists throughout the decades have developed countless frameworks to explain these matters. Psychological motivation is a powerful factor in consumer buying decisions. Hence a basic understanding of psychology is something every marketer should possess. Read on for a summary of some of the psychological principles that increase Facebook interaction.

You may be familiar with operant conditioning.   This psychology theory involves influencing behavior through positive or negative reinforcement.  To encourage repeated action, it’s important to provide a reward or something a person finds satisfying.  This process ties in well with Facebook marketing, whether you’re running a page, a group, or both.  Your ultimate goal is to get visitors to return again and again to your platform.   Your best chance of accomplishing this mission is to provide users a reward in the form of content they find enjoyable, something that gives them the motivation to come back. 

RECIPROCITY

When someone does something nice for you, you want to return the favor.  This is something that is naturally expected in our culture, and it’s the premise behind reciprocity.  As a marketer, you can use this principle to your advantage on social media.  For example,  when you share an informative piece of content or post a discount code on your Facebook page,  you can add a call to action at the end of your post.  Try something like,  “To show our appreciation, here’s a 10% off code toward the purchase of any of our informational products.  Please feel free to share with your friends!”   A significant number of your followers will probably click the share button simply because you asked them to.  You’ve given them something nice,  they’re happy to do you a favor by passing your discount on to their friends. 

IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT

It’s a recognized fact that people are usually concerned to some degree about the ways in which they are perceived by others.  They want to be seen in a positive light,  and they will modify their behaviors in order to do so.  This is the basis for the psychological principle of impression management.  People will try to influence the ways in which they are seen by those around them by adjusting their behavior accordingly.  What this means for you as a business or brand is that it’s important to have a firm grasp of who your general audience is in order to cater to what appeals to them in order to increase the chances of them wanting to share that content with their friends.  By studying the demographics of your current followers, you can put together a general profile of who they are and use that information to guide your marketing efforts.  Once you know what they like, give it to them and watch them pass it along to their friends.  One of the biggest motivators in what people choose to share is the impression that doing so will have on their peers. 

SOCIAL PROOF

Social proof is the concept in which people rely on the opinions of others when making decisions.  This phenomenon is the driving force behind customer ratings and reviews on sites like Amazon.  When consumers are able to see that others had a positive experience,  they’re more likely to invest in a product or service themselves.  You can use this principle in your Facebook marketing quite simply by taking steps to obtain likes and shares of your content son after it’s published.  Once your followers see that others are interested in your content, they will feel more inclined to demonstrate.  

PROPINQUITY EFFECT

You may never have heard of the propinquity effect, but it’s probably the most important driving force behind successful social media campaigns.  The theory behind this effort is that people are more apt to like us when we interact with them more.    Businesses, experts and service providers all strive to create that personal interaction with their potential customers in order to gain their trust,  thus making them more likely to buy.  The key to this is being genuine in your efforts.  People are savvy.  They can sniff out insincerity.  Facebook Groups provide a perfect outlet for this kind of exchange because you can solicit feedback from your members,  listen to their concerns, and demonstrate your appreciation for the actions you take.  The platform is set up for personal interaction, so be sure to use it.

Now that you have a basic understanding of some of the psychological principles most relevant to marketers, you can begin using them to increase your Facebook interaction.  Remember to get to know your audience, create content that’s meaningful to them, show your fans they’re important, and provide them with plenty of reasons to interact with your brand.