One of my other classes that I am taking this semester is social media marketing. Just like social psychology, businesses have also been impacted by the rise in media communications. Throughout the evolution of media, marketing and selling products and services has been right there, adjacent to it. Marketing relies on and applies some psychological concepts to aid in their spread of content and messages. So, it can shed a light on how marketers increase brand awareness on social media through psychological means for consumers.
Heuristics are imperative to marketers, especially social media ones who are fighting with other content and platforms for the audience’s attention. The availability heuristic is one in which marketers could capitalize on. It is the idea that people judge and make decisions based on the information that is easiest to recall from their memory (Gruman, J. A., et. al. (2017)) page 182). In terms of the buying process, brands that are more in the front of the consumer are more likely to be recalled and then, most likely purchased as opposed to brands that are not. Utilizing this information could influence a marketer’s decision to invest more in social media and its different platforms and channels in order to gain more exposure since there is a large population of potential consumers on social media.
Social media influencers are also important because they have the ability to endorse and act as representatives for a brand while expressing a desirable persona or lifestyle that can match a target audience. They do this through vlogs (video-blogs) and social media on different platforms, such as Twitter, Instagram, and FaceBook. Positive affectivity and likeability of an influencer can be transferred to a brand and increase the activation of engagement or the likelihood of a purchase (Lo, F., & Peng, J. (2022)). Social influencers carry the capacity for brands to not only gain exposure, but create positive associations that can reinforce a brand’s positive image in the eyes of consumers. And on social media, the posts can be publicized and interacted with to increase both the prominence of the influencer while increasing brand awareness.
Not only are social media influencers important at conveying a message for a brand, but also brands appealing to social identity. Social identity is how people form a personality around groups they belong to or identify with (Gruman, J. A., et. al. (2017)) page 406). This is a key aspect of target markets or audiences that marketers use to group people into categories that they can cater messages to, also known as market segmentation. When applying it to social media, there are online interest groups that can form as points of reference for a person’s social identity. In doing so, brands that have products that fit the interests of these groups can capitalize and create posts that specifically target the individuals through social media in ways they will be receptive to. This, in turn, allows for brands to interact with niche markets that can increase engagement and exposure while reinforcing an individual’s membership within a certain group.
Marketing plays a very big role in everyday interactions, and social media has given it a platform that enhances a brand’s message like no other. However, in order for a brand to be successful, they must rise above the noise of other competitors. Social media marketers can use social psychology concepts to effectively reach their target customers and increase engagement. Overall, social media has the power to influence many and it is important to analyze the many different facets it impacts in our lives because it can provide insights on society and ourselves.
References
Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., and Coutts, L. M. (Eds.) (2017). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems
Lo, F., & Peng, J. (2022). Strategies for successful personal branding of celebrities on social media platforms: Involvement or information sharing? Psychology & Marketing, 39(2), 320-330. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21597
Excellent post about utilizing social psychology to enhance brand recognition! I enjoyed your explanation of the processes involved in appealing to consumers. I find it interesting that while social media can benefit companies it can also become damaging when marketing is poorly executed, posts miss the mark, or when the dark social media forces are at work. Bown (2019) reports that a UK-based company Metro Bank saw shares decrease 11% after a fake social media post that the company was in financial trouble!
In my opinion, the possibility of company failure due to social media is all the more reason to hire influencers who are educated in the field of social psychology. Too often I come across social media ads that raise red flags! For example, an influencer who began by sharing home recipes is now providing sensitive health advice…cringeworthy. I wonder if the same market segmentation you refer to also separates those who are more vulnerable to social media marketing and those who are critical thinkers. At any rate, thank you for sharing your social media marketing knowledge I found it very interesting!
Reference
Bown, J. (2019). How social media could ruin your business. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-48871456.