These days, it seems like people are literally addicted to social media. Is it laziness? Perhaps ADD? Could it be the utter deterioration of society? No. In fact, there may be a scientific, biology-based reason for society’s social media obsession: dopamine. According to a recent study, every time we post something, “like” something, or share something on a social media platform, our brains release a bit of the feel-good hormone dopamine. This hormonal response not only explains why so many of us are compelled to click “like” or leave a comment on a picture or video, but it also explains the drive that we have to share things that collect likes and shares. Marketing teams can use this science to their advantage to encourage the creation and development of shareable content for more impactful social campaigns.
The Rush of Immediate Feedback
Social media is a great place to test new products, services and offers. A company’s built-in fan base will offer feedback to posts immediately – and quite honestly, at that. When marketers create content or share information that generates swift positive result, the benefits extend beyond the company to the individual marketing employee.
The same areas of the brain that are activated when you reward your body with food are activated by social stimuli. So when someone says, “you’re doing a great job,” it gives you the same satisfaction as eating a delicious meal. Every like and share on social media sends the message that a marketer is doing a good job, and a post that goes viral can provide a rush that generates a legitimate “high.”
Each success on social media leads marketers to seek out more of that high. One post that does well raises the bar for the next, and so on. Each time success is reinforced through likes and shares, it makes marketers strive to do even better. This “addiction” to success can drive focus and innovation in digital marketing campaigns as teams push to outdo themselves with every post.
The Customer-Marketer Relationship
There is a reason why social media strengthens customer relationships. Every time a customer shares a brand’s content, they make that content their own. Then, as their own friends like and re-share that content, they get a similar “high” as the marketer who generated the original post. Posts that generate positive feedback from friends encourage a customer to continue to share more posts from that brand in the future.
Customers will begin to anticipate great content from brands over time, and that anticipation signals an even greater release of dopamine. The trick is not to disappoint those anticipatory social media fans. One disappointing post can have a negative impact on the relationship, however, nobody hits a home run every time they step up to the plate. The key is to recover quickly from content that falls flat, and get back into a cycle of anticipation and reward.
While social media may seem like just something users do to pass the time, there is a biological reason why people are drawn to these platforms. When marketing teams understand the biology from both their perspective, and the customer’s perspective, they can use that information to leverage shareable content that will strengthen relationships and expose their brand to new people each and every day.
In order to stay on the cutting edge of digital marketing trends, companies need to know where to find marketing talent with the skills to leverage the newest technology. If your Philadelphia-area company is looking to attract the best and brightest marketers, contact the recruiting experts at CSS ProSeach today. We are a leader in sales recruiting and our experts have the experience to connect you with top sales talent that will drive your business forward.