Our Favourite Social Media Psychology Studies to Boost Your Marketing: Part 1

There are hundreds of studies on social media marketing aimed to boost our marketing strategies and help us understand the type of marketing that can maximise sales. As social media is relatively new, this topic is continuing to be explored – we’ve rounded up some of our favourite studies on social media marketing which can help boost your marketing strategies and make your marketing smarter.

Arousal And Sharing

A study by Jonah Berger has suggested that content which arouses strong feelings such as anger and happiness are more likely to be shared. This is because emotional arousal activates our nervous system which makes us more alert to the content we are seeing and gets us ‘fired up’. By sharing content, this allows us to release these feelings and leave this aroused state, providing a kind of closure. Therefore, if you create content that is mentally arousing such as captivating stores, your content will be more likely to be shared.

We Want To Talk About Ourselves

According to research at Harvard University, people can’t help but share their thoughts as it triggers that pleasure centres in our brain in the same way they are activated when we receive money or eat tasty food. Studies have shown that participants would even pay money just to talk about themselves – talk about egotistical! Roughly 80% of social media posts are about the poster’s personal experiences, therefore by encouraging your customers to talk about themselves, you will be able to build a stronger community.

We Judge Immediately

What is your company profile picture right now? Although you may not realise it, a profile photo makes a huge impression in just a fraction of a second. The same goes for the ‘Team’ page on your website. Psychological Science has found that we draw conclusions about people based on a photo in 40 milliseconds! This study showed participants a series of photos that were all very similar apart from the facial expression. The headshots were rated based on characteristics such as attractiveness, trustworthiness, competence, etc. and it was found that even minor differences in facial expression could lead to dramatic differences in how the person in the image is perceived.

We’re going to carry on in our next article with a few more studies which we feel can really help to boost your marketing! As we said, the research in social media marketing is still new and ongoing so we are excited to see what is next. 

Written by

Total Merchandise | Editoral Team

Our editorial team is drawn from a pool of experienced promotional merchandise product team members, account managers, marketers and other contributors. With such a wide range of skills and experience, they write about many aspects of promotional merchandise, wider marketing and business matters, as well as company news updates.

Connect with Total Merchandise on LinkedIn Connect with Total Merchandise on LinkedIn

Total Merchandise
Huge Savings for Your Business this Autumn and Winter

Huge Savings for Your Business this Autumn and Winter

Are you looking for promotional products at prices that will have management lost for words? Yes? Then you've come to the right place. Here at Total Merchandise, we

How To Keep Your Promotional Merchandise On Trend In 2019

How To Keep Your Promotional Merchandise On Trend In 2019

Every business strives to remain current and promotional merchandise is no different. Consumer trends are constantly changing, 2018 saw the rise of the fidget spinner, b

The TM Edit: Top British-Made Promotional Products

The TM Edit: Top British-Made Promotional Products

Have you ever thought about where your promotional products are made; whether they're manufactured in the United Kingdom or if they're made further afield? Well

The Best Promotional Stress Relievers For Your Staff

The Best Promotional Stress Relievers For Your Staff

April is officially Stress Awareness Month, meaning it's the perfect opportunity to give some thought to how you can support your colleagues through tricky times. 

The Best Promotional Football Products To Kick-Off Euro 2024

The Best Promotional Football Products To Kick-Off Euro 2024

Want to get your business involved in Euro 2024? For the uninitiated, UEFA's iconic international football tournament will kick-off in June 2024 and be watched by mi

The 10 Best Branded Pet Products For National Pet Month

The 10 Best Branded Pet Products For National Pet Month

April is officially National Pet Month - so what better time to shine a light on our amazing array of pooch-approved promotional products? From walkies-friendly water bo