Become the Next Social Media Sensation: Get Followers, Be Heard!
o Capturing Attention in Social Media
I think that at one time or another each person who has used a social media platform has seen the newest sensational video that has become viral and thought “Really?! I could do that!”. Well here is the thing, if you have the right information you could have a chance at being the one behind the camera in the newest viral video or image. What will help you achieve this goal is understanding why these media streams are becoming popular and how to utilize that understanding when making your next post.
Have you ever heard of trust transfer (Stewart, 2003; Hu, Zhang, & Wang, 2019)? Trust transfer, which was researched by Stewart (2003) occurs within cognitive processes, also known as the brain’s thinking patterns, when a person gives their trust to a known entity (e.g. people or companies) that can directly influence how they perceive and feel about an unknown entity (e.g. new products, shows, apps, etc.) (Hu, Zhang, & Wang, 2019). Simply put, if you trust the people on your social media feeds, they are more likely to be able to impact your perceptions and influence your personal choice. Freberg and his colleagues (2011) state that these social media influencers (SMI) are chosen by branders and those in advertising because consumers (you) trust what they are sharing and saying when related to recommendations, which bolsters their persuasiveness (as cited in Hu, Zhang, & Wang, 2019).
Social Media Today (2015) found that half of our global population uses the internet, and 87.2% of those 2206 billion users are accessing social media on mobile platforms (as cited in Lahuerta-Otero & Cordero-Gutiérrez, 2016). Jensen and colleagues (2009) and Parra-Lopez and colleagues (2011) research provides data that illustrates microblogging platform’s success related to their ability to assist users in sharing information across numerous localities such as branding, news, and travel (as cited in Lahuerta-Otero & Cordero-Gutiérrez, 2016). These analyzable domains allow companies and advertisers to gain insight into attitudes, or interest and disinterest in news, companies, or brands they may be trying to promote (Lahuerta-Otero & Cordero-Gutiérrez, 2016). This is why SMI’s “follower count” becomes so important, because when an individual holds the preference and attention of a large portion of a population they have a stronger social impact and are visible to more than the average amount of social media users (Lahuerta-Otero & Cordero-Gutiérrez, 2016).
So the challenge, for the average user, becomes getting others to trust them and become a person in which others look to for choosing a new app, a hair care product, the newest electronics, and even which political agenda to back. The next challenge comes in becoming an influencer by increasing their number of followers. Alright, let us talk about some strategies that might assist with making this happen. First, just add all the people you come across on all social outlets, do not forget to link your accounts so friends on one platform can see what you are posting on another platform. Second, provide them with solid and verifiable information about products and statements, it would probably be good if you have tried the product or app, or that you have gotten your news from reliable sources. Lastly, be loud and encourage your followers to share your posts with others so that you can be noticed by advertisers and companies looking for promoters and social media influencers. That does not seem to hard, right? Now after this is accomplished give yourself a high five and then we can move onto how to keep your influencer status after you have gained it.
o Maintaining Engagement in Social Media
Getting the attention of followers and advertisers, or securing engagement in social media, must be the easy part because after you have got the attention of others you have to find a way to keep it. Well, one way of keeping the attention of your followers and SMI seekers is to know what it is that you are sharing that is catching their attention. Research done by Oeldorf-Hirsch (2017) found that emotional and moral content draw more attention than those containing neutral content. This is noted by Jost and co-researchers (2018) as being a necessity for shared content being able to reach larger audiences and having the capability to influence others in domains such as politics and morality (as cited in Oeldorf-Hirsch, 2017). Brosh and Van Bavel (2012), Gantman and Van Bavel (2015), Haidt (2012) and Lerner and Miller’s (1978) research illustrates that emotional and moral content captures attention due to it being motivationally relevant stimuli that aids in meeting needs such as feeling a sense of belonging in social groups, learning about social worlds, and encouraging a belief in a “just” world (as cited in Oeldorf-Hirsch, 2017). It is important for those reading what you are sharing to feel a connection to the content, either personally or morally. If others back your cause or share in your beliefs, they are more likely to pass the content on to others and promote what you are sharing. Moral and emotional sharing is a strategy that aids the sharer in making their followers feel that their opinions are being represented, which lends to how urgent the content is viewed and increases how often the content is shared, and its enhances overall persuasiveness (Oeldorf-Hirsch, 2017). So to sum it up you should speak in an emotional and moral manner, meet personal or psychological needs related to social media and its ability to connect people within social groups, and pick topics that represent the beliefs of your followers which encourage re-sharing (Oeldorf-Hirsch, 2017).
Alright everyone, hope this was informative and can help you in pin-pointing areas in which you can adjust that will help you become the next social media sensation! Have a great day and good luck making social media work for you!
References
Depositphotos, I. (n.d.). Megaphone Stock Illustration, Royalty-Free Megaphone Art Drawing: Download on Depositphotos®. Retrieved July 22, 2020, from https://depositphotos.com/vector-images/megaphone.html?filter=illustration
Hu, H., Zhang, D., & Wang, C. (2019). Impact of social media influencers' endorsement on application adoption: A trust transfer perspective. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 47(11), 1-12. doi:10.2224/sbp.8518
Lahuerta-Otero, E., & Cordero-Gutiérrez, R. (2016). Looking for the perfect tweet. The use of data mining techniques to find influencers on twitter. Computers in Human Behavior, 64, 575-583. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2016.07.035
Oeldorf-Hirsch, A. (2017). The Role of Engagement in Learning From Active and Incidental News Exposure on Social Media. Mass Communication and Society, 21(2), 225-247. doi:10.1080/15205436.2017.1384022
