Despite being released in 2013, one book that remains at the top of our reading list is “Contagious: Why Things Catch On” by Jonah Berger, a New York Times bestseller that highlights the value of word-of-mouth marketing. The book unpacks the dynamics of virality and how brands can achieve it – and the take-aways are perhaps even more relevant in 2024 than they were in 2013. Today, public opinion around a brand can spread like wildfire across multiple online platforms, instantly elevating or completely derailing its reputation. In fact, social media has become a cornerstone of modern marketing – Insider Intelligence projects Instagram influencer marketing spend to surpass $2 billion this year. TikTok is also estimated to cross the $1 billion threshold.
Berger organizes his book into 6 “STEPPS,” an acronym for Social Currency, Triggers, Emotion, Public, Practical Value, and Stories – all factors that he credits with making content “contagious” or likely to be spread, talked about, and shared through word-of-mouth marketing.
Social Currency
Why do we choose to spend hard-earned money on a product or service? More often than not, we are seeking to gain social currency, which we can then use to achieve desired perceptions from the people around us. If brands can give consumers a way to look superior while promoting their product, the consumer will often do it without thinking.
According to Berger, social currency can be broken down into three areas:
Find inner remarkability: Sharing something interesting, entertaining, or novel will be desirable to a consumer because it will in turn make them feel that they are being perceived by others as interesting, entertaining, or novel. Berger provides an example of Barclay Prime Steakhouse in Philadelphia, which at opening, offered a $100 cheesesteak. The concept was so original and novel it instigated word-of-mouth communication and allowed the new restaurant to become a major success.
Leverage game mechanics: If a customer’s experience with a brand is gamified, it is far more likely to be talked about in their daily lives. Think of the public’s recent obsession with collecting all available colors of Stanley cups or Lululemon products. If the consumer feels they are winning a game, they are more likely to talk about the product or perhaps post about it on social media.
Make people feel like insiders: It’s human nature to want to feel special. Creating a dynamic where the consumer might feel they have an “inside scoop” will prompt them to speak more frequently about a product or service in their daily lives.
Triggers
Triggers refer to the things we see in our daily lives that immediately make us think of a brand. As an example of the effectiveness of triggers, Berger cites a happy accident that occurred in 1997, when the candy company Mars noticed an unexpected increase in sales. Coincidentally, NASA had launched its Pathfinder mission to Mars (the planet) that year, meaning the daily news was constantly triggering consumers to think and talk about Mars candy bars.
If this trigger had created such accidental success for Mars, imagine the potential of triggers when they are intentionally planted by brands. As Berger states, “top of mind, tip of tongue.” Social currency seems to be the area that gets people talking, but triggers are what KEEP them talking.
Emotion
When we care, we share.
In advertising it becomes useful to elicit some type of emotion, whether that be shock and surprise, anxiety and anger, or nostalgia and compassion. All emotions in this case can be useful, even the negative ones. Ultimately, emotions are what drive action.
Public
This area refers to visibility and observability, as well as the human condition of imitation. Making products that are inherently visible to the public means creating products that advertise themselves. As Berger summarizes it: “built to show, built to grow.”
Take the example of Apple computers, which originally were designed to have the Apple logo facing the laptop’s user. Steve Jobs insisted on reversing the logo to face outward for one reason, observability. The Apple team realized that when people see someone else doing something, they are more likely to do it themselves – we are, at heart, imitators.
Practical Value
A promotional offer that seems surprising or surpasses expectations is far more likely to be shared among consumers. This tactic involves framing promotions and projecting scarcity or exclusivity. Berger claims that of all 6 STEPPS, this is the easiest to implement.
Stories
According to Berger, casual stories can often act as Trojan Horses in the world of marketing. Good customer service is better than any advertisement money can buy. In the age of social media, this area seems to become increasingly more relevant as brands constantly go viral for “story times,” both good and bad, posted by consumers on platforms like TikTok.
“Information travels under the guise of idle conversation.”
Give Contagious a read – it’s still great more than a decade later. If you’re interested in accelerating and expanding the online presence of your brand, 0to5 can help! Contact us today.
By Andie Levine
It’s 2022 and ICYMI – social media is not just for consumer brands anymore.
If you’re reading this, you’re ready for, or at least curious about, including social media in your organization’s marketing strategy. B2B has been often left out of the conversation about social media marketing, but not anymore. Social media is a worthwhile marketing channel for your business because even though you are selling to other businesses, you’re still selling to people!
The Hootsuite & We Are Social, Digital 2022 Global Statshot Report found that 38% of B2B decision-makers say they discover new products and services relevant to their work via social media. And they aren’t just using social media for discovery – about 8 in 10 B2B decision-makers also say that social media plays an influential role in their research, putting it ahead of trade press outlets like online and print trade magazines. That’s huge.
Now that you’ve seen the potential for using social media to reach your audience, here are a few steps you can take to get started.
Identify & Find Your Audience
The data tells us that your audience is on social media – but who are they and how can you find them? Let’s start with who they are. Your audience has a unique challenge that leads them to find a solution. You should already have a good idea of who your buyer personas are through research, surveys, and customer pain points.
Once you’ve clearly identified two or three personas, determine where they“live” online. Twitter and LinkedIn are the most popular platforms for B2B audiences but don’t rule out other channels. 62% of active users aged 16-64 say that they use Instagram to research brands or products.
When it comes to social media, you shouldn’t put all of your eggs in one basket, or rely on just one channel to reach your audience. Every social media channel has advantages and drawbacks and can be used differently to reach different audiences or meet unique business goals.
Develop Content
Now that your social media channels are set up and audiences are identified, it’s time to start posting. Providing free value to your audience builds trust, reputation – and even sales. Valuable content includes, but is not limited to, white papers, case studies, on-demand webinars, e-books, factoids, graphics and even blogs – we have a great blog post about the importance of blogs for social media.
It’s also important to diversify content – each post shouldn’t be about your organization. Valuable content can also include credible and relevant industry articles. And speaking of diversifying, build a content plan to include visuals, such as infographics and videos. Video posts typically receive high engagement. Uploading videos natively can earn four times the views and two times the engagement!
User-generated content (UGC) is also great for boosting engagement. Tap into UGC by highlighting the exciting things your employees or customers are doing or achieving with your product or service. Use social media to feature the work your key leaders and innovators are producing.
To learn more about how to develop engaging content for social media, check out this blog post.
Listen, Adapt, Grow
So now you’re on social media and posting engaging content – let’s keep the momentum going!
An important way to stay connected with your B2B audience is to listen to your audience. Listening is an important skill in social media and one that’s easy to forget. What are your customers saying? What are your competitors saying? What are the media and analysts saying?
There are many free and paid tools to help keep your ear to the door: Google Alerts, Social Mention, or Hootsuite. Pick out five, or more, keywords or phrases people may use to identify themselves as potential customers and conduct searches on your top social accounts; then use what you’re hearing to help shape your content and join the conversation.
Social media can play an important role in your B2B marketing plan and is worth your time and energy. Whether you’re at the beginning of your social media journey or looking for an experienced partner to help accelerate your reach, our team can help effectively integrate social media into your existing strategy. Contact us to learn more.
By Megan Harp
Despite the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the public relations and marketing industries, social media influencers have shown that they are here to stay, and incorporating a strong influencer marketing strategy continues to be a lucrative effort for brands. In fact, new research states that influencer marketing spend has increased by $8 billion in the past four years and is expected to reach $13.8 billion by the end of 2021.
What are the top benefits of working with social media influencers? Here are the top 3 reasons you should include an influencer marketing strategy in your next campaign.
Influencers Are Storytellers with Loyal and Targeted Audiences
To this day, word of mouth is still one of the most effective forms of marketing. Influencers are modern-day storytellers. They are experts at conveying messages and building strong, long-lasting relationships with their followers. Influencers tend to have followers that belong to a specific niche, such as moms, dog lovers, etc. As a result, using influencers is a great way to reach your target audience.
Influencers Are Trustworthy
Influencers share their personal lives and tell stories that resonate with their followers, which establishes trust: and trust is valuable. Research shows 49% of consumers depend on influencer recommendations. Consumers are constantly checking social media to keep up with the latest trends and are looking to influencers as a trusted source for their buyer decision process. A recent study found that 53% of women made purchases due to influencer-sponsored posts. Influencers provide detailed and honest feedback on products and services along with a friendly, established relationship, making them the go-to resource for what products and services to entrust your hard-earned cash with.
Influencer Marketing is Budget-Friendly
Influencer partnerships can be created with any size budget. There is a wide range of influencers varying from nano influencers (1-10K followers) to mega influencers (1M+ followers), so when considering influencer marketing cost, you should select influencers who fit within your budget and whose personas will resonate with your target audience. According to a recent poll, businesses are making $6.50 for each $1 spent on influencer marketing, with the top 13% earning $20 or more. The same study also found that influencer marketing tied with email marketing as the most cost-effective online customer acquisition channel.
Influencer marketing has proven to be an effective form of marketing that will only grow in the years to come. Ready to get started with your own influencer marketing campaign? Contact us to see how you can maximize ROI on influencers in your next marketing campaign.