9781422272947

Targeted Advertising and Psychology Psychology plays a major part in the success of social media marketing in a few major ways. In order to be successful, online marketers have to understand their target audience and how to engage with them. Psychology explains a phenomenon called circadian rhythm that helps marketers place ads strategically in order to make the most money or engage the largest audience possible. Circadian rhythm tells marketers that social media subscribers are most likely to engage in high-arousal posts—posts that are intended to make us feel stress, fear, or anger—in the morning. These are the types of posts that are created to engage an audience and start a conversation. Sometimes, these are intended to sell a product but can also be used to sell an idea such as the need to purchase life insurance. During lunch time or mid-afternoon, research shows that people’s brains are more apt to engage in posts that require us to think. These posts might distribute scientific information, or they could include “boosted” posts, which are posts that marketers pay a fee to distribute to their audience. Understanding the psychology of when people are most receptive to certain types of information makes a huge difference in the profitability of social media marketing. THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEMES Most people who surf social media sites have seen a meme from time to time. A meme is a photo, gif, or video that is spread around on social media to convey an idea. Most of the time, these are

12

SOCIAL MEDIA