CHAPTER 7

Social Influence: The Power of Persuasion

Do you remember the famous line from the 1989 movie Field of Dreams, starring Kevin Costner? “If you build it, he will come.” Many companies have, in the past, and some continue to do so today, assume that social media is a field of dreams—build a social presence and consumers will connect with your company. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Simply having a social presence is not enough. To have overall success in social media and encourage social word of mouth (sWOM), your company needs to apply the powers of persuasion.

One of the best-known and respected scholars on the topic of persuasion, Dr. Robert Cialdini, offers six principles of social influence that can also be applied to social media. Dr. Cialdini, by observing the persuasion tactics of influential people (i.e., religious leaders, salespeople, telemarketers, and so on), followed by experimental studies, developed the persuasion principles of reciprocity, scarcity, authority, consistency, likeability, and consensus. Cialdini outlines these in his book, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion and more recently, Yes: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive. Both are great reads. How do we apply these principles to social media communication?

Reciprocity

The principle of reciprocity is the idea that people feel obligated to give back when they receive something. And, all of us have felt the influential power of the need to reciprocate. Did you ever get a birthday present from someone and then felt required to return the favor when it was their big day (even if you had not originally planned on it)? Have you made sure you returned a dinner invite after being guests at your friend’s home? There are also numerous examples of how this principle has been applied in commercial settings. Most commonly, it can be seen in business gift giving (e.g., holiday card or gift from a company). It also might be as small as a coupon, calendar, or magnet. A common fundraising tactic that many charities use is giving potential donors personalized address label stickers in their donation request mailing. The idea, of course, is that you if you receive (and use) this gift, you will feel obligated to donate. The impact of this principle is enhanced when the gift is unexpected, personalized, and it ideally should happen before you ask them to provide personal information, share the information with others, or make a purchase (Cialdini 2006).

The practice of reciprocity is alive and well in the online arena. Take, for example, Dropbox that offers free storage if you share details of your adoption of the service with friends. Another common practice for companies and bloggers alike is to provide great content via posts, white papers, webinars, and sometimes, e-books in the hopes that you will provide them with your e-mail address. Offering digital free samples, such as the first chapter of an e-books, is another great way to increase the likelihood of a reader purchasing the entire book. So, how can this principle relate to social media? First, social media can be used as the method of distributing great content. Market research company, eMarketer, uses it to distribute articles and reports. They send out e-mail messages and tweets to subscribers of their digital newsletter with a link to new content that their faithful followers can download and then share it with others. Another approach is to provide a small favor or acknowledge the value of your consumers or followers. For example, retweeting or sharing an individual’s posts makes them more likely to return the retweet or share. Commenting, liking, @mentions, and tagging are also forms of acknowledgment that may increase your likelihood of having consumers not only engage with your brand, but share your content.

Reciprocity is also at the heart of what has been called “surprise and delight” marketing campaigns. In essence, marketers are connecting with consumers often via social media (or at least finding them when on social monitoring platforms) and providing them with surprise gifts (birthday, holiday, or “just because”), personalized product samples, coupons, or reward discounts. This element of surprise, some would argue, is one of the most powerful marketing tools. It can be addictive, drive behavior change, improve brand perceptions, and magnify emotions. It can also add some needed excitement into not only a personal, but also a commercial relationship (Redick 2013; Harris 2015). It can be used to reward loyal consumers, and “re-engage” consumers that have become rather dormant online (CrowdTwist 2015).

Surprise and delight campaigns can be very effective strategies that are relatively inexpensive. Take, for instance, Kleenex’s Feel Good campaign. During winter, Kleenex found 50 consumers in Israel who were discussing their illness on Facebook. They prepared a personalized Kleenex Kit, contacted connected Facebook friends to get a physical address, and sent the package to the ill individuals via a courier within 1–2 hours of the post. Every person who got a kit posted a photo with a positive message on their Facebook wall. The result was over 650,000 impressions and 1,800 interactions (Shaprio 2012). While this had an incredible response rate, getting consumers to share their surprise on social media is not that uncommon (CrowdTwist 2015). One Canadian survey found that women were more likely than men to tell family and friends about a surprise and delight experience (Harris 2015).

Reciprocity commonly blurs the online and offline lines. To illustrate, Bud Light’s #UpforWhatever campaign, which culminated in the creation of a fictional city called Whatever, USA (aka Crested Butte, Colorado), became a “content factory” for social media. One thousand consumers were selected out for 200,000 applicants for a weekend filled with random surprises, which included a faux beach, 80s pop star Vanilla Ice, and circus rides. Only 50 of the 37,000 pieces of content that were shared online were created by Bud Light; the rest were all consumer-created (Monllos 2015; Hughes 2014).

Authority

Authority or expert status is a classic method of persuasion used in marketing (Cialdini 2006). From an early age, we have been brought up to listen, respect, and be obedient to those in authority. Therefore, it is not surprising that this principle also works in relationship to making consumption choices. Consumers will often turn to experts, especially if they are not sure about a consumption decision. The idea being—they know better than me. Marketers have long been aware of the importance of communicating authority in marketing material using both explicit and symbolic means in establishing it. Think back to TV commercials that contain a lawyer (or actor) seated at his or her desk surrounded by framed diplomas and leather bound books, or cliché advertising statements like “9 out of 10 doctors recommended [insert product here].” Forewords on books written by experts, a high consumer report rating, and product ownership by a fashionable, well-photographed celebrity are some of the countless examples of how you can convey authority in a consumer culture.

Online, the same principles apply. Amazon highlights positive comments from well-known experts in the book description. Bloggers will often state on their website (using appropriate media logos) newspapers, magazine, and TV shows where they have been featured. Website URL addresses that end in .edu or .gov or also examples of how authority can be quickly and succinctly conveyed online.

Within the cluttered, muddied waters of social media, we could argue that authority and credibility matters even more, and social media platforms have also realized its importance. The most popular social media platforms have devised quick, visual shorthands to indicate whether an account is “officially” from a celebrity or business. Social media platforms have created verifications symbols, often in the form of a checkmark located next to a user’s profile information. There are also additional cues to indicate legitimacy—year that the account opened, location, dedicated #hashtag campaign, and simply providing a coherent description void of spelling and grammar mistakes. Also, the careful selection of cover and profile photos, the use of logos, the selection of keywords, and the reporting of accomplishments in your bio or company description can all help convey authority. We will discuss these in greater detail in Chapter 8.

Scarcity

If you spend a view minutes watching the Home Shopping Network (HSN) or QVC, you have seen the scarcity principle in action. Both of these networks include a countdown clock of just how many items and time is left to purchase this shiny, new product that will certainly make your life better. McDonald’s owes the success of the McRib and Shamrock Shake to the limited time they are listed on the menu. Yes, there is something extra appealing about a product that seems to be going away in the very near future or is only offered to a “select” group of people.

An increasing number of e-commerce websites are also putting this principle into practice. Consider the value-travel website Expedia. After searching for a hotel, you are not only notified on the price, but also (in red font) told how many rooms are left at this rate. To further punctuate the scarcity principle, the site includes a “Daily Deal” countdown clock, which lets you know how little time you have left to grab this great deal. The site also tells you just how many others are looking at this deal to entice you further into a purchase. In general, e-commerce stores are doing a better job indicating how close an item is to selling out. Scarcity has also been used to launch new services online. In 2004, Gmail began solely through invitations—you could only have an account if someone invited you. Scarcity has also been used in a similar way to launch a new social media platform. This strategy worked for Facebook who at first restricted account membership to Harvard students, before slowly allowing other universities and high schools to join, by which time the rest of us all were eager to have our account. One could also argue the success of Snapchat has largely to do with the limited viewing time of their photos—although the platform has evolved to keep some of these photos under “Memories.” Agurably, social media best utilizes the scarcity principle by distributing messages that incorporate access to content for a limited time, offering discount coupons and exclusive deals for a “select” consumer group, and short-duration contests (e.g., best photo with product + Halloween theme posted by the end of today).

Commitment and Consistency

Consumers are generally committed to engaging in future behavior that is consistent with their prior behavior (Cialdini 2006). For example, if a consumer has supported a company in the past, they are more likely to support it in the future. If a consumer likes your post on Facebook, then there is a good chance that he would be willing to share that post with his social network. Sometimes, the consumer just needs to be asked. Think about the number of times you have been asked to make a commitment—“please like,” “please retweet,” “download,” “subscribe here.” The key for marketers is to get a consumer to make a small commitment, often referred to as the foot in the door technique, which in time, may lead to a larger commitment such as a recommendation or purchase. Commitment can begin with the consumer following your page, followed by liking a post, providing a comment, sharing the post with his network, talking about the brand, and recommending the company or brand to others. This commitment needs to be acknowledged by the company. For instance, when a consumer follows your company Twitter account, respond with a “Thanks @carriemunoz for following, be sure to check out our xxx.” In acknowledging the act, you are also reminding the consumer of their commitment. It is highly unlikely that all your consumers will instantly make the leap from following your page to writing long, detailed recommendations. So, you need to help move your consumers through this commitment process by developing social strategies that encourage consumers to follow, like, share, comment, and so on. One popular strategy is to introduce a competition that encourages consumers to engage with the brand and to help spread positive sWOM. A company that has a history of using social media to amplify their message and to attract new business is Jetsetter. Jetsetter (a member of the TripAdvisor group) is a private online community of travelers that provides members with insider knowledge and exclusive deals on travel. To increase sWOM, the company hosts competitions on Pinterest. In one particular competition, consumers were asked to create a Pinterest board that reflected their favorite or ideal vacation in one of the four categories—escape, adventure, style, and competition. Each board was required to have “Jetsetter Curator” in the title and each pin to include the hashtag #JetsetterCurator. A panel of judges selected one winning board from each of the four vacation categories. Winners received a three-night stay at a Jetsetter destination. To encourage consumers to share their boards and pins with their friends, an additional prize of $1,000 in Jetsetter credit was awarded to the board with the largest number of followers. More than 1,100 consumers entered the competition, each posting an average of 40 images. During the twoweek competition period, approximately 50,000 images were pinned each containing the hashtag #JetsetterCurator. Traffic from Pinterest to the company’s webpage increased 100 percent, page views 150 percent, and the number of Pinterest followers jumped by 165 percent (Drell 2012). Once a consumer has engaged in a behavior that generates a positive response, there is a strong probability of them doing it again.

Social Proof

The persuasion principle of social proof comes down to judging something on the actions of others (Cialdini 2006). If others like it, it must be good! We often refer to this as consensus. For example, would you rather go to an empty restaurant or one with a line out the door? Would you feel more comfortable purchasing a bestseller or a book with only 120 reviews? Social proof is perhaps the most frequently used persuasion principles online and within social media. There are numerous ways to communicate social proof. E-commerce website Zulily and others are quick to point out which products sell well—adding a “popular” icon over specific product images, along with how many of these products have just been sold directly under the price. Other retail websites also provide ample opportunities for consumers to read product reviews, which can dramatically impact whether a consumer purchases a product. Product reviews have also evolved well beyond textual descriptions and now included uploaded images and videos, which only enhance their level of influence (e.g., Remember Rent the Runway from Chapter 1). Outside of product reviews, simple consumer testimonial delivered on a landing page and via social media also serve as powerful examples of social proof.

Social media metrics are not only important for marketers, but consumers and are a form of social proof. Consumers will look at available metrics (e.g., likes, shares, retweets) to determine a message’s (and the messenger’s) worth. Consumers are more likely to value and share information gleaned from an account with an abundance of followers than they are for accounts that fail to attract the interest of consumers. The same is true with a post that has been liked, shared, retweeted, and favorited hundreds of times. Given that we see these posts from people who we know and like amplifies the effect, making us more likely to share.

Liking

There is a reason that we tend to follow the advice of our friends, family, and the occasional celebrity—it is because we like them (well, most of the time). Not only do we listen to what they say, but we often do what they ask. The secret to successes in word of mouth (WOM) marketing is to be likable. So, how can a company get consumers to like them on social media? Success begins at the source of the message, followed by the content of the message. Given that Chapter 6 discussed at length the content of your message, we will focus our discussion here on the source of the message.

If you are fortunate enough to have someone within your company who is well-liked by your consumers, then it may be helpful to have him or her contribute to your social media. Take, for example, Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group. When posting to his personal social media accounts, he frequently tags a Virgin company account. The account then retweets or shares the posting with their followers. Branson’s Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter posts attract hundreds of comments and thousands of shares. In the advertising world, they would say that Branson has social value. His social value originates from his personality and social status. Another factor that also contributes to his social value is his credibility, perceived expertise, objectivity, and trustworthiness. When a communication source has high social value, this can result in a halo effect. A halo effect is a cognitive bias in which the overall positive impression that we have of one person can transfer to another person, product, or unrelated item (Solomon 2017). So, when Branson mentions or recommends a product, service, idea, or another person on social media, the positive feelings that a consumer has about Branson may transfer to the item or person mentioned. But, what if your company does not have a Richard Branson (and let’s be honest most companies do not), how do you get consumers to like your brand? Having a famous person posting on your social media can be helpful, but it is not always necessary. Everyday consumers can be just as influential. Have you ever noticed a posting in your Facebook newsfeed that said that one of your friends liked a specific brand? Have you found yourself retweeting or sharing something that a good friend or colleague posted, even if you were not all that familiar with the item or topic they mentioned? If so, the chances are that the person who posted the item is a good friend, someone, who in your eyes, has social value. In Chapter 2, we discussed the power of social consumers and social influencers, everyday people who have the ability to reach and influence a large number of consumers. In the same chapter we examined how companies are using these social influencers to spread positive sWOM. It may be appropriate for your company to solicit the help of influencers to mention your company on social media or to contribute guest posts. We also discussed how your network of followers could be helpful. Each of your followers on social media has the power and potential to introduce your company to a new group of consumers. Tourism Australia offers a great example of how everyday consumers can be influential in spreading sWOM.

Social Sharing at Tourism Australia

Tourism Australia is an Australian government agency founded in 2004, charged with developing strategies to promote Australia as a destination for leisure and business travel. The agency has a website, LinkedIn profile and Twitter account under the name Tourism Australia (www.tourism.australia.com) and a website, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, and YouTube account under the name Australia (www.australia.com). Tourism Australia recognized that, perhaps, their greatest asset in spreading the word about Australia was not their social media team of three, but their then 4 million plus Facebook fans (@SeeAustralia.com), 23 million residents, and 6 million international visitors (Jafri 2013). To encourage sWOM, the agency decided to try something that many companies and organizations would shy away from—they turned their Facebook page over to their fans. Fans and followers were responsible for deciding what they wanted to see on Facebook, were allowed submit items for sharing, and empowered to respond to questions posted online. The process began by inviting fans and followers to submit personal photographs of Australia. Fans posted these photographs using a photoboard app and with the understanding that their photographs may be used for promotional purposes. Over 1,000 photographs showcasing iconic landmarks, flora and fauna, and natural scenic beauty were submitted each day and shared on Facebook and Instagram. Whereas many of these photographs showed current day Australia, some dated back as far as 1910. Each week approximately 35 of the photographs were chosen by the Tourism Australia social media team to be published in a digital album—Friday Fan Photos. Every image chosen was designed to tell a story and allow for a story to be told (Tourism Australia 2013). When a picture was posted, other fans would add comments, provide additional details, and add their perspective to create a rich narrative of life in Australia. Fans were even allowed to add their family photos to the timeline. These photographs promoted a series of discussions on traditions and vacations particularly among family and friends who may not, at least at that time been a follower of the Tourism Australia page. This approach allowed Tourism Australia to extend their reach in a more personal less promotional manner. Fans, whose photographs were posted, became experts, actively engaging with other fans and responding to questions about their photograph. Fans were even asked to recommend captions for individual photographs. Many of these consumer-generated photos attracted thousands of likes, shares, and comments. After turning their social media over to their fans, Tourism Australia’s Facebook page became the most liked page in Australia and the post popular destination page in the world (Jafri 2013).

So, how do social influence and persuasion apply to this example?

Reciprocity

Tourism Australia posted consumer photographs to the agency’s social media account. They hand-selected a small number each week to be published in a digital album. This act alone communicates to consumers that the agency has seen and valued their contribution, which is likely to motivate consumers to continue to participate.

Authority

There is no one more qualified to talk about what it is like to live in Australia than their residents, and no one more qualified to talk about how wonderful a place it is to visit than tourists. It is easy for social media accounts like Tourism Australia’s to become just another marketing channel, with professional photographs accompanied with carefully crafted advertising. But, as we know, social media is about communicating. So, by turning the account over to their fans and followers who are the real experts, the account loses that promotional feel and its place something more authentic emerges. Personal photographs and stories from real people help to increase the persuasiveness of the message, particularly when they are shared by someone you know.

Commitment and Consistency

If you posted a photograph on Tourism Australia’s Facebook page and that photograph generated likes, comments, and questions, would you feel compelled to jump in, engage with these other consumers, and answer their questions? If your photograph was one of the 35 selected for Fan Photo Fridays, would you want to share that with your social network? When Tourism Australia empowered their fans to answer questions, they were encouraging them to continue to engage with the page.

Social Proof

The more likes, comments, and shares that a posting receives, the more likely it is to appear in a consumer’s newsfeed and the potential for greater engagement. We tend to “like” what our network of friends and family like. When this social proof originates from those whom we love, like, admire, or respect, the posting has personal relevance and we are motivated to engage.

Liking

We have no doubt that celebrities like actors Hugh Jackman and Chris Hemsworth are great ambassadors for Australia and that consumers will watch their Tourism Australia commercials on YouTube and Facebook. Indeed, famous faces that we admire and respect are highly successful at capturing our attention. However, beyond the initial “like,” we are unlikely to engage any further, and therefore the persuasiveness of the message is limited. But, when your BBF, brother, second cousin twice removed, or friend from kindergarten posts a picture that resonates with you and tells a familiar story, a story that you can and want to contribute to it has more influence. It may be a current photograph or one from yesteryear that evokes feelings of nostalgia. Either way, your desire to engage with it is greater, and because of this, its likely that you will move beyond simply liking the photo to commenting (perhaps repeatedly) and sharing the image with others by either tagging them in your comment or hitting the “Share” button.

So, what can you learn from Tourism Australia that you can apply to your company?

References

Cialdini, R. 2006. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. New York, NY: Harper Business.

CrowdTwist. 2015. How Surprise and Delight Amplifies Loyalty Marketing Strategies. Retrieved from http://media.dmnews.com/documents/112/surprise_whitepaper_020415_onl_27880.pdf

Drell, L. 2012. “How Pinterest Boosted Jetsetter’s Traffic by 150%.” Mashable. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2012/05/23/jetsetter-pinterest/#WlTprIiAcPqf

Harris, R. 2015. “Why Brand Should ‘Surprise and Delight’ Customers (Survey).” Marketing, December.

Hughes, Trevor. 2014. “Bud Light Turns Tiny Ski Town into Whatever, USA.” USA Today, September.

Jafri, S. 2013. “9 Content Marketing Lessons from Tourism Australia | Search Engine Watch.” Search Engine Watch. doi:2016-08-11

Monllos, K. 2015. “Whatever, USA: Bud Light’s Party Town as ‘Content Factory.’” Adweek, June.

Redick, Scott. 2013. “Surprise Is Still the Most Powerful Marketing Tool.” Harvard Business Review, May.

Shaprio, Levi. 2012. “Social Media Campaigns That Achieve the Unthinkable: 100% Response Rates.” The Jerusalem Post, April.

Solomon, Michael R. 2017. Consumer Behavior: Buying Having, and Being. 12th ed. Hoboken, NJ: Pearson.

Tourism Australia. 2013. “The World’s Biggest Social Media Team.” Retrieved from www.slideshare.net/TourismAustralia/the-worlds-biggest-social-mediateam-16545786