If you don’t have an Instagram account. Close this now. Read a different blog on here.Right, now that I’m speaking to the cool kids.I feel inclined to say that “this (getting more likes than usual) was just an accident, I don’t actually care about Instagram (or facebook) likes, when I got more likes than usual it just… ya know…happened….BUT……I would be lying. I care, you care, we all care. Even those that post pictures once every three months, they care. When they come back they want their likes to be above a certain number.Partial evidence of this is that I think we (avid Instagram users) can all relate to that when Instagram got rid of that feature that changes it from “Shaniqua, Raj and Betty liked your photo” into “3 likes”, we all let out a massive sigh of relief.Why you ask? Because we would no longer stress about getting the vital 10 likes, and desperately hoping for one more person to like the photo so that “Shaniqua, Raj, Betty, Andy, Pistorius, Wilma, Bushdid911, Olatunde, Delroy, liked your photo” would change to the sophisticated “10 likes”. Now we no longer have that worry as the former comes up as “9 people liked this”.
However, one thing I didn’t answer is why? Why did people let out a massive sigh of relief…?Because they care! They want to look popular, they want their ego stroked on Instagram, and apparently, this can only be done by getting a sufficient number of likes.I say they, but really… sadly, I should say “we.I’ll throw in some context: the other day I decided to make my studies more worthwhile (I am paying £9K!), so I deactivated twitter because quite frankly I was spending more time on that, then I was writing up my Abnormal Psychology revision notes. However, a leopard never changes its spots and in my case, my spots before twitter was procrastination, so guess what? After deactivating twitter, the procrastination stayed. So, what does one who wants to spend more time on their studies do? They follow EVERYONE (bar the snakes) from high school, sixth form and uni on Instagram, even though they haven’t posted a picture in over a year. No? that’s not what one would do?o…well…….Here’s why, due to following all these people (and here’s another secret, people love being followed, why? Because it means they have a clearer and higher amount of likes they can expect to receive on future photos) I decided I should post a newer picture and revamp my profile. So, I did, I still had revision notes to make but instead I thought of what the coolest picture and caption of me could be, without ya know, sounding toooooooooooooo cringe. So, then what did I do next you ask? Leave Insta and go back to my responsibilities? No. After I established quite a few followers, 40% increase, I decided why just have these followers (who I originally only followed to stalk, we all do it, stop judging me!) when I could also have my ego stroked a little?So, I posted a photo that I really like.
Although, I wasn’t sure about the success because it was one I had previously posted on facebook a few months prior, but low and behold, on that picture I got more likes than ever (woohoo!)Some may say it was all numbers, I had more followers so that would obviously mean more likes.However, as a psychologist I know it is much…much deeper than that. Purely because, many people have hundreds of followers but don’t have people who engage with them (like/comment on their pictures), so what made my followers engage with mine?As mentioned earlier, people LIKE to be followed on social media, it provides a sense of security and makes them feel special (I could have followed anyone, but I chose them). Due to these overwhelmingly positive emotions they were feeling, Cialdini would suggest they were acting in line with the reciprocity rule which is seen in all humans, as according to Richard Leakey, who considers the rule of reciprocity as a defining factor of what it means to be human, “We are human because our ancestors learned to share their food and their skills in an honoured network of obligation” (2009, p. 19). Because I followed all these new people and made them feel good about themselves they felt obliged to give something back, and what best to give on Instagram (other than money sent to your PayPal), is a big juicy LIKE.Moreover, the rule of reciprocity was not the only method being used here, social poof was also present.Due to Instagram’s lovely social proof features (I’m not getting into that, that’s another blog post, for another day which I, won’t be writing) the fact I was making a comeback was very known, by many people.I
This feature not only showed other people that their friends followed me, but it also showed them that their friends liked my picture. Regularly coming up on peoples list and people seeing other people’s behaviour towards me, according to Kelman (1958), would have made them more likely to like my picture too. Kelman argued that if the thoughts and behaviours we are seeing are divergent from our own (everyone else liked the photo), we are motivated to act as the majority does, with the assumption that the majority must be correct. People want to be correct, and that suggests why many more than usual liked my picture, they saw liking it as correct behaviour and not engaging as incorrect.“So, that’s nice and all for YOU but how do I get more likes?” I hear you wail from behind the Koan.You don’t. The title was just to lure you in and it worked because now you’re at the end of the blog, yaaayyyyy JKidding…Kind of.According to the reciprocity rule and social proof, you can get more Instagram likes by: 1) revamping your profile [especially after a hiatus]2) following lots of new people from similar circles so the activity comes up on the following page of members from said circles i.e. all from your most recent part time job3) when you decide to follow someone new, like lots of their photos as they will feel obliged to like and follow back, which could be the start of a beautiful new Instagram friendship.4) when someone likes your picture out of the blue, like one of theirs back, and you will start a liking sequence which you both benefit fromOR in an alternative universe…5) delete Instagram, make the revision notes you’ve been putting off, and get to a mind frame in which you don’t even care about likes or need your ego stroked.haha yh rightyou can follow me at @Deanneser
What Reciprocity Is and What It Is Not
We’re knee deep in the holiday season, the traditional time of gift giving in many parts of the world. There is also quite a bit of reciprocation that happens during this season. I write that because quite often we give gifts to other people because we know they will be giving us a gift. God forbid we aren’t ready to exchange gifts because most people feel awkward when they receive a gift but don’t have something to give in return. To avoid that feeling have you ever run out to buy a gift or holiday card from someone and quickly stuck it in the mail because they gave you a card or gift first? That’s reciprocity working its magic on you.The principle of influence known as reciprocity defines human behavior that’s been around as long as mankind: we feel obligated to give back to those who first give to us. We’ve been conditioned to give in return because over the course of evolution we learned we are all better off when we help those who’ve helped us first. I’m sure every person reading this understands the principle of reciprocity and my definition only serves to make them think, “I already know that.” What most people don’t really understand is how to engage the principle because all too often I read articles and blog posts from marketers, sales trainers, and others who like to cite Robert Cialdini’s work…but do so incorrectly!I recently read a blog post on getting consumers to say yes using reciprocity and two examples were used:”But 4 get 1 free””Free gift/shipping when purchase for $60 or more”Neither example is an application of the principle of reciprocity. Do you know why?As noted earlier, reciprocity is engaged when you’ve given to someone or done something for another person first. That feeling of indebtedness makes the other person want to “return the favor” so to speak. Neither example used in the article I cited above did anything for the consumer or gave them anything in advance. In each case what they were actually offering was a reward. Rewards are predicated on an, “If you…, I will…” basis. Both of the above examples were actually rewards that could read:“If you buy four you’ll get one more for free.”“If you buy $60 or more in goods your shipping will be free.”Think about it for a moment. You can’t get “one more for free” or “free shipping” unless you do something first. Make no mistake about it; rewards motivate behavior. There are decades of studies to back that up and it’s a fact that rewards are more effective than the threat of punishment. The word “free” is a big motivator too. Dan Ariely brilliantly points that out in a chapter from Predictably Irrational called “The Cost of Zero Cost: We Often Pay Too Much When We Pay Nothing.” All too often we’ll go out of our way to get something free. For example, have you ever purchased extra items on Amazon so you’d spend enough to get free shipping? People spend a lot more money to get “free” stuff! Rewards change behavior but some studies show you can engage people with reciprocity by giving a much smaller gift in lieu of a large reward and get a better result. In workshops I often share a study in which owners of a construction company were either offered a $50 reward for completing a survey or given a $5 check up front in consideration of their time. Only 23% who were offered the $50 reward completed the survey but 52% who received the $5 check up front did so. And the savings was anywhere from 57% to 77% depending on how many ultimately cashed the $5 check. As a business owner, if you knew you could more than double your response rate and save 50%, 60%, 70% or more by going the reciprocity option instead of the traditional reward route, wouldn’t you choose the reciprocity option? Of course you would…and now you will going forward.I don’t point this out to be nit picky or combative. Rather, I point this out because when I teach people about persuasion I tell them, “If you use the principles ethically and correctly you will get more people saying yes to you.” If people think they’re using principles correctly but they’re not, then they won’t see the results they hoped for. That leads to people thinking, “It sounds good when Brian says it, or when Dr. Cialdini writes about it, but it doesn’t’ work in the real world.” It does work but only if you do it the right way.Here’s my final thought – if you want to engage people in a low cost, easy to implement, sure fire way to motivate the behavior you want, save yourself time and money by going the reciprocity route in lieu of using traditional rewards
Brian Ahearn, CMCT® Chief Influence Officer influencePEOPLE Helping You Learn to Hear “Yes”.
Does Branding Really Influence Behavior?
I think you’d agree that we live in an information-overloaded society. What you may not be aware of is the extent of the overload. William C. Taylor wrote an article – “Permission Marketing” – for the magazine Fast Company and told readers, “This year, the average consumer will see or hear one million marketing messages – that’s almost 3,000 per day.” When I share that quote with audiences they’re astounded. When I tell them the quote is now 17 years old they’re blown away! That’s right, the estimate in 1998 was that you were bombarded with about 3,000 marketing messages each day. More recently a New York Times article – “Anywhere the Eye Can See, It’s Likely to See an Ad” – put the number at 5,000 a day!With so much information assaulting our senses each day it begs the question, does branding really influence behavior? You might be surprised that it does in a big way.I recently read Brainfluence: 100 Ways to Persuade and Convince Consumers with Neuromarketing by Roger Dooley and was particularly interested in the brain science on the age old Coke versus Pepsi debate. Many times over, in blind taste tests people preferred Pepsi…even Coke drinkers quite often preferred Pepsi. However, when people knew which brand they were drinking that changed. Dooley wrote:“When the subjects saw which brand they were drinking, though, nearly all of the subjects said they preferred Coke. Significantly, the subjects’ brain activity changed as well.”Did you catch that last sentence? They didn’t just say they preferred Coke, their brains actually preferred it! What we think about brands actually changes how we experience the product or service! Here are a few examples of incredibly strong brands:Southwest Airlines – Despite the “cattle call” for seating, people love to be “free to roam about the country.” Passengers’ passion has resulted in 42 consecutive years of profitability for Southwest in an industry that’s struggled mightily to achieve profits.Apple – Apple consumers are religious in their zeal for the brand making it the most profitable company in the worldin 2014. Other phones may have better features at times but it’s nearly impossible to get Apple lovers to make a switch. Harley Davidson – If people are willing to tattoo your company logo on their body you know you have a good thing going! I remember hearing someone say, “I can accept the fact that someday I might die and my wife may remarry. What I can’t accept is another man riding my Harley.”Starbucks – The coffee giant transformed coffee drinking and doesn’t even advertise. That’s because their customers do it for them. The familiar Starbucks logo on the cup is all they need to spread the word and you probably see it more than you realize each day.Of course very few brands have the cache of Coke, Southwest, Apple, Harley Davidson, Starbucks or many other successful brands. But, the science shows that a strong brand impacts people’s brain activity resulting in behavior changes even when people are not aware of it.So what does this mean for you? You’re probably not competing on the scale of the aforementioned companies but what current and potential customers think of you and your company matters. Each of us can brand ourselves to a great degree. Here are several ideas based on some things I do.If you call my office you’ll hear this at the start of my voicemail message – “Wouldn’t you agree that much of your professional success and personal happiness depends on getting others to say ‘yes’ to you? Ask me about The Principles of Persuasion Workshop where you’ll learn to hear ‘yes’ more often.” People ask about the workshop and I’ve had compliments on my voicemail.My email autosignature always has my branding message at the bottom – Helping You Learn to Hear “Yes.” Again, it’s not uncommon to get a comment but what’s more important is people see the message and even if it doesn’t consciously register it impacts their brain.I wear shirts with the Influence PEOPLE logo prominently displayed. When people ask about it I have a platform to share what I do. Nobody can sell me better than me and nobody can sell you better than you.Does it work? Absolutely! Before starting Influence PEOPLE my personal brand was – When it needs to be done well. That was on my email and voicemail and I regularly had people say, or write, “I need something done well so I thought I’d contact you.” When someone repeats your branding slogan back to you it’s working! I’ll never forget the first time I met Gerald Ladner, a State Auto regional vice president at the time. His first words to me as he shook my hand and let out a laugh were, “I have to meet the guy who advertises he’ll do it well!” Make no mistake; a catchy slogan won’t make up for a poor product or service. However, when the differences between you and a competitor are seemingly small, when people don’t always know why they do what they do, a well-crafted, consistent brand can be the difference in choosing you over the competitor. I encourage you to give it serious thought because as we approach the New Year, there’s no better time to make a change than now.
Brian Ahearn, CMCT® Chief Influence OfficerinfluencePEOPLE Helping You Learn to Hear “Yes”.