Social Media is All Emotion, folks!
Likely unknown to most, my Bachelor’s degree is in Psychology. For a while, I thought I wanted to be a therapist and work with children, but as a hyper-sensitive person, I knew the kind of work it involved would emotionally drain me every day. About halfway through my degree, I knew I wouldn’t pursue that line of work any further. I focused, instead, on the different parts of psychology that I found interesting and relevant, to finish out my time at college. I loved my English minor, focusing on Women’s studies, and I finished out my course work in classes such as cognitive psychology, social psychology, and practical uses of psychology.
I told people, half-heartedly, that I loved the idea of working in Marketing, seeing the value behind how people make decisions and what drives them to buy one product versus another. I was on a different path in my life then, and it wasn’t something I pursued, but it became a pivotal part of my past whenever I had my ah-ha moment, and decided to create this business. Helping small businesses and individuals to navigate the world of social media marketing is why I started my business, and when I revisit the past, it truly all makes sense.
I start with that story because I want to share with you how intrigued I've always been about how marketing was created to play off of your emotions. Now, in the world of social media, it is as important as ever. Whenever you are on social media, every day, you will encounter a variety of emotions.
Scroll, picture of the cutest dog ever – joy!
Scroll, news article of a local tragedy – sad!
Scroll, inspirational saying about never giving up – courage!
Scroll, video of someone making deep fried oreos – hunger!
Scroll, pictures of your best friend’s wedding – happiness!
Scroll, people arguing on someone’s post about politics – anger!
Scroll, that person you used to know from high school but haven't talked to in a decade is sharing too much personal information again - irritation!
I’ve seen arguments about how social media has de-personalized our lives. We don’t talk face to face (huh?) or help each other out anymore. I certainly beg to differ about that. Just like everything, there are positives and negatives, and that's no different with social media. It is which part you focus on that matters. People thought that TV was going to ruin that generation – it didn’t! The world is changing, evolving, we are becoming more and more technologically advanced and you can love it or hate it, but it is the truth. The reason that people rant and rave spewing negativity is because of emotion, and they are using social media as their platform. People are also creating gofundme pages and building up followings for non-profits to support great causes across the world. Emotion. It is all based on emotion, and again, it is all in where YOU focus YOUR energy.
I really feel strongly that the world is what you make it, and the same about social media – it is what you make it. If you are running your own business and trying to use social media to market yourself, don’t forget the value of what you provide. Does the product or service that you offer make people happy? Then use your page to increase people’s happiness! Does it help people to solve problems? Use your page to help make people’s lives easier! Does it help people to lose weight? Inspire them with your own journey! Does it help to make people’s homes and offices look beautiful? Help them to imagine how they could love their own space every way they turn.
Be responsible with people’s emotions – they are going to keep coming back if you add value to their lives. You’ll grow your following, you’ll increase your exposure, you’ll help your business - and the hope is that you’ll make people smile in the process.
