The 7 influencing principles for Facebook

The business application of psychology has been growing for years and Facebook is also eager to use it. Just look at how you feel when you are back on Facebook after a while and you see all kinds of red buttons at the top right. With that you get a shot of dopamine - an addictive brain substance associated with rewards - which makes you feel comfortable. Facebook addiction is now an official form of internet addiction.

There are all kinds of ways to unconsciously influence people. Some of them you have heard or seen (only this week for € 9.99!), Others will be new to you. At the bottom of the line it is ultimately about whether you offer your customers a valuable relationship. In addition to the physical product such as the car, there is also the derived product that determines how you as a consumer feel in the car: safe in a Volvo or sporty in a BMW. You can also apply the following psychological principles to Facebook:

1. Being present on Facebook helps people unknowingly think about your company or product. According to Daniel Kahneman we take more than 600 decisions per day, of which 99 percent unknowingly;

2. Are you or your staff photographed on Facebook? The clothing of the employees on a photo influences the experience. A traditional apron at the bakery, butcher or shoe seller makes you automatically and unknowingly think that the staff has expertise. A white jacket works the same. We are sensitive to that authority: it gives us confidence, discovered Milgram in his famous experiment in 1961. The Authority also shows you logos, quality marks, reviews or comparisons, a recommendation from an expert, awards and large numbers. Such as: "Discover more than 9,000,000 articles" on Bol.com.

3. That is in line with our tendency to similarity. Solomon Asch discovered that if you are in a group where everyone gives a wrong answer to a question, counteracting it gives the same brain activity as with pain. We are herd animals, so we are sensitive to messages that show the opinion or behavior of the majority. Such as: "90 percent of hotel visitors reuse his towel". Do you feel the dot dot? An event where 'everyone' is going, is more likely to seduce Facebook fans than an event to which over fifty people have been invited but only one person goes. Jens Kraus and John Dyer showed that a minority of five percent is sufficient to lead a group of more than 200 people to a particular location.

4. According to Cialdini we are also inclined to dedication and consistency: If we have chosen something, we will soon go for it again. That is the reason that sellers can ask you short questions that you can only agree to: good weather, right? Cup of coffee? Add some chocolate? So you get to the main question - can I pack it for you? - also says yes. Facebook is ideal for this, because you can easily take care of the first dedication and can break up the main question in small yes questions. For example, if you are a motorcycle dealer, you can start with a photo of the beautiful spring weather, then a video of a nice motorcycle trip, then you show a well-maintained motorcycle and end with a photo of your service staff and a competitive offer for a MOT inspection.

5. Another principle of influence of Cialdini is sympathy: we buy from someone we like rather than someone we don't like. That's why sellers are often nice people. Sympathy also comes with beauty, and beautiful people are better at convincing according to Chaiken. So opt for photos with beautiful people to post on Facebook. In addition, it arouses sympathy to speak the same language and show the similarities with your fans.

6. Give limited choice if you ask your Facebook fans something. Psychologist Barry Schwartz proved that an abundance of choice is paralyzed rather than helping. So if you interact with a message where you let your fans make a choice, two choices work better than nine.

7. It reciprocity principle states that when you get something from someone, you affectionate want to give something back. For example, give away something of value on Facebook in a promotion. Fresh fish courier Bert de Groot put his company in Den Helder on the map by regularly giving away fish, and several businesses followed this successful tactic.

This article is from the upcoming e-book FACEBOOK FOR COMPANIES. Send me one message if you want to be kept informed!