So… although we get involved in everything from TV and cinema commercials to internal and change communication films, social media is a big part of what we do. We have had more success than most with our viral video and with each big hit we learn more about how our audiences behave and what they want to see. The psychology behind it is intriguing and although some of it is probably just ‘common sense’ (and some luck!) some of it can be quite surprising.

Jeff Sexton wrote and interesting article last year about using ‘Six Powerful Social Media Persuasion Techniques’ in which he talks about some useful hints for giving your content a boost. It’s all based around a book called ‘Influence’ by Dr. Robert Ciadini, and applying the art of persuasion to your social media, hopefully making it more effective, a nice idea. I believe that sometimes you can overthink things but I do believe that some of these techniques can be useful for fine tuning your content and making it that little bit more effective. Our most ‘viral’ films (5 million+ views) haven’t been created with lots of clever techniques but using experience and a big dollop of creativity. It seems though, that the dollop happens to contain plenty of the keys to success (that’s where the common sense comes in).

With viral video, the critical art of persuasion starts before the audience has even seen the film, we need to persuade them to watch it in the first place. Understanding your audience and their online viewing habits is crucial to driving views. Looking at what is currently trending isn’t enough. Once you have produced something based on what was already working, it will be old news. Understanding the psychology behind it will enable you to produce the next big thing and hopefully create an effective film at the same time.

The full article is available here: http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/6-powerful-social-media-persuasion-techniques/