{"id":10498,"date":"2019-09-20T06:03:10","date_gmt":"2019-09-20T10:03:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/buzzsumo.com\/?p=10498"},"modified":"2022-04-21T07:06:09","modified_gmt":"2022-04-21T11:06:09","slug":"conversational-marketing-social-media-words-that-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buzzsumo.com\/blog\/conversational-marketing-social-media-words-that-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Leverage Conversational Marketing: Social Media &#038; Words That Work"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Between GDPR updates and falling reach\u00a0on Facebook, marketers are in a tailspin. Now more than ever, we need to know what types of posts draw attention on Facebook, and we need to build our strategies around them.<\/p>\n<p>For those used to thinking in terms of tactics and tricks, this news may come as a relief: Relax, love and humanity are the keys! Those two big ideas need to be communicated in conversational marketing using words that resonate with your audience.<\/p>\n<p>In this post, we will look at the power of conversation and the words that audiences love to read.<\/p>\n<p>You&#8217;ll learn how to maximize the power of conversational marketing:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Social media is more about the Return on Conversation (ROC) and less about the Return on Investment (ROI). Brooke B. Sellas<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>And, if we&#8217;re honest with ourselves, we&#8217;ll agree that the key to ongoing successful social strategy has always been a focus on engagement.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/buzzsumo.com\/blog\/how-facebook-algorithms-reduced-reach-and-referrals-and-why-quality-content-will-win\/\">Facebook&#8217;s algorithm changes simply reinforce the need for quality content.<\/a><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The future of content sharing is quality content and it is essential that you build your authority and reputation as a trusted and informative site. Steve Rayson<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h1>Conversational Marketing: The Antidote To Declining Reach<\/h1>\n<p>I did my <a href=\"http:\/\/www.psu.edu\/dept\/bw\/honors\/ThesisSP11_BallardBrooke.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">undergraduate honors thesis<\/a> on successful connection, or conversation, strategies on social media.<\/p>\n<p>My research focused on the <a style=\"background-color: #ffffff; font-size: 14px;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Social_penetration_theory\">Social Penetration Theory<\/a><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">, also known as the Onion Theory. Basically, in the 60s, two social psychologists said that humans build relationships based on the disclosures they make to one another.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>If I want to get to know you, I will disclose information about myself in an attempt to get you to disclose information about yourself.<\/p>\n<p>As the psychologists dug deeper, they realized that not all disclosures are created equal. We actually have four levels of disclosure:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Clich\u00e9s<\/li>\n<li>Facts<\/li>\n<li>Opinions<\/li>\n<li>Feelings<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>As you can imagine, as we get to know someone, we move from each of the four stages until we get to deeper and deeper levels of understanding someone.<\/p>\n<p>As you can also imagine, most social media interactions from brands sit at levels one and two (clich\u00e9s and facts).<\/p>\n<p>My thesis looked at social media interactions and attempted to ask this question: <strong><em>Do deeper disclosures, like opinions and feelings, lead to deeper interactions for brands and their communities?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The short answer? Yes.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Clich\u00e9s Are Getting Clobbered \u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>I\u2019m sure I don\u2019t have to tell you what low-end or clich\u00e9 conversational marketing looks like.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>For clich\u00e9s, think memes or quotes overlaid on pretty pictures<\/li>\n<li>For facts, look at nearly any blog post being shared on social media and you\u2019ll get something like, \u201cGreat content takes a lot of careful thinking. Read our post on blah blah blah by clicking below \u2026\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I\u2019m not saying you have to throw the baby out with the bathwater, but these type of posts resoundingly receive low engagement or no engagement on social.<\/p>\n<p>As <a href=\"https:\/\/buzzsumo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/BuzzSumo-ContentTrends-v8.pdf\">Buzzsumo\u2019s 2018 Content Trends Report<\/a> showed, the vast increase in content on social media means that there\u2019s greater competition for engagement.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-10503 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/buzzsumo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Buzzsumo-chart-image-.jpg\" alt=\"Declining engagement points to need for conversational marketing\" width=\"665\" height=\"341\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The report goes on to highlight the content type that hasn\u2019t seen a dip in shares or engagement: quality content. Conversational marketing, because of its depth and the discussions it initiates, fits this category.<\/p>\n<p>Quality social media posts, whether it was during my thesis study in 2009 or today in 2018, often use deeper disclosures like opinions and feelings to obtain a Return On Conversation.<\/p>\n<p>Using feeling-type questions will take you far.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What\u2019s your belief when it comes to [topic]?<\/li>\n<li>What do you think about [topic]?<\/li>\n<li>How does [your product\/brand] make you feel?<\/li>\n<li>Do you value [products or services similar to yours]?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-10505 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/buzzsumo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/facebook-feeling-conversational-marketing.jpg\" alt=\"facebook-feeling-conversational-marketing\" width=\"496\" height=\"152\" \/><\/p>\n<p>If you want to remain relevant on social media today, you\u2019ll need to think harder about the conversations you\u2019re having.<\/p>\n<p>If you only share clich\u00e9 quotes and memes, your engagement will be clich\u00e9. If you only present the facts, you\u2019ll likely only receive factual information in return.<\/p>\n<p>But if you use conversational marketing to tout opinions and ask for feelings, you may very well receive opinions, feelings, and deeper-level disclosures from your online communities.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>LOVE Fuels Conversational Marketing<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>In looking at quality social media posts that entice some of those deeper disclosures, I\u2019ve noticed a trend with the word LOVE.<\/p>\n<p>Subaru has used it for years. Take a look at their recent Facebook Video and how they use the word LOVE.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: none; overflow: hidden;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fsubaruofamerica%2Fvideos%2F10155328702571689%2F&amp;show_text=1&amp;width=560\" width=\"560\" height=\"445\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>DSW is another big brand famous for using the word love in its advertising and social media posts. Look how they combine the word (or heart emoji for the word) love and behind-the-scenes content of their employees giving back (to cats and dogs, no less!).<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s <em>one<\/em> post that combines a deeper-level disclosure, animals, a behind-the-scenes photo, AND branding both from the Facebook Page itself and with the t-shirts the employees wore in the pic. Whew!<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: none; overflow: hidden;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FDSW%2Fposts%2F10156512527914306&amp;width=500\" width=\"500\" height=\"487\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>If marketers would open up their eyes and really look, they\u2019d see cues everywhere trying to entice more conversational marketing with the deepest disclosure (feelings).<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a class=\"btn btn-lg btn-success\" href=\"https:\/\/app.buzzsumo.com\/research\/most-shared?num_days=365&amp;result_type=total&amp;general_article&amp;infographic&amp;video&amp;how_to_article&amp;what_post&amp;why_post&amp;list&amp;page=1&amp;q=love&amp;type=articles&amp;blocked_domains=youtube.com\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nSee the most engaging &#8220;love&#8221; content<\/a><\/p>\n<p>For example, on Facebook, every post has an option for \u201cFeeling\/Activity\u201d and little expressive emojis that go with it.<\/p>\n<p>We seem to have forgotten that tribes are created and sustained around conversation. And <strong>good <\/strong>conversation at that.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Words That Work<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Other than love, what ways can you use social to speak out?<\/p>\n<p>Words that usually work with conversational marketing are things like,<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Passionate (\u201cif you\u2019re as passionate about [topic] as we are, tell your friends!)<\/li>\n<li>Agree (do you agree \u2026?)<\/li>\n<li>Think (tell us what you think about \u2026)<\/li>\n<li>Feel (tell us how you feel about \u2026)<\/li>\n<li>Support (show your support by \u2026)<\/li>\n<li>Story (what\u2019s your story with [product\/service])<\/li>\n<li>Improve (how could we improve [topic]?)<\/li>\n<li>Hear (we want to HEAR from YOU!)<\/li>\n<li>YOU (and way less I, me, and we)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>And, according to a recent report by Sprout Social, 66% of consumers say it\u2019s important for brands to take public stands on social and political issues. And more than half (58%) are open to this happening on social media.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-10506 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/buzzsumo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Brands-Get-Real-Chart-Sprout-Social-.jpg\" alt=\"Brands-Get-Real-Chart-Sprout-Social-\" width=\"780\" height=\"780\" srcset=\"https:\/\/buzzsumo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Brands-Get-Real-Chart-Sprout-Social-.jpg 780w, https:\/\/buzzsumo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/..\/..\/..\/themes\/brandwatch\/src\/core\/endpoints\/resize.php?image=uploads\/2018\/07\/Brands-Get-Real-Chart-Sprout-Social-.jpg&amp;width=150 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In other words, people want to \u201csee\u201d the human on the other side of their screen. They want to connect with another person, not some logo or mission statement.<\/p>\n<p>As <a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessesgrow.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mark Schaefer<\/a> so eloquently states it,<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThe most human companies will win.\u201d &#8212; Mark Schaefer<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h2><strong>Have We Forgotten To Be Human?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Lastly, I wonder if we marketers have forgotten to be human. It seems kinda crazy that marketers have to tell other marketers to act like a human being.<\/p>\n<p>Have we gotten so lost down the rabbit hole of algorithms, clickbait, and gaming the system that we\u2019ve forgotten that our main goal is to connect?<\/p>\n<p>To converse? To <em>be<\/em> social?<\/p>\n<p>I started my company, <a href=\"http:\/\/bsquared.media\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">B Squared Media<\/a>, over six years ago with a mantra of \u201cThink Conversation, Not Campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It quickly became our tagline.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s funny to me that now I\u2019m having to use our tagline as a gentle reminder that our goals are really to reach out and touch someone.<\/p>\n<p>We can get all fancy and call it \u201cconversational marketing\u201d or \u201csocial media marketing\u201d but at end of the day it\u2019s just one person connecting with another. And that shouldn\u2019t be rocket science.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Between GDPR updates and falling reach\u00a0on Facebook, marketers are in a tailspin. Now more than ever, we need to know what types of posts draw attention on Facebook, and we need to build our strategies around them. For those used to thinking in terms of tactics and tricks, this news may come as a relief: [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":69,"featured_media":10500,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[135],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buzzsumo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10498"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buzzsumo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buzzsumo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buzzsumo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/69"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buzzsumo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10498"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buzzsumo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10498\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buzzsumo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10500"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buzzsumo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10498"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buzzsumo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10498"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buzzsumo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10498"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}