How many times have you gone on this adventure; you log on Facebook to update your status and after 10 minutes you realize you’ve shared two articles, liked five posts, and commented on a picture of your old college roommate. Have you ever thought to yourself, “How did I get here?” Scientists have devoted countless hours of research to find out why people get sucked in to social media sites like Facebook.
An article from Buffer explored the psychology of Facebook users. The research collected was an attempt to look deep into the minds of Facebook users as they like, comment, and share posts. What they found could provide windows of opportunity for smart businesses.
The study found that when users perform an action on Facebook, emotions are triggered in the same part of the brain influenced by money, food, and social acceptance. When people get positive feedback from Facebook, this particular part of the brain makes us feel happy. Understanding what actions produce the best results can help us explain why people love Facebook.
We can break down certain user actions and see how businesses can influence these emotions with their customers.
Likes
| Why people like posts | Business Response |
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Comments
| Why users comment on posts | Business Response |
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Sharing
| Why people share posts | Business Response |
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Social platforms like Facebook offer businesses the opportunity to connect with customers on a global scale, but with a larger audience, information can easily be lost in the hustle and bustle of a newsfeed. Understanding how your audience operates on Facebook can provide insight on the content you post on your company’s page.
The bottom line is Facebook and other social media sites are lines of communication between businesses and customers. Social media users feel emotional responses when they are included in the conversation. This makes it increasingly important for all businesses to understand the actions of their audience whether a post gets shared, commented on, or liked.