How do you make SEO work for you… naturally? As we already know, two pillars of SEO are online authority and social signals. The higher quantity and quality of links and social engagement will help increase your online visibility. So, how do you get more interaction as a business? I’d advise to go back to Human Psychology class 101 and consider the basics when trying to create engaging content.

In a previous blog, I discussed how emotions tend to influence purchase decisions. The same goes for sharing content, the way we feel tends to have a large influence on content engagement. According to Dr. Cialdini and his theory of influence (Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion), human beings tend to be influenced by these 6 principles. I highly recommend to review these principles before developing content in order to ensure the greatest success.

1. Reciprocity: Offering a free item, a good tool or app will compel people to return the favor. You may want to consider running a social media campaign promoting the fact that you are giving away a vacation or a prize. Better yet, tell users they can “enter” the sweepstakes by sharing a link on their social media profile(s). This particular tactic tends to be the easiest and most popular for businesses.
2. Authority: People are compelled to trust authoritative figures or brands. Let’s say for example you are referencing a definition of a particular word, well you would most likely link to Dictionary.com or Webster’s Online Dictionary. Consider increasing your authority by showcasing your knowledge. Create educational, useful content not only to increase traffic to your website, but also to potentially be referenced in other articles.
3. Social Proof: People are more comfortable interacting with your content if others do the same. If, for example, a celebrity were to interact with your brand or endorse your product, other users may tend to do the same. It is recommended to contact authoritative figures within your industry and create a relationship with them. Offer them free products or services and encourage them to share their thoughts online.
4. Scarcity: If an opportunity or product is scarce, it tends to seem more valuable. Not all companies are able to do this, but making it seems as if your product or service is scarce may drive more engagement. For example you can promote a product that is going out of stock (e.g. “Only 5 left in stock”) or create a deal that is a “online exclusive.”
5. Rapport: People are more likely to interact with you if they can relate to you. It is recommended to try to build genuine rapport with your target audience. Determine how you want your brand to be viewed and align that with your target audience. For example, is your target audience male millennials? Do you want to portray that your brand is fun? Then maybe exuding humor would be the most successful for you. Try out different jokes and see which ones land with your target audience.
6.  Commitment and Consistency: People are more likely to do something after they’ve agreed to it. It is recommended to create content that persuades your audience to commit to something small, such as “like this Facebook post if you believe in women’s rights.” This increases the likelihood that those users will interact with your content and potentially see themselves as future customers.

Summary

It may seem basic, but these principles tend to get lost when trying to increase online engagement. I encourage you to take one of the items listed above and create a piece of content to help your SEO program.

If you have additional thoughts or questions, you can comment below or contact me at Cassandra.Gucwa@gmail.com.