Running Head: TIPPING POINTS

Social Media Tipping Points in Complementary Health and Wellness

RoseAnna L. Hollo

New England College

December 11, 2014

MG6970

Professor Joe Abrego

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Abstract

Social Media Tipping Points in Complementary Health and Wellness

Beneficial viral social media phenomenon was examined in the complimentary health and

wellness marketing field, and scrutinized for evidence of Gladwell’s Tipping Points markers to

demonstrate that viral campaigns can be intentionally implemented. Gladwell’s Tipping Points

are three distinct areas in which a big change can be made by something small. Prior social

media marketing research was examined to determine where knowledge is lacking or commonly

refuted when it comes to a successful social media marketing campaign. These ideas,

assimilated, showed that it is possible to implement a viral social media strategy using

Gladwell’s Tipping Points: The Law of the Few, The Stickiness Factor, and The Power of

Context. The proposed study is to implement the three Tipping Points in a Complementary

Health and Wellness Business’s Facebook page and to measure the results to determine whether

this is a good strategy and worthy of further study.

Keywords: viral, social media, complimentary health, wellness, marketing, tipping points,

Malcolm Gladwell, internet, Facebook, strategy

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Table of Contents

Abstract………………………………………………………………………………………..2

Table of Contents……………………………………………………………………………...3

List of Figures and Tables……………………………………………………………………..5

Chapter One - Introduction……………….……………………………………………………6

Background…………………………………………………………………………….7

The Problem……………………………………………………………………………8

Methodology…………………………………………………………………………...9

Specifics………………………………………………………………………………..9

Limitations……………………………………………………………………………..9

Professional Significance……………………………………………………………..10

Chapter Two – Literature Review…………………………………………………………….11

Introduction…………………………………………………………………………...11

Tipping Points: A Central, Traditional Theory………………………………………12

The Law of the Few…………………………………………………………………...12

The Stickiness Factor…………………………………………………………………14

The Power of Context………………………………………………………………...14

Gaps in Healthcare Marketing………………………………………………………..15

Viral Marketing Theory………………………………………………………………16

Studies in Viral Social Media in the Health Communication Sector………………...18

Summary……………………………………………………………………………...21

Chapter Three – Methods……………………………………………………………………..22

Introduction…………………………………………………………………………...22

Stakeholders…………………………………………………………………………..22

Approach and Methodology…………………………………………………………..24

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Research Design………………………………………………………………………24

Ethics………………………………………………………………………………….25

Data Collection………………………………………………………………………..25

Implications…………………………………………………………………………...26

Limitations…………………………………………………………………………….27

Summary………………………………………………………………………………27

Chapter Four – Strategic Plan…………………………………………………………………28

Problem Statement…………………………………………………………………….28

Goals…………………………………………………………………………………..29

Timeline……………………………………………………………………………….29

Financial Plan…………………………………………………………………………30

Long-Term Plan………………………………………………………………………31

Contingency Plan……………………………………………………………………..31

Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………32

Annotated Bibliography……………………………………………………………...33

Appendix A…………………………………………………………………………..38

Appendix B…………………………………………………………………………..43

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List of Figures and Tables

Table A1 Facebook Insights, Age Demographics of Fans who Like Page…………………..38

Table A2 Facebook Insights, Age Demographics of People Reached……………………….39

Table A3 Facebook Insights, Age Demographic of People Engaging with Page……………40

Table A4 Facebook Insights, Page Post Type Reach and Engagement……………………...41

Table A5 Facebook Insights, When Fans are Online………………………………………...42

Figure B1 DRW Facebook Guidelines for Business Owner…………………………………43

Figure B2 Policy on Research Involving Participation of Others……………………………45

Figure B3 Business Owner Exit Interview…………………………………………………...47

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Chapter 1: Introduction

This capstone project serves to bridge a gap that exists in current research of viral social

media content marketing for the complimentary health and wellness field. Viral social media

phenomenon refers to an instance of information that is circulated widely and quickly from

person-to-person on the internet. Complimentary health and wellness refers to a non-mainstream

prevention strategy or approach that is offered in addition to a mainstream medical approach.

According to ZakAiRan, (2014), an internationally renowned wellness guru, it’s commonly

understood that the complimentary health and wellness field is supported by do-gooders and

those interested in living an abundant life, but that alone is not enough to keep an organization’s

coffers in the black these days. A person or organization focused on helping and healing others

is more susceptible to ignoring the importance of financial health of the business, due to fear of

appearing greedy. Without financial stability, that person or organization is unable to help

others. Both giver and receiver must value the service to fully benefit. Marketing to those who

can pay for products or services is a must, and taking the message to them is half the battle.

These days, social media marketing is an area that is often misunderstood and ineffectively

utilized in the complimentary health field, despite the fact that the people who support wellness

efforts are congregating there.

According to Albee (2014) of Content Marketing Institute, “understanding (social media)

content’s value proposition and knowing what’s needed to capitalize on it” is a key area where

marketers lack knowledge (para. 2.). There are many strategies out there but the suggestions are

diverse and controversial. A need for an easy-to-understand approach has emerged. Marketers

don’t have time to learn about and test every marketing tool out there. A quick search on the

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internet quickly reveals an overabundance of tools, products, services, and advice for marketers.

Employees in this field need a simple, clear, effective method that raises above all the offerings.

Background

Successful complimentary health and wellness businesses have long had success offline

in their marketing efforts due to understanding and utilizing educated methods. From World

Health Organization, to La Leche League, to The American Cancer Society, to the local

Chiropractor; previous generations have grown to respect and solicit the products and services of

many wellness organizations through popular campaigns spread through Gladwell’s traditional

Tipping Points, before social media became a standard practice. Good marketers understand

how messages spread and grow via traditional means. But these days Millennials and their

parents are fixing a great deal of attention on social media, and complementary health businesses

are losing out on a great opportunity despite efforts to keep up with the trend, due to a lack of

understanding of how to take old marketing tools and translate them for use on the internet

(Smith, 2014, para. 2).

A majority of industries these days have recognized the importance of digital marketing,

which is demonstrated by the fact that any business can be Googled. Most have Facebook pages.

Brands hire or promote marketing team members specifically to manage their online presence.

Unfortunately, many hires are not well educated in social media marketing. Marketers have been

told that content is important, but don’t understand how to effectively use that content to engage

audiences. This jeopardizes brand loyalty and potential sales. Marketers often admire and

wonder about the virility of social media campaigns, such as the recent ALS Ice Bucket

Challenge phenomenon in the summer of 2014, which raised millions of unexpected dollars for

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the organization. Current popular opinion is that a social epidemic has more to do with luck and

less to do with planning, as posed by Bachman (2013, para. 4.). The ALS Association’s (2014)

officials claim to be surprised by the results of the supporter-initiated challenge. Fortunately, it

demonstrated the value of Gladwell’s Tipping Points in social media, or, how a successful and

even viral social media campaign can be implemented by someone who understands that

epidemics spread through influential people spreading emotion-tapping messages that make a

strong impression. It is important to note that Gladwell’s last edition of Tipping Points was

published two years before the launch of social media giant Facebook and that social media

marketing was not mentioned in his book.

The Problem

This study aims to demonstrate that valuable complimentary health and wellness social

media content is spread quickly to a large audience by using Tipping Points. Tipping Points is a

concept that “ideas and products and messages and behaviors spread just like viruses do,”

(Gladwell, 2002, p. 7). Elsewhere, Gladwell posits that tipping points are “moments of great

sensitivity. Changes made right at the Tipping Point can have enormous consequences,” (p.

282). There are three major factors to Gladwell’s Tipping Points including The Law of the Few,

The Stickiness Factor, and The Power of Context. These three factors, which have previously

been observed and implemented in powerful real-world scenarios can be applied deliberately and

successfully to social media to enhance customer loyalty and sales in the complimentary health

sector.

Methodology

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A mixed-methods approach is offered in this thesis. Both qualitative and quantitative

methods will be used when examining the current research available while actively examining

complimentary health brands and organizations that are currently benefiting from viral marketing

theories reflected in the current research (post-2004, Facebook’s launch year), and by Gladwell’s

Tipping Points.

Further, an experiment is proposed to test the theory of Tipping Points on a

complementary health and wellness business’s Facebook page. Facebook Insights and a survey

are suggested for evaluation of the new marketing method.

Specifics

Three areas of significance examined will be Gladwell’s The Law of the Few, The

Stickiness Factor, and The Power of Context. These three theories will be assimilated with

current marketing research and applied to social media strategies while examining if and how

complimentary brands and organizations are already benefiting from these theories in social

media marketing.

Based on these three factors and Facebook Insights, the researcher has planned a

marketing strategy to be implemented on a complementary health and wellness business’s

Facebook page. The owner of the page will design and post messages on the page based on

guidelines provided to him (See Figure 1). Before, during, and after the experiment, insights will

be collected and measured. After the experiment, a survey will be provided to the business

owner.

Limitations

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There is little research when it comes to using Gladwell’s theories and virility in social

media marketing. Though some theories resemble portions of Tipping Points, no one has

proposed the direct application of them for social media marketing in the complimentary health

sector. According to Romaniuk:

“Early knowledge is patchy in substance, research findings are often reduced to sound

[bites] that get passed on without any regard to the underpinning research. Case studies—

particularly ‘successes’ – are taken as gospel instead of being treated more appropriately as

single plot points in a larger story,” (Romaniuk, 2012, p. 397).

A major problem is that translation of these tools for use in social media is applied by the

researcher, and could be translated differently by someone else. Additionally, many

complimentary health and wellness organizations are not intentionally using these tools but they

may be benefiting from them via unintentional accidents, as in the aforementioned ALS’s Ice

Bucket Challenge. In the future, more research examining wellness brands and organizations

who have intentionally applied Gladwell’s Tipping Points in social media strategy will be

necessary to support the thesis presented in this project.

Professional Significance

At this time, complimentary health and wellness organizations are using ready-made

social media services leveraged by ever-changing technological devices for complimentary

health and wellness marketing while drawing on new studies of the Health Information field and

mixed advice from the social media marketing field. Health Information combines the

traditional fields of medicine and marketing to deliver health services, products, and information

to the public. Just as a real virus can spread from person-to-person, a trending message on social

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media can increase the popularity of a product, decrease a crime rate, or start a new fashion

trend, as Gladwell (2003) suggested. Social media marketing goals may be accomplished by

implementing Gladwell’s three Tipping Points, which will be further explored in this study.

Chapter 2: Literature Review

Introduction

Social media marketing is a field that has quickly developed over the past decade, taking

a firmer root after the release of the popular social media site Facebook in 2004 and growing

exponentially to the present. The most relevant studies have been conducted in the past couple

of years. Complementary health and wellness businesses compete in a market of heavy

information overload by attempting to grab and hold the attention of their target consumer

groups. Educating the public and selling products and services is increasingly important, but the

means to this end has rapidly changed due to the insurgence of prospects looking to the internet

for information. The ability and method of spreading a message virally is widely contested. It’s

even doubted by those employed in the industry. Researchers have widely avoided the topic in

the complementary health and wellness field. Study of the field has been largely limited to

traditional advertising theories, basic social media marketing theories, and effects of social media

campaigns on complementary health and wellness goals of various organizations and brands.

However, all of these studies have Tipping Points in common. They show an underlying theme

of the need for the involvement of influential people, the memorability of a message, and the

circumstances surrounding an idea. Some of the studies also demonstrate how complementary

health and wellness organizations have had success using viral messages to change health

behavior.

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Central works containing instances of these aforementioned ideas are Gladwell’s book

Tipping Points (2002), Duncan Watts’ book Six Degrees (2002), Ann M. Roger’s streamlining

strategies (2014), Jenni Romaniuk’s “Next Big Thing,” (2012), and Daniel et al. study of how

social media marketing and health communication can improve the public’s health (2012),

Kalpaklioglu and Toros’s findings on viral marketing techniques (2011), Ip et al. study of viral

marketing to promote smoking cessation (2014), Shu-Chuan Chu’s findings on viral advertising

in Facebook groups (2011), and Zanuddin et al. findings on value creation for a well-women’s

service using social media (2013).

Tipping Points: A Central, Traditional Theory

Gladwell’s The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference (2002), first

introduced the idea of viral messages before they were called thus. The book is sold in the

business genre and its popular concepts have been used in traditional advertising campaigns.

Tipping points have to do with a moment in time when a message crosses an unseen threshold

and “spreads like wildfire,” (Gladwell, Jacket, 2011). Most people are familiar with the biology

of a viral infection and how it can spread quickly and multiply from person-to-person.

Gladwell’s idea applies the viral phenomenon to the world of ideas, trends, and messages. He

divides the components of The Tipping Point into three categories: The Law of the Few, The

Stickiness Factor, and The Power of Context. Gladwell examines these three properties and how

they historically contributed to the success of children’s television shows, fashion trends, crime

rates, and more. Case studies are offered at the end of the book to illustrate the application of

these theories in motion.

The Law of the Few

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The Law of the Few refers to the importance of people of influence. Gladwell calls these

influencers connectors, mavens, and salesmen (Gladwell, 2002, p. 31). Connectors are people

characterized by having many friends in many different social circles, economic classes, and

professional fields. They tend to be people who introduce others to one-another, breaking down

social barriers to unite people who otherwise would not be able to relate. A real-world example

would be a farmer and a clothing designer meeting because a fiber salesperson introduces them.

He knows them both because he works with both, but they would not have otherwise met due to

very different life circumstances.

A 2003 study by a physicist named Duncan Watts at Columbia University cast doubt on

Gladwell’s theory that influential people are a crucial channel through which messages must

travel to targets. Watts sent 61,000 people an email message that had to reach one of 18 targets

by being passed from person-to-person. While the email messages took an average of

Gladwell’s predicted six links, only 5% of the messages passed through a person who would be

considered a true connector. Watts posed that if connectors were the one determining factor of

success in a marketing campaign, then using them would harbor much better results than were

reported at that time. However, Gladwell’s theory adds to the influencer aspect by stating that

his few don’t always have to be connectors. They can also be mavens or salesmen, which could

explain why other types of people were able to connect the message with the intended target

recipient.

As previously mentioned, Gladwell’s second type of influencer is a maven. A maven is

an expert on the marketplace’s products and services. Combined with great social skills and an

almost unhealthy desire to help others, mavens make word-of-mouth recommendations that are

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often repeated by the recipients of that information. Mavens love to give advice, but they also

love to receive it (Gladwell, 2002, p. 60).

Gladwell adds another influencer to the mix. A salesman is a term used by Gladwell for

anyone who has a persuasive personality and uses his powerful verbal and nonverbal traits to get

people to agree or do as they desire. Salesmen change peoples’ minds and get them to take action

(p. 70).

The Stickiness Factor

The second element of Gladwell’s Tipping Points is The Stickiness Factor. The

Stickiness Factor has to do with a message having a big impact on the receiver, and its ability to

be remembered due to its content. This big impact has the ability to inspire action and change in

an individual.

The Power of Context

The Power of Context is the third main element of Gladwell’s Tipping Points. It’s widely

believed that a person’s behavior is widely influenced by his or her surrounding environment.

“Epidemics are sensitive to the times and places in which they occur,” (Gladwell, 2002, p. 139).

Elements in the environment or context of a situation can be very subtle, but powerful initiators

of change.

In summary, Gladwell’s work proposes that while messages and change can be difficult

to initiate, there is hope. By employing the three factors of the Tipping Point in intelligent and

well-organized pushes, intelligent action may be all that is needed. The world seems immovable,

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but with just the right balance of elements, it’s very easily manipulated. However, the key

factors are widely misunderstood by today’s marketers.

Gaps in Health Care Marketing

Ann Rogers, a former employee of the healthcare marketing sector and digital marketing

business entrepreneur, suggests that the biggest stumbling block is lack of time to investigate

theories and develop strategic plans. Another challenge is the workload. “It’s common for

people to start posting and engaging immediately but then slow down when things get busy.

When that happens, your organization drops off the radar,” (Rogers, 2014, p. 17). Key gaps

include the “sales funnel breakdown, lack of digital content, one-way social media street; and

messages that are not benefit oriented,” (p. 16). Strategy is an important way to get the attention

of top influencers, which helps to spread a message. Zanuddin, Previte, and Russell-Bennett

claim the value of social media marketing has been largely ignored in research. They ask why

it’s even important in the first place (2013, p. 363).

Rogers (2014) claims that sticking to a few very well developed and managed social

media platforms and presenting a united front of information increases visibility and makes the

brand more recognizable. An organization will make the messages more memorable by telling

people how they will benefit from that service, action, or product. Capturing attention while not

being too “salesy,” ip (Rogers, 2014, p. 17), is a worthwhile consideration.

Another of Rogers’ points is that marketers forget that consumers look for information in

various ways, and streamlining the process of accessing that information is a must. For example,

print ads must point to a specific URL, while blog posts, tweets, status updates, etc. must all

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point to the same URL. It must be incredibly easy for the seeker to find the information. It’s

easiest to find information that’s directly placed in one’s lap (Rogers, 2014, p. 17).

Viral Marketing Theory

Chu (2011) defines viral advertising as “unpaid, peer-to-peer communication of

provocative content originating from an identified sponsor using the Internet to persuade or

influence an audience to pass along the content to others,” (p. 31). Evidence of Gladwell’s three

Tipping Points can be found in research about viral marketing.

Romaniuk posits that knowing the audience of any given social media channel can help

an advertiser determine whether influencers are available to help spread a message there. Using

this knowledge to overcome obstacles will help to push the message forward (Romaniuk, 2013,

p. 397).

Chu (2011, p.p. 30-33) agrees with the importance of The Law of the Few, and

understanding who the most influential people are in a given platform. For example, his study

found that college-aged users were more likely to spread messages on Facebook specifically.

Using this knowledge is one step in the right direction for targeted campaigns who wish to use

Facebook. Adding to this, he found college-aged students seek a community of trust which is

provided to them on Facebook. Friends were more likely to get interested and purchase a

product when they saw their friends doing it (p. 31).

Kalpaklioglu & Toros (2011) also found that consumers rely on friends’ decisions and

advice to assist in purchasing decisions. “Researches show that 78% of consumers trust

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recommendations from other consumers,” (p. 4113). He also found a nine-times-stronger

likelihood of behavior induced through friends influence than through television, magazine, or

newspaper ads (p. 4113). Behavior is traditionally believed to be strongly influenced by word-

of-mouth, and viral messages on the internet are much like word-of-mouth phenomena in the real

world. The trust effect, as described by Kalpaklioglu & Toros (pp. 4128-4129), is the

phenomenon that affects purchase decisions and product performance. Recommendations are a

huge factor for bringing new products into the awareness of consumers. In the form of viral

marketing, persuasion is even stronger.

Educational, entertainment, emotional, and memorable content is another important

aspect of viral marketing. Chu posits that his college-aged Facebook users enjoyed groups

where they were able to share videos, photos, and other personalized content that elicited

emotions in the participants. He goes on to say that his studies also showed a correlation

between emotion and viral advertising with the most important element being that of surprise.

Further, positive emotions garnered a better response than negative emotions (2011, pp. 30-33).

Students also desired to pass along information that helped to spread of message about

who they are as individuals. They joined groups mainly for socializing, gathering information,

and entertainment (2011, pp. 30-33).

Kalpaklioglu & Toros found that having fun was a major factor in attracting people to

become engaged and share content. Gaming, through mobile phones, websites, social

applications, and more was a heavy contender in perpetuating viral messages. Advertising

placed within a game, or even a brand-based game was sticky enough to be remembered and

recommended by players of these games (2011, p. 4126).

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Finally, context was a measure in each of the studies. Romaniuk suggests that less work

for the consumer provides a higher payoff for the advertiser, but not every consumer is willing to

do the same amount of work. It depends on how invested and loyal the consumer is to the brand.

Marketers need to make interaction with a brand as effortless as possible (Romaniuk, 2013, p.

398).

Chu gives this example: Putting a message directly in front of a consumer, such as

through direct messaging or email is easier to notice and read than something buried amongst

many other messages (Chu, 2011, p. 31). Kalpaklioglu & Toros agree with this position, saying

that ease of communication is what draws people to electronic mediums in the first place.

However, being bombarded by advertising causes a prospective customer to change their minds

about a product (Kalpaglioglu & Toros, 2011, p. 4113).

When it comes to word-of-mouth, consumers seem to prefer this due to a feeling that the

information is more trustworthy, and marketers benefit from this because it’s a low-cost and

high-payoff strategy (Kalpaglioglu & Toros, p. 4113). This “Environment of trust is created

when people sharing their opinions about the product or the service do not have connection with

products’ producer or provider of service,” (Kalpaklioglu & Toros, 2011, p. 4116). Marketers

must beware of the possibility of negative evaluations as well, which are more likely to go viral

than positive messages (p. 4115).

Studies in Viral Social Media in the Health Communication Sector

There is a great lack of research in the field of Health Communication, and an even

greater absence of studies in the narrower field of Complementary Health and Wellness, while

there is only one study in the value of free information in the field. The wellness paradigm or

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preventative health services are more reactive than proactive in social media marketing

approaches at this time (Zanuddin, Previte & Russell-Bennet, 2013, pps. 361-362).

Understanding value in free services provided via online means is a major challenge for

marketers. So far, progress has been made in “reducing the burden of chronic disease currently

caused by obesity, tobacco, and the excessive consumption of alcohol” (Zanuddin, Previte, &

Russell-Bennet, 2013, p. 362).

Some of the women in this study describe themselves as individuals who influence others

to take a desired action. These people were strongly influenced and benefited by the study and

therefore wanted to encourage others to do what they had learned to be helpful (Zanudding,

Previte, & Russell-Bennet, 2013, p. 373). Daniel, Bernhardt & Eroglu (2009), agree, posing that

the audience is an important aspect of getting a message to spread. They assert that the

phenomena of relationships between the audience members and that with other systems are an

important consideration (pp. 2121-2122).

Ip, et al. (2014), join the theory of influence in reporting their findings of an anti-smoking

campaign experiment. They found that, after inviting students to share experiences, that age is a

powerful factor in influencing friends’ smoking patterns, and encouraging them to quit. “Within

the short study period of 22 days, there was an almost sevenfold increase in registered users with

6 referral levels,” (Ip et al., 2014, p. 7). The researchers found that the referrals and shared

information “requires a high degree of trust” (Ip et al., 2014, p. 7).

What attracts people to health and wellness information and makes them remember or

even become loyal to an organization or idea? The user has to value the information, according

to Zanuddin, Previte, and Russell-Bennett, (2013, p.p. 363-366). This team goes on to say that

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people value free content that meets their needs. There are three kinds of value found to be of

importance, including functional, emotional, social, and altruistic. Peace of mind was also found

to be of importance in the instance where recipients of information took action in

recommendations made by social media messages. Positive emotions and relief played a part in

the payoff for those who took action (p. 372). Additionally, the messages received in social

media served as reminders to do things that many already believed to be valuable, such as having

annual breast screens (p. 373). Action can be better influenced by marketers understanding these

reasons for action, and providing more messages such as these for the audience (p. 376). Adding

to the stickiness of these messages, the marketer may incorporate drama and storytelling into the

call for action, increasing the emotional response in the reader (Daniel, Bernhardt, Eroglu, 2009,

p. 2121).

Eliciting emotion was also found to be of value. Competition and a desire to win seemed

to have an influence on participants completing the challenge of a marketing campaign for

smoke-free lifestyles, (Ip et al., 2014, p. 2).

Contextual factors were prevalent in these studies. Daniel, Bernhardt, & Eroglu (2009)

found that while the intent of viral marketing in healthcare is to spread a positive message, it’s

even easier for negative messages to be consequential. People have to change their behavior and

the challenges of doing so can be detrimental to the success of a campaign. The cultural and

social environment plays a large part in whether people will implement change. For example, if

healthy foods are unaffordable, people will not purchase and consume them, and will complain

that the message to do so is insensitive. Therefore, going beyond the message and providing

resources to implement the changes (such as coupons for healthy food) must be included to make

the message successful. Additionally, addressing the busy lives of followers by providing

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helpful and timely information and resources was appreciated by participants. Too much

information of little value was found to be detrimental, (pp. 2120-2122).

The Daniel, Burkhart, & Eroglu (2009) study focused on women’s wellness. Review of

this study was chosen because it fell into the complementary health category. It was proposed

that treatment as opposed to prevention would be a factor in taking action or recommending

action, and they found this to be true. Breast screenings were carried out, after suggestion, by

women who had lumps or pain, menopause, heart issues, and a hysterectomy. Those with no

history of health issues were not as likely to have a breast exam (p. 369). Having a breast exam

gave these women “a sense of control,” (Daniel, Burkhart & Eroglu, 2009, p. 371). It was then

that they recommended exams to friends or family whom they knew to be avoiding exams (p.

371).

Environmental factors were little recognized in Ip et al.’s (2014) Smoke-Free campaign.

They note simply that demographic similarity in the participants played the largest role in

sharing of information (p. 7).

Summary

As suspected, the gaps in healthcare marketing reflect a need for assimilation of research

with effective strategy for executing a viral social media campaign. This is not easy due to the

lack of research available in this subject area. Therefore, taking existing research in the areas of

viral marketing theory, examinations of viral instances in social media in the healthcare sector,

and traditional healthcare marketing strategies had to be collected and scoured for traces of

similar themes. Fortunately, a pattern exists that demonstrates a basic and fundamental

underlying trend that was first posed by Gladwell’s Tipping Points. Each article examined

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mentioned and applied instances of The Law of the Few, The Stickiness Factor, and The Power

of Context. While each application of these factors was implemented in different ways, the same

three themes appeared time and again in these studies, even though different terms were used.

Chapter 3: Methods

Introduction

Gladwell’s Tipping Points (2002), through a review of literature, have been identified as

key factors in successful social media marketing campaigns. The previous studies did not term

these Tipping Points as such, but the criteria were similar enough to distinguish the three

markers. Some of the campaigns reviewed have gone viral and most have been considered

beneficial. There are a lot of conflicting theories about why messages go viral on social media.

Although the complementary health and wellness field is very competitive, there is little

information available about how to successfully market this niche using social media. There are

no studies showing that the three Tipping Points factors can be used as a method of intentionally

pushing a viral social media campaign. This study aims to show that Gladwell’s Tipping Points

can easily be implemented to increase the virility of a social media marketing campaign on a

real-life Complementary Health and Wellness business’s Facebook page.

Stakeholders

Participants in this study are many. The first is a business we are calling “DRW.” The

owner of the business will implement the marketing strategy. He is 36 years old with a Master’s

Degree in Community Agency Counseling. He has no prior marketing training and minimal

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experience in social media marketing. This business owner has stated he has a personal interest

in testing a simple marketing plan on his page because he has nothing to lose, due to prior sales

from social media being only 3% of his business. Other participants include people who like the

DRW Facebook page, their friends, friends-of-friends, and so-on. About 3% of page likers, or

fans, are previous DRW clients while the rest have never purchased the services of the business.

According to Facebook’s Insights feature, as of November 10, 2014, the demographics of the

page likers are as follows, (See Table 1): The majority of Fans (numbering 2929) are from

Turkey. We are choosing to ignore this majority due to these fans being illegitimate due to paid

likes. The second largest group of fans (510) is from the United States and is seemingly all

organic or legitimate fans. The largest majority of fans, at 21%, are men aged 18-24, followed

by men aged 25-34. DRW’s most-reached demographic (See Table 2) is also men aged 18-24 at

39%, followed by women in the same age bracket at 20%. The most engaged users (See Table

3) of the DRW page are men in the 18-24 year old bracket at 29%, followed by an equal split of

women in the 25-34 years age bracket (14%), and women in the 35-44 years age bracket (14%).

Engagement is an important note, as this plays a large factor in virility on Facebook. It is

important to note that not all of the people reached and engaged are fans of the DRW page. The

language preference of a large majority of fans is English. The types of posts (See Table 4)

reaching the most fans are photos, followed by status updates, and links; while status updates get

the most engagement. Socioeconomic, disability, sexual orientation, and other demographic

information are not available via Facebook’s Insights application.

According to Facebook Insights on November 11, 2014, most of the DRW Facebook fans

are online at approximately these times each day: 857 at 1:00 pm, 855 at Noon, 812 at 11:00 am,

TIPPING POINTS 24

followed by 807 at 2:00 pm (See Table 5). Therefore, these posting times will be suggested on

the guidelines provided to the business owner as an attempt to reach the widest audience.

Due to the unlimited possibility of reach or participation in this study, unforeseen

stakeholders may exist. This will not be known until the study is underway. The POLICY ON

RESEARCH INVOLVING PARTICIPATION OF OTHERS (New England College, August

2003) will be consulted and the experiment will be adjust or stopped if anyone’s welfare is

questioned at any time.

Approach and Methodology

This is a mixed-methods approach that uses qualitative and quantitative views. The study

began with a literature review and will continue with a social media marketing experiment on

Facebook. The experimental part of this study will take place during the fourth calendar year of

business for DRW, and the fourth year of managing a Facebook page, namely January 5, 2015

through February 1, 2015. The DRW Facebook page has not yet experienced a successful viral

marketing campaign. A pre-designed campaign strategy using specific types of posts based on

Tipping Points factors will be implemented by the owner of the business. Facebook’s Insights

Application will be used to measure the Reach, Likes, and Engagement of posts made over the

four week period. Each post will be scrutinized for virility. The test will rely heavily upon the

owner’s ability to make decisions based on the guidelines provided and continued participation.

The impetus for participation is anticipation of increased reach and sales for the business. A

survey of the owner’s opinions about the method will be taken upon quitting or completion of the

project.

Research Design

TIPPING POINTS 25

The campaign will take place over the course of four weeks on the DRW Facebook page.

On Monday of each week, the business owner will design and schedule 28 posts (4 per day)

based on criteria provided by the researcher (See Item 1). He will be the only person posting on

the DRW Facebook page during the experimental period. The owner will be made aware that the

goal is to design messages to reach the widest audience possible in the shortest amount of time.

The criteria will give suggestions for types of posts based on Tipping Points criteria, previous

Facebook DRW page Insights, and demographic information of DRW Facebook page fans. Each

post will include at least one Tipping Points element, and each of the three Tipping Points

criteria will be present in the design or implementation of four posts per day. The researcher

will place messages on the DRW Facebook page, alerting fans to the fact that a study is taking

place from January 5, 2015 through February 2, 2015. Activity of the page will be examined to

reveal any adverse results there were a consequence of posts made during the study phase. An

exit survey will be taken by the business owner when his portion of work has been completed.

Ethics

The incentive for participation by the business owner is the anticipation of an increased

awareness of his business and more sales. Although it is not anticipated, the results of this

experiment may result in no change or a decrease in reach or sales for DRW. The business

owner will be notified of this possibility. Access to the DRW Facebook Page will be revoked to

the researcher by February 14, 2015. The POLICY ON RESEARCH INVOLVING

PARTICIPATION OF OTHERS (New England College, August 2003, n.p.) will be provided to

the business owner and adhered to by the researcher. (See Item 2).

Data Collection

TIPPING POINTS 26

Results of the study will be reported based on the following: On Monday, December 29,

2014, all DRW Facebook page Activity and Insights will be collected and recorded for the

previous 4 weeks. On the second, third, and fourth Mondays, Facebook Insights measurements

for the previous seven days will be recorded by the researcher. On Monday, February 1, 2015,

final Activity and Insights data will be gathered for the experimental period and interpreted by

the researcher. Evidence of Tipping Points factors will be noted and measured in all posts and

compared to the virility of those posts, comparing the pre-study month and the study month. The

business owner’s log will also be examined to determine if he followed the posting guidelines.

Intention of the business owner and causal effects of individual posts will be closely examined

and reported. Unexpected results will be noted and analyzed. The exit survey will be scrutinized

for ease-of-use and the business owner’s opinion of the project.

Implications

This groundbreaking study is the first of its kind to implement Tipping Point factors in

social media marketing. It’s especially unique in the fact that it’s applied to a Complementary

Health and Wellness business. In this highly saturated and ever-increasingly competitive market,

a need for straightforward advice for reaching the widest audience at the fastest rate possible is

not only desired, but necessary. If this study shows a causal effect of Tipping Points factors in

the virility of Facebook posts, then even the most unexperienced marketers in this segment may

finally have some insight into how posts become viral. However, no one study can provide a

solid basis across the large playing field of social media. More study is needed not only in the

field of complementary health and wellness marketing, but on Facebook and other social media

sites. When this is done, more credence may be given to the discoveries presented in this

experiment.

TIPPING POINTS 27

Limitations

As previously discussed in Chapter 1, little research exists on Gladwell’s theories in

regard to viral marketing, especially when it comes to social media. While many viral social

media studies suggest methods resembling Tipping Points, no one has yet come to name them as

such, or directly apply them in the complimentary health and wellness niche. While a problem

may be that some translation is needed to bridge a gap between various theories and naming

those as Tipping Points factors, the research has easily demonstrated that this is possible due to

using different terminology with the similar or same definitions and/or descriptions.

Due to the large assortment of social media sites, it would be impossible to test them all

in one study. Facebook was chosen because it currently has the largest membership of all the

social media hubs in the world and has the largest reach potential. Not all social media platforms

work the same way. It’s impracticable to assume that a method used on one social media site will

work the same on another site.

Another hindrance to this study is the business owner’s own concept of ideal social media

posts based on the guidelines given. Due to a creativity component, no two people will design

the same posts, and therefore, results may differ.

Summary

Gladwell’s Tipping Points (2002) may be the key factor in social media virility. This

study takes aim at being the first to investigate the phenomenon using a real-life complementary

health and wellness business’s Facebook page. A month’s worth of posts will be designed by the

TIPPING POINTS 28

business owner via guidelines provided by the study. The business owner is motivated by the

hope that his efforts will increase visibility and sales for his business.

Data will be collected before, during, and after the study to help measure and determine

the effects of daily posts on virility. Special care will be taken to follow ethical guidelines set

forth by New England College.

Results will be gathered, assimilated, and reported at the end of the study. While the

results may or may not show a correlation between Tipping Points and post virility, it’s an

important first step in understanding if and how this theory works. Due to the individual nature

of the business owner’s posts and the wide variety of social media sites currently available, much

more study of this theory will be needed in the future to give credence to these predictions.

Chapter 4: Strategic Plan

Problem Statement

There is a gap that exists between social media marketing research in the Complementary

Health and Wellness Field. Lack of a simple, unified method of implementation leaves marketers

feeling unsure about how to spread messages about their products and services. Adding to this

intimidation, many healers do not to attempt capitalizing on work due to personal hang-ups.

With two strikes against them, business owners give up marketing before they begin (Rogers,

2014; ZaKaiRan, 2014).

The hope of this study is to remove one of the implied obstacles for those employed in

the healing trade. Additionally, the aim is to evaluate an easy-to use social media marketing

TIPPING POINTS 29

approach which will reach the largest audience over the least amount of time. If this approach

works, it will result in better brand recognition and higher sales numbers. Specifically, the focus

of this study is to show that Gladwell’s (2003) Tipping Points can be easily used in a Facebook

campaign to increase virility of a complimentary health and wellness business’s posts.

Goals

Primarily, this study is positioned to be a first step in the research, understanding, and

application of Gladwell’s Tipping Points in social media marketing. In the very least, the

investigation will show whether more study is worth undertaking. This trial is hoped to be the

first to help simplify social media marketing methods for those employed in the complementary

health and wellness market, while removing some of the intimidation and excuse from

implementing a marketing strategy due to its simplicity. The applied experiment aims to show

that even an unexperienced marketer with little social media marketing experience may quickly

become educated on a simple technique and execute it with a positive, worthwhile, and

measurable result in a matter of four working days with a quick turn-around time of four weeks.

TimeLine

The experiment will take place over a 28 day, or four week period, from January 5, 2015

through February 1, 2015. It will have two phases. First, recording of preliminary Insights data

will be made on Monday, December 29, 2914, including all available activity data for the

previous four week period.

Second, Facebook Insights data will be collected on the second, third, and fourth

Mondays. Final data for the week and for the entire four weeks will be gathered and collected in

February 1, 2015.

TIPPING POINTS 30

Tipping Points factors, and evidence thereof, will be examined and recorded. From there,

all data recorded pre-, during, and post-study will be compared to the virility of posts made by

the business owner. An owner’s log will be kept during the study, which will be scrutinized for

evidence of compliance with the guidelines and understanding of the Tipping Points method.

Various data will be carefully collected and compared. Evidence of virility beyond the

DRW Facebook page will be followed and recorded as far as possible to attempt an

understanding of through whom and which channels the most viral posts were shared, as this

information could be valuable for future research. All unexpected, conflicting, or undesired

results occurring from the business owner’s attempts to follow posting guidelines will be noted

and analyzed. A final measurement presented in chart form will be compounded to show the

increase, decrease, or no change in the virility of posts made during the experimental period.

An exit survey will be completed by the business owner to assess his opinion about ease-

of-use, understanding, time, and whether he would continue to use this method in the future.

For Posting Guideline and Exit Survey, see Appendix, Figures 1, 3.

Financial Plan

This study will be of no cost to the researcher or the business owner because the DRW

Facebook page is a free service provided to the business. Paid advertising is available, but none

will be implemented in this study. The researcher and business owner already pay for internet

access, so there is no additional cost to implement the plan. There is little financial risk to the

business owner, as he has stated that only 3% of his sales have come from social media. If he

were to lose this 3%, it would be of no consequence to the survival of the business. Only an

increase in sales would result in a change in business, which would be considered a positive

TIPPING POINTS 31

outcome. The business owner understands that there is a time investment involved with the

design and implementation of social media posts for the experiment. The time needed to

implement the strategy will consist of eight hours of work for him, (2 hours each Monday),

which the owner is already using for scheduling social media posts. He will simply be adopting

the experimental strategy during this time instead of going about things in the usual manner. The

amount of work for the researcher will also consist of about eight hours of work, and will be

done in her free time.

Long-Term Plan

This study is hoped to be just the first of many sister studies of the same type done on

other complementary health and wellness Facebook pages. Comparison of a wide array of

businesses and owners’ unique application of posting guidelines in this niche will provide a

much better picture of whether the Tipping Points approach is applicable to many, or if the

success or failure of one attempt was an isolated event. Once a standard understanding has been

settled, the same experiment may be adapted for evaluation on other social media sites.

Contingency Plan

This test requires the participation of the DRW business owner over a period of

approximately a month. There is a possibility that he will not follow through on the posting

guidelines, or will not follow the guidelines. In this case, the study is still valuable, as the reason

for non-participation or non-compliance will provide valuable information about the assumed

ease and simplicity of following Tipping Points guidelines. In the case that the study cannot be

implemented at all, a new business will be recruited to participate, and posting guidelines will be

tweaked to complement their Insights data, as we did for DRW.

TIPPING POINTS 32

In the case of abandonment by the business owner, we will record as much data as

possible up until the quitting. The exit interview will be made with the business owner to

question why he quit and if the Tipping Points method was too complicated to follow or

implement (See Figure 3). Since this is the first study of its kind, any information collected can

be a valuable tool for evaluation of the efficacy of Tipping Points in social media.

Conclusion

No financial burden, limited risk, but moderate time investments are placed upon the

business owner during participation in this study. The incentive of boosting reach and sales is a

motivator. Easy-to-understand guidelines will be provided and ethics of the study will be closely

guarded. We do not expect a problem with participation or compliance of the business owner.

However, if the business owner fails to follow through with the experiment, a different business

will be recruited, and/or all available metrics will be gathered and analyzed. Additionally, the

DRW business owner will be interviewed in order to better understand why he chose not to

further participate.

Because this is the first time an experiment of this nature has been conducted, it’s

difficult to guarantee it will work. However, based on review of past research, the attempt is

deemed worthy and the researcher is optimistic. Through deep examination of Facebook

Insights before, during, and after the study, combined with the participation of the DRW

business owner, we hope to discover a positive boost of viral messages originating from the

DRW Facebook page. Even if the opposite is discovered, the study retains importance. Any

understanding of if and how Tipping Points can be used in influencing virility in social media is

more information than was previously available.

TIPPING POINTS 33

Annotated Bibliography

Albee, A. (2014, October 29). Why marketers need more information to push content publishing

forward [Web log post]. Retrieved from

http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/category/research/

Albee’s article discusses the research and statistics that are both available and missing in

the content marketing field. Albee’s premise is that there has been much scrutiny over

what marketers are doing, but not about what actually works and how to implement

successful marketing strategies. She points to a lack of focus in education in the

marketing field about content marketing specifics, and poses that taking the time to

research and learn new strategies is well worth a student or marketer’s time due to the

consequential increased success rate of a well-planned campaign in a quickly changing

social media environment.

ALS Association (2014). ALS ice bucket challenge FAQ. ALS Association: Create a World

without ALS. Retrieved from http://www.alsa.org/about-us/ice-bucket-challenge-faq.html

This is simply an informational, frequently-asked-questions web page about the ALS

Association’s Ice Bucket Challenge, which took off in the summer of 2014. Under the

“Other” subcategory, the nature of the challenge is described as one that has been

previously used in sports, but sufferers of the ALS disease were the initiators and those

who get credit for making the challenge go viral in mid-July 2014, inspiration a nation of

do-gooders and raising over $100,000 by August 29, 2014, a little over the course of one

month.

Bachman, J. (2013, October 29). How to go viral, every time [Web log post]. Retrieved from

http://blog.visual.ly/how-to-go-viral-every-time/

Bachman’s article discusses how a person can follow preset rules of virility, but argues

that luck is the vetoing factor of all efforts. This is a short, concise article that provides

his opinions based on years of work in the social media marketing field.

TIPPING POINTS 34

Chu, S. C. (2011, Fall). Viral advertising in social media: Participation in Facebook groups and

responses among college-aged users. Journal of Interactive Advertising,(12)1, 30- 43.

This study examines a focused group of college-aged Facebook users and their

participation in viral advertising behaviors. The study demonstrates that this age group is

a highly participatory crowd of users on this particular platform, and how they interact

both on the social media platform, and with peers who are not members of the channel.

Three particular sets of questions are posed and studied. The questions ask about

differences in members and nonmembers when it comes to self-disclosure, differences in

attitudes toward advertising on and off Facebook, and differences between viral behavior

in Facebook and Non-Facebook users. Sets of statistical data with explanations are

offered in the results. The study found that while more study is necessary, that marketers

must develop a strong sense of the psychological characteristics of Facebook users and

design marketing campaigns that do not cause concerns with privacy.

Daniel, K.L., Bernhardt, J.M., & Eroglu, D (2009, December). Social Marketing and health

communication: From people to places. American Journal of Public Health, (99), 12.

2120-2122.

This scholarly journal article was written by three researchers from the Center for

Disease Control and is an assimilation and study of former works on health messages and

social consequences of those messages, both positive and negative. These writers found

that a wide array of marketing techniques can be used to positively influence consumer

behaviors and pose that marketers should use the ideas presented in their literature review

for battling persevering health problems such as the obesity epidemic. The researchers

pose that health epidemics are social problems, and social solutions are the key to

changing stubborn behaviors if marketers take approaches that have been found

successful in past attempts at change. The article is short, but written in a formal style

with the use of avant-garde terminology that may be difficult for a lay marketer to

decipher.

Gladwell, M. (2002). The tipping point. How little things can make a big difference. New York,

NY: Hatchett Book Group.

Gladwell’s book offers an in-depth explanation of what he calls Tipping Points, or social

epidemics, and his theory of the three key factors for spreading changes quickly and

profoundly. Using his great storytelling ability mixed with reporting facts on historical

TIPPING POINTS 35

social events and sometimes unintentional marketing campaigns, this seasoned and well-

respected journalist uses anecdotal and circumstantial examples of how, when, where,

and why new ideas spread like wildfire, and who is key in this phenomenon.

Gladwell’s book is written in a way that helps the reader see commonplace events from a

different perspective, offering the idea that with just the right mix of people, context, and

stickiness, that a little thing can become a very big thing in a short amount of time.

Essentially, it is a new way of thinking about the social world. He supports his case

studies and theories with eleven pages of quality resources in his endnotes.

Ip, P., Lam, T.H., Chan, S.S.C., et al. (2014, June). Use of internet viral marketing to promote

smoke-free lifestyles among Chinese adolescents. The Journal of Pediatrics and

Adolescent Medicine, 9 (6), 1- 8.

This groundbreaking study was conducted by eight Chinese researchers from universities

and government health organizations to study the effectiveness of viral electronic

marketing to promote a positive health outcome. Chinese adolescents aged 10-24 took

part in a game in the form of a multiple-choice quiz which provided education about

tobacco use. The researchers found that negative attitudes toward smoking increased

from 57% to 73%, demonstrating that successful viral marketing techniques can be

implemented in a cost-effective and practical way.

Kapaglioglu, N. & Toros, N. (2011). Viral marketing techniques within online social network.

Journal of Yasar University, 24(6, 4112- 4129.

This is a multi-faceted and multi-dimensional study due to its many factors combining

the type of platforms used and the types of advertising. This study provides a look at

results garnered from viral marketing placed within and around electronic gaming

environments, email, and videos, mobile phones, blogging, and consumer-generated

content. Types of advertising used in the study were below-the-line, above-the-line, and

through-the-line. The seventeen pages of information offer one of the most extensive

studies offered on broad-scope social media viral marketing techniques to date, offering

that viral techniques can be intentionally directed through a solid understanding of what

they are and how they work. Some English and grammatical errors are noted in this

study.

Rogers, A. (2014, Summer). Managing the gaps in health care digital marketing. Marketing

Health Services, 16-17.

TIPPING POINTS 36

This magazine article was written by a well-seasoned expert in the health

communications and social media field. Her main argument is that health care marketers

are overwhelmed by the challenges of today’s marketing efforts. Simplification and

clarity offer a means by which advertisers can plan and implement a strong social media

marketing campaign. Her experience is offered in the form of three main subject areas:

audience targeting, engagement, and providing what the consumer really needs.

Combining these tree elements helps to reach marketing goals with ease and success.

Romaniuk, J. (2012, December). Are you ready for the next big thing? New media is dead!

Long live new media! Journal of Advertising Research, 397- 399. doi: 10.2501/jar-52-

4-397-399

This article is written by an author of multiple journal articles in the field of marketing.

She is an associate professor and associate director at Ehernberg-Bass Institute for

Marketing Science. She is considered an expert in word-of-mouth advertising. This

article provides advice for stages of adopting and implementing new social media

platforms for advertising, along with how to make smart decisions when it’s time to use

the adopted channels. Items to consider before adoption include curiosity, worship,

justification, and acceptance. Smart decisions revolve around the ideas of defining

audiences, increasing ease of use, conducting experiments, and testing efforts. These

efforts can be fun and provide great learning experiences. She warns, however, that

novelty doesn’t necessarily mean the channel is made for the business in question. This

is a short, easy-to-read piece.

Smith, C. (2014, July 23). By the numbers: 170 amazing Facebook user demographics and

statistics. Digital Marketing Ramblings. [Web log post]. Retrieved from

http://expandedramblings.com/index.php/by-the-numbers-17-amazing-facebook-stats/

Smith’s blog article builds on a previously written statistics review on Facebook, adding

many new pieces of information such as mobile, advertising, page, and user facts. It is

broken into those four categories for easy navigation.

Watts, D. (2003). Six degrees: The science of a connected age. New York, NY: W.W. Norton.

This book was one of the first to study the theory of the Six Degrees of Separation, as

made popular by the Kevin Bacon game. Duncan Watts is known for his pioneering

TIPPING POINTS 37

efforts in theories of networking and sociology. Trained as a physicist, Watts sets out to

systematically and curiously explore how chains of connected people bring about societal

change, just as a viral epidemic is spread from person-to-person. The complexity of this

book is not as easily read or understood as Gladwell’s Tipping Points, but it brings to

light some of the nuances of social epidemics that are not so closely examined in Tipping

Points.

Zainuddin, N., Previte, J., & Russell-Bennett, R. (2013). A social marketing approach to value

creation in a well-women’s health service. Journal of Marketing Management. (27), 361-

385.

This article focuses on the importance of understanding how consumers value

information and how that value drives demand for free and preventative health care

services available via social media outlets. This approach employs a focus on wellness

rather than treating disease. Detailed interviews were used to identify six themes and four

dimensions of value when utilizing social media to deliver content. This comprehensive

study is unique in the field of wellness marketing.

ZaKaiRan (2014, October 26). Receiving money for your healing services. Retrieved from

http://www.zakairan.com/ZaKaiRansArticlesBooks/Articles/RecievingMoneyHealingSer

vices.htm#.VFJrBvl4pcQ

This website serves as a hub of information for individuals working in the healing and

wellness field, as well as a monetized store front from health and wellness guru

ZaKaiRan’s services and products. The author discusses why healers should receive

money for services, and why recipients should pay. ZaKaiRan is well-respected in his

field and has many years of hands-on experience working in the complementary health

sector.

TIPPING POINTS 38

Appendix A

Table A1

Facebook Insights, Age Demographics of Fans who Like the DRW Page

This screen shot of DRW’s Facebook page Insights shows women’s (top, light blue) and men’s

(bottom, dark blue) ages as percentage of users who Like the DRW Facebook page, as compared

to overall Facebook users.

TIPPING POINTS 39

Table A2

Facebook Insights, Age Demographics of People Reached

This screen shot of DRW’s Facebook page Insights shows women’s (top, light blue) and men’s

(bottom, dark blue) ages as percentage of users who see DRW posts on their personal Newsfeed.

TIPPING POINTS 40

Table A3

Facebook Insights, Age Demographics of People on Facebook Engaging with Page

This screen shot of DRW’s Facebook page Insights shows women’s (top, light blue) and men’s

(bottom, dark blue) ages as percentage of users interacting with the page (Liking comments,

posting comments, clicking links or graphics, and sharing content).

TIPPING POINTS 41

Table A4

Facebook Insights, Page Post Type Reach and Engagement

This screen shot of DRW’s Facebook Page Insights shows how many people see posts on their

Newsfeeds, the type of posts they see, and average interaction (engagement) with those posts.

TIPPING POINTS 42

Table A5

Facebook Insights, When Fans are Online

This screenshot of DRW’s Facebook Page Insights shows when DRW Likers are online in a one-

week period.

TIPPING POINTS 43

Appendix B

Figure B1

DRW Facebook Posting Guidelines for Business Owner:

The goal of this experiment is to push DRW Facebook messages to as wide an audience as

possible in the shortest amount of time.

You will be provided with a definition of Tipping Points and an explanation of each of the three

factors, as seen in Chapter 2 of the Proposal for this experiment. Please read them before

January 5, 2015.

IMPORTANT: On December 31, 2014, messages will be placed by the researcher on the DRW

Facebook page stating this: “From the period of January 5, 2015 through February 1, 2015, the

DRW Facebook page will be participating in a marketing study facilitated by a researcher at

New England College. This study is being conducted to advance understanding in specific

marketing methods in the Complementary Health and Wellness field. No one’s identity will be

recorded or revealed at any time before, during, or after the study. Specific details of this study

will not be disclosed due to a concern with skewing results based on participants’ behavior

changing as a result of knowledge of the aim of the study. Ethics guidelines for this study are

available upon request by privately messaging the administrator of this page. Those wishing to

not participate in this study should unlike this page now.” This post will be pinned to the top of

the DRW Facebook page during this time, and will also be placed in the “About” area of the

DRW Facebook page for the entirety of the study. Do not remove or change these messages

during the study period.

You will design and schedule four posts per day, (28 per week), on each Monday of the

experimental period: January 5, 2015 – February 1, 2015 using the guidelines given below.

Posts will be written in simple English.

All posts must include one Tipping Point criteria: The Law of the Few, The Stickiness Factor, or

the Power of Context. One, two or three of the criteria may be combined in one post.

Keep a log of the date, time, and criteria used for each post.

Here are some examples of how you may use Tipping Point criteria in your posts:

The Law of the Few rule may be accomplished by tagging a person or Facebook page in a post.

The Stickiness Factor rule may be accomplished by posting educational or emotional material.

This may also be accomplished by posting material that you feel is memorable in some way.

This may also be accomplished by using hashtags that are trending.

TIPPING POINTS 44

The Power of Context rule may be accomplished by posting at times of the day when most of

DRW’s fans are online. This may also be accomplished by placing yourself in demographics’

shoes and considering what sorts of posts they would like to see.

Try to use all three Tipping Points criteria at least once a day, and be as creative with your posts

as you wish.

Posts do not have to talk about DRW business. Posts can talk about anything you feel your

audience may enjoy.

Based on previous DRW Facebook Insights:

Most posts should be scheduled to occur approximately around or between the hours of 11:00 am

and 2:00 pm in order to reach the largest amount of DRW Facebook fans when they are typically

online. The peak online time is between noon and 1:00 pm.

Two posts per day should be plain status updates.

One post per day should be a photo with a status update.

One post per day should be a link with a status update.

At least one post per day should be targeted to men aged 18-24.

At least one post per day should be targeted to women aged 18-24.

At least one post per day should be targeted to women aged 25-34.

You should check the DRW Facebook page daily and reply to or like all comments made on

posts.

Additional posts each day may be made at your discretion, including business- or sale-related

information. This should be in addition to the four suggested posts per day.

Do not allow anyone else make posts, comments, or likes on behalf of DRW during the

experimental month. If anyone else posts as an administrator, please bring this to the attention of

the researcher, along with the post details, date, and time of the interaction.

TIPPING POINTS 45

Figure B2

Policy on Research Involving Participation of Others

(Source: New England College, “Academic Manual,” August 2003)

1. Responsibilities to Participants - The researcher's responsibility is primarily to those he or she

studies; when there is a conflict of interest, these individuals must come first. Individual's

interests are safeguarded by assurance that:

a. The aims and at least the general sponsorship of the investigation are communicated as well

as possible to the participants;

b. When the methodological requirements of a study necessitate concealment or deception, the

researcher is required to ensure, as soon as possible, the participant's understanding of the

reasons for this action and to present to the participant a sufficient justification for the procedures

employed;

c. Participants have the right to remain anonymous;

d. The participant's rights to welfare, dignity and privacy remain intact;

e. Information obtained about the individual research participants during the course of research

remain confidential unless otherwise agreed to in advance;

f. If the participant changes his or her mind about prior waiver of confidentiality, the

participant's wishes take precedence over the researcher's interest.

g. Participants understand the capacities of research devices in use, including tape recorders,

cameras and notes taken from face to face interviews;

h. If a risk of physical and mental discomfort, harm or danger to a participant exists, the

researcher is required to inform the participant of that fact, secure consent before proceeding and

take all possible measures to minimize distress. A research procedure must not be used if it is

likely to cause serious or lasting harm to a participant;

i. When research procedures may result in undesirable consequences for the participant, the

researcher has the responsibility to detect and remove or correct these consequences, including,

where relevant, long-term after-effects.

j. Participants know the consequences of the research and have access to research results that

have been made public;

k. The researcher accepts the obligation to honor all promises and commitments made to the

participant;

TIPPING POINTS 46

l. The participant has the freedom to decline to participate in or to withdraw from research;

m. Fair return or compensation be given for all services.

2. Responsibilities to Personal Integrity - Researchers owe a commitment to candor and to truth

in the dissemination of their research results and in the statement of their opinions. They should

not knowingly falsify or color their findings. They should be honest about their qualifications,

capabilities and goals.

3. Responsibilities to the Institution and to the Discipline -

The researcher should attempt to maintain a level of integrity and rapport in the field such that

by his or her behavior and example the researcher will not jeopardize future research there. In

relations with students, researchers should be candid, fair, non-exploitative, and committed to the

welfare and academic progress of all concerned.

TIPPING POINTS 47

Figure B3

Business Owner Exit Interview

Thank you for participating in our research. We’d like to ask your opinion about how the

experiment worked for you.

Please answer the questions below, giving as much detail as possible.

1. Did you understand the basics of the three Tipping Points before you started the project?

2. Where the Posting Guidelines easy to understand and implement? Why or why not?

3. Do you feel the project was easy, difficult, or somewhere in between? Please give us

some details about the most difficult and easiest aspects.

4. Did the project take up more time than was anticipated? Please explain.

5. Do you feel the experiment was worth your time and effort? Why or why not?

6. Did you decide to abandon the project before completion? If so, why?

7. Is this strategy something you will continue to use on your Facebook page in the future?

Why or why not?