Infusing Psychology Theories in Creating and Marketing Social

Applications

keith@socialico.com

ME

Infusing Psychology Theories in Creating and Marketing Social

Applications

Psychology: Study of the Human Behavior

Infusing Psychology Theories in Creating and Marketing Social

Applications

Wikipedia says,“.. allow user to interact and share data”

Scott Currier says,“.. an updatable resource that exposes categorized content discoverable by network members” “Social Application can be anything, as long as it:

- Is discoverable- Is updatable

- Publically exposes categorized information - Participates in a social network”

Why Create A Social Application that is Social, Useful, Expressive

& Engaging?

Why does it matter to you?

You want to engage Generation Y

audience

• Brand Engagement• Effective & Low Cost Data

Mining/ Research• Monetizing from paying

users and advertising merchants

How to create & market

a social app for..

• #1: Brand Engagement• #2: Effective & Low Cost

Data Mining/ Research• #3: Monetizing from paying

users and advertising merchants

Interests alone can enable a community, but, what if your brand does not interest them enough?

#1. Future of Brand Engagement

Gaming can establish that community and later that conformity to stick to the community

#1. Future of Brand Engagement

#1. Future of Brand Engagement

• Hybridization of Reality and Gaming

• Engage the Gen Y with gaming elements– A fun-to-play game is no longer viable– Preferably, a MMOG in a Virtual World

• Appeal on Inferior Complexity and Primitive Competitive Behavior– Virtual Rewards and Bragging rights

#1. Future of Brand Engagement

• Hybridization can be durable if one can provide new content, which can be natural

• Hybridization enables differentiation– Play4Squares & Loopt

#1. Future of Brand Engagement

• Too Expensive? Leech on existing games for “top of mind recall” engagement. Samples:

Energy Points (AP)

Energy Points (AP)

#2. Effective & Low Cost Research

Create a Social Application that rides on Social Network & Tap on Wisdom of Crowd and Collective Intelligence

#2. Effective & Low Cost Research

But, you should do it without them knowing you are after their collective intelligence

#2. Effective & Low Cost Research

• Naturally, People do not give information if they know you can benefit but they do not

• Unless, you already have a great community– Starbucks, AirAsia

• Or, your community is your 1,000s of employees who cannot reject like consumers– Microsoft, Google

• Key is therefore in incentivizing the community at low cost to you

#2. Effective & Low Cost Research

• Recall Hybridizing with Gaming, and Inferior Complex/Competitive theory from #1

• Possible to incentivize at low cost, with bragging rights and virtual items

• Opinions can be more accurate if users are rewarded for accuracy and shrewd allocation of finite resources

#2. Effective & Low Cost Research

• If you can mainstream a prediction market social application, you can get good data

• Mainstreaming will be best facilitated by hybridizing reality and gaming

• Important to incentivize by entertainment, community, bragging rights and virtual possessions

• Gaming Perspective: Create that Cult Effect. For Asians, Boost Ego. For Non-Asians, Boost Customization

• Service Perspective: Solves problems, if possible, the two biggest problems in the world – Dating and Weight Loss

#3. Monetizing from paying users and advertisers

Move on & Go To Market

Marketing: Media Integration

Marketing: Persuasive Enhancements

Marketing: Persuasive Enhancements

• Role of Visual and Gender in Marketing is critical

• Somewhat facilitating dating and flirting can help create a community

• Research shows real life photos are still more effective than illustrations in attracting users

• Fame League– Personality stocks with visually pleasing female pictures

have higher stock prices– No difference even if player is obviously male

Marketing: Persuasive Enhancements

Marketing: Persuasive Enhancements

• However, Men and Women have very different sense of visual pleasure

• Also, Asians and Caucasians do not have the same preferences

• Depending on your target market

• But, what if your target market is not fixated or very dispersed?

• Paradox: If male users make up most of your numbers, but female users are most viral, who would you target?

The Universal Choice

• Use Babies. Reference to David Ogilvy’s Confession of an Advertising Man

• Men and Women have great, similar attractions to babies

• Race Independent

Marketing: Persuasive Enhancements

Marketing: Persuasive Enhancements

Marketing: Persuasive Enhancements

More Tips from David Ogilvy

• Serif Fonts are easy to read for long copies

• Use words like “NEW”, “FREE”, “INTRODUCE”

• Facts about your products help. Especially numbers

Wrapping Up. Common Pitfalls

• Defining your target audience too early.

• Overestimating the cognitive abilities of your users

• Building a great, beautiful is nice, but don’t forget your copy

• Never outsource your PR, Marketing because you know your application 1000 folds better than those consultants

• Making your application too coupled with your platform

Start Creating and Marketing that Kickass Social App today!

Twitter/ Linkedin/ Facebook/ Slideshare: Keizng