In today’s fast-paced world people prefer having things done quickly. Nothing frustrates more than prolonged fulfillment and delays which are intolerable. Now or never is the mantra. So much so that human desires have become impatient. And this behavioral tendency is definitely linked with all the technological advancements, which have rendered any sort of physical interactions unnecessary and some would argue have made our lives more efficient.
Instant Gratification:
People want speedy results and immediate satisfaction. They don’t want to travel through the Sahara in search of a well in order to quench their thirst. For them, easily accessible and ready-to-go bottled water is the automatic solution. This powerful combination of speed with desire fulfillment is called instant gratification, and it is becoming a part of our culture.
Instant Gratification and Social Media:
It’s a simple matter of observation. On the subways, the park benches, our workplaces, restaurants, the classrooms and everywhere you look, you’ll find people engrossed on their smartphones. And what are they usually doing? Casually scrolling through a newsfeed, leaving a ‘like’ here and hitting the share or subscribe button there. What keeps them hooked? The possibility of instant gratification, which is best catered to by the ever-popular social media phenomenon.
People have a burning desire, either for some sort of social validation or for purchasing the latest branded products, which these virtual interactive platforms seem to fulfill. The necessity of having their posts liked or shared, and gain social acceptance this way, is met by other online users. And the pressing need to buy the latest brands’ hyped goods, like the famous strobe highlighter, is fulfilled by the businesses that maneuver their operations online.
Instant Gratification, Social Media, and eCommerce Use:
If you’re running an e-commerce venture, then you can totally take advantage of this ‘instant gratification’ behavior and turn it into easy bucks. How? By using social media, the promulgator of this tendency, as your marketing tool. Now, don’t take it lightly. Social media, while providing a fertile ground for your brand’s seed to grow and flourish, might turn into quicksand if you don’t tread carefully.
Remember, everything is based on how you attract and serve the online users who have incredibly short attention spans. After all, around 95% of the adult population associates with brands through these social channels (Source: MarketingSherpa). If you do it right, then you might just be able to convert consumers into customers by the millions and in a matter of minutes. And these customers may then spread the word and recommend your product to other users.
For guidance, go through the following tried and tested tips from the experts, which will help you quickly monetize this social-media induced ‘instant gratification.’
Select from an Assortment:
Social media is a sea in its own right. There are multiple channels with their respective tidal waves. You have to choose the platforms that suit you best and get the most ‘ready-fulfillment’ needing, pocket-rich traffic. Like for example, if you’re targeting an audience of youngsters, less than thirty years of age, then you should go for Instagram, which has come to have a higher digital engagement rate than any other platform, as per the recent stats. This spells success for a business earmarking Insta-popular niches. Avoid the channels which turn-off the ‘instant gratification’ addicted consumer because then you’ll lag behind your competitors. Popularity is synonymous with profits. Remember that.
First Impressions Matter:
Online users are quite impatient. That’s a fact. With so many diversions on the internet demanding their attention, they have less than eight seconds to spare on a single site. It is these eight seconds during which you have to grip the users with a hook and reel them in towards your brand’s landing page. How do you do that? By offering them something they cannot refuse. Something which promises a unique solution to their problems. Something with such a remarkable first impression that it stays with the audience for longer durations of time. Do not confound the user with an overly-complex or over-clichéd message. Be simple, direct, bold and fast, otherwise, they’ll just scroll over.
Post Bite-Sized Content:
The only way to stay alive on the internet is stay within sight. Brands that lose traffic die an obscure virtual death. So, show the social media users your active online presence by regularly posting some sort of content which forms a part of their newsfeed. Gratify their daily thirst with your crafty content. The following pointers might come handy:
- Mode: What’s the kind of content that sells the most these days? The long boring text-based one? No. That just drives the bored Facebook users away who need instant information, entertainment and quick help. Then what? Graphics. Yes, images, videos, GIFs, memes, podcasts, etc., all have an irresistible appeal. This is what you should focus on. Social media users love sharing memes and images that resound with them.
- Tone: Informational with a hint of humor. Relevant and socially aware. Clear, concise and conversational. Twitter users love retweeting posts that are smart, meaningful and cleverly crafted. Set your tone strategically to attract the social media users who wish to be instantly gratified.
- Time: The timing of your content posting matters a lot. If you post a super cool promotional piece at the dullest hours where there is negligible activity on social media, then it will be wasted. Because as the peak hours come, your content will be considered old and get buried beneath new pieces of news which will flood the users’ timeline. So, be tactful and unleash your awesome content at the busiest times using your Mediacom high speed internet.
- Extent: Make sure your content is as comprehensive and satiating as possible. On your e-business’s page, clearly include all the product details and reviews, so no question is left unanswered. Gratify the consumer’s queries as much as possible. Include a live-chat option if possible.
- Trend: Your content should be completely up to date and in tune with the latest trends if it is to catch the social media users’ attention. So, complete your research before you head online. Use hashtags in your tweets, make live videos, publish fresh face filters and augmented reality posters, and post Instagram stories daily. Because once the social media addict comes across this type of content, they automatically tend to go for it.
Inject Seamless Ads Smartly:
One sort of promotion is through the content which I have mentioned above. It is organic in nature. The other sort of marketing technique is the paid advertising one, which around four million businesses go for regularly on Facebook and other channels. These advertisements need to be injected smartly in the newsfeed margins, where they don’t stand out too much nor are they completely out of sight.
Let me offer you an example. Imagine you’re a teenage loner who spends most of the time in your room, pulling all-nighters and gaming rigorously. One evening, you get super hungry and there is no one at home. You don’t feel like going to the kitchen and putting something together. As you casually scroll through your Facebook’s newsfeed, a juicy burger pops up in the margin. It looks super scrumptious and conveniently has a contact number in bold beneath it. You call it and order it immediately. Instantly gratified. Get it? Instant profits for the brand which unleashed that ad subtly, at the right time.
So, by implementing the aforementioned social-media centered marketing tactics, you can feed off the ‘instant gratification’ tendency of today’s generation and earn endless profits as an e-commercial venture.
Nathan works as a content editor at Chuchi Magz he has seven years of experience.