Contagious is written for business owners, marketing professionals, social media managers, and anyone interested in learning how to boost referrals via word-of-mouth marketing. No message is conveyed by efforts sponsored for advertising or marketing. Instead, the objective is to encourage a more organic circulation of goods, ideas, and information.
| Book | Contagious |
| Author | Jonah Berger |
| Publication | Simon And Schuster |
| Language | English |
| Pages | 256 |
Summary of Contagious
People naturally desire to impart their wisdom to others, whether in a narrative, a tale, or a nugget of knowledge. Because of this, word-of-mouth is the single most essential element in anywhere from 20 to 50 percent of all transactions. In addition to being more precise, this kind of advertising is more convincing, contributing to its overall superiority over more conventional varieties.
Describes the process through which people communicate their thoughts and information via narratives and other forms of visual and auditory media such as videos. To put it another way, the elements that make it more probable for things to spread result from social impact and word-of-mouth. You are free to combine and rearrange the tenets in any manner you see fit since each one stands on its own.
the presumption is that social money exists.
People use the power that word of mouth offers to leave a positive impression on others. The aim is to make social money via the use of this technology. In addition to purchasing products and services, individuals may purchase the goodwill of other people using the social currency in the same manner that they would use the money to do so.
It is not a novel concept to believe that certain individuals have greater influence than others. On the other hand, this does not, in the overwhelming majority of instances, have any impact on their ability to spread information over the internet. Just as some jokes are so hilarious that it doesn’t matter who tells them, infectious information and ideas may spread regardless of who says them.
In an attempt to attract the attention of others, many people may discuss something that others will find admirable about them. These qualities set them apart from others, indicating that they are hilarious rather than dull, intelligent rather than obtuse, and trendy rather than uninteresting. Therefore, if you want people to talk about your services or ideas, you should provide them the opportunity to look good while they are doing it.
There are three different approaches to take here: Find your remarkable quality, use game mechanics, and make them feel like they are a part of the community by giving them the impression that they are community members. Your marketing efforts should be centered on highlighting the unique qualities of your product or concept, such as its unexpectedness, extremeness, or plain old interestingness. Is it even possible to utilize gaming mechanics to track the development of a user or to make it easier for people to compare themselves to others? Is there a way to make people feel as if they are a part of the group they are a part of?
What Sets Everything in Motion
It is possible to classify word-of-mouth communication as either immediate or continuing, depending on how long it has been going on. After experiencing a product, service, or message for the first time, people quickly share their opinions about it via word of mouth. The ever-present significance of the term encompasses the debates in the weeks and months that follow.
It is more likely that news about interesting events will travel quickly, but this does not guarantee that such events will continue to be well-known over time. When having a conversation, it is often more vital to discover topics of discussion that are engaging to speak about than to fill the conversational void. We usually chime in with our thoughts and opinions whenever the subject of the conversation comes up.
In this scenario, the use of triggers is necessary. A “trigger” may be defined as anything that causes a person to switch their focus from one topic to another in a short time. In other words, they raise awareness of a product, problem, or concept by relying on word-of-mouth communication. Word-of-mouth advertising is very effective regarding goods or ideas that have already been stoked.
Consider the context rather than only focusing on the message itself. Think about whether the typical settings of the audience you’re trying to reach will trigger the message. Although a wide variety of items or ideas have inherent triggers, surrounding stimuli may also be employed to help build new connections.
Always remember that the frequency of the trigger and the intensity of the connection have to be the same. When a trigger is linked to a greater number of items, the individual strength of each connection is diminished. If you want the best possible results, you must choose triggers that are geographically close to where you want the desired action to occur. After being pushed to examine a particular notion or message, the audience that is being targeted will be provided with a straightforward method to act upon what they have learned.
guiding concept is based on feelings.
When we have feelings of attachment to something, we tend to want to share it. Most of the time, an emotional response is there with infectious material. Consequently, rather than centering our focus on specifics or facts, we need to pay attention to how we are feeling. Not just any sensations will do to inspire people to take action and spread our message; the ones that are most likely to do so are specific feelings.
According to the way that they make you feel, emotions may be categorized as either good or negative. On the other hand, what counts is the level of physiologic excitement that they bring about. The experience of being energized and prepared to take action is referred to as arousal. When an individual is under the influence of another emotion, they have a sense of contentment and serenity, and their actions are suppressed.
Astonishment, excitement, and delight are good feelings that include a high level of physiological arousal. High-arousal emotions include things like rage and anxiety, to name just two examples. All of these scenarios are instances of feelings that may inspire individuals to share their experiences with others because they motivate people to take action and motivate them to do so.
When your company’s product or concept is described, is it feasible for it to elicit an emotional response from the listener? It’s unclear how you plan to start a fire in this situation. You may be able to get to the emotional heart of any problem by using the strategy known as the “three whys.” Create a list of the top three reasons you believe your message is significant, and then ask yourself, “Why is this so significant?” Make a note of your response each time you do this activity, and continue investigating until you discover the underlying feeling.
The visibility of the public
After seeing the actions of others, we are more prone to engage in behavior of our own. Because the acts of other people disclose something about ourselves in our own decisions, we tend to emulate those of others. When we see other people doing something, we tend to believe that whatever it is must be beneficial in some way. They could have an advantage over us in terms of competition that we are unaware of. Psychologists call this concept “social proof,” which refers to the notion itself.
A significant number of goods and services are used or acknowledged by an insignificant fraction of the total population. Provide some examples of the websites that your staff members like visiting. What kinds of things do others who live around you believe? It’s conceivable that you won’t find out until they tell you themselves. And even though you may not give it much thought, it significantly impacts the achievements of the companies and organizations you are affiliated with. This may come as a surprise to you.
The extent to which a product or idea is known or understood by the average person significantly affects whether or not it will be successful. If we see other individuals engaging in a behavior, we are more inclined to take note of it and tell others about it. We could also consider engaging in that behavior ourselves.
Investigate how public signals might be sent for private decisions or activities that include your products or concepts. Is it conceivable for members of the general public to use your product as a kind of advertisement? How can consumers show their support for a product even if they aren’t utilizing the product themselves? Is it clear to other people how many people support the things you do, the remarks you make, or the ideals you have?
Value in the Present Day and Age
Sharing the knowledge that is either helpful or beneficial is a rather frequent practice among humans. It makes individuals feel more worthwhile and strengthens their connections to their pals by indicating that the people they care about them. Practical Value, in contrast to Social Currency, is focused on the advantages that will accrue to the recipient rather than the giver’s reputation.
As an example of something that has both a theoretical and practical value, take promotional discounts. The shareability of an object increases when all of its components, including its exceptional Value, startling or surprising nature, and limited availability, come together. Applying the Rule of 100 to calculating discounts is recommended if the item price is lower than $100. If you have more than one hundred dollars saved up, it is recommended that you pay with cash instead.
Another kind of practical Value is the knowledge that may benefit the person reading the text. Articles on education and health are consistently among the most read. Material that is interesting to a big number of people rather than a small number of individuals has a greater chance of becoming viral than content that is interesting to a small number of individuals. This is because it brings up memories of a person at some point in the past.
The concept of Practical Value is likely the one that can be implemented with the least amount of difficulty among the contagiousness ideas. This is because almost every product or concept has some kind of Value. The most difficult aspect will be sorting through all the noise.
The stories telling
The majority of people’s thoughts are not concerned with the facts. They are less intrigued by cold, hard facts and more interested in tales, so it seems that they think in terms of stories. During their development, they go through three distinct stages. People are more inclined to stick around for the payment if they are first enticed to participate in the activity. Aside from that, other information is being sent to individuals simultaneously as they are focused on the narrative.
Storytelling is a great tool for anyone who wants to convey information about items or ideas without coming out as pushy salespeople. It is far more difficult for listeners to deny the tale of a single customer than to refute the assertions made in advertising. As a direct result, fewer individuals are inclined to question the integrity of what they hear.
It makes perfect sense for a story to go viral not just for a company or brand but also for the company or brand on its own. As a direct result of this, the tales that promote a company’s brand or product are the ones that are the most valuable. It is so intricately intertwined into the fabric of the plot that it is difficult to discuss the story without touching on it.
