Volume 6

Over the past few years, social media has witnessed a fundamental shift. Many are saying it’s dying or dead.

Engagement rates are in the toilet. And that part is true. Average engagement on most social channels today sits around 1 – 3.5%.

Anything over 3.5% is considered “high” engagement. I know! It feels like I’m making a case to stay stuffed down in your little cozy hole but keep reading.

On the surface, it may seem like waning engagement rates. However, look deeper, and you’ll discover that users are engaging in more selective and discerning ways.

Let’s talk about dopamine for a second. It’s a reward molecule that signals pleasure and reward in the brain. Social media was designed for this specifically through instant gratification.

Everything was set up for vanity, Dopamine’s close cousin. She’s pretty, but vacant behind the eyes, if you know what I mean.

Think about it. In the early days we were all chasing numbers and mass engagement was what we all did. It’s called MARKETING, look it up.

Social media thrived on the quantity of engagement, leveraging our brain’s reward system by flooding it with dopamine through incessant likes, shares, and comments.

[Cue Oprah]

“YOU GET SOME DOPAMINE, YOU GET SOME DOPAMINE, EVERYONE GETS DOPAMINE!”

Then came the backlash: over-saturation, the mental health crises, and ad fatigue.

Clickbait, newsjacking, catfishing … It all gets to be tiresome at some point. We knew the “Oprah” days wouldn’t last forever.

Even though we’ll miss her (Bye, Barbie!), the new era we’re entering isn’t bad at all. Especially if you’re a customer-centric thinker.

All the way back in 2018 Facebook updated its algorithm to optimize for “meaningful social interactions” and boosted content with reactions, comments, and shares.

We, the people, were a little behind. But now – a mere six years later (cough, cough) – social media users are also prioritizing genuine connections and authentic content.

Social media isn’t dead. The dopamine machine still exists. However, you must adapt your strategy.

Brands must pivot focus from the number of notifications to the quality of interactions.

This transition underlines a deeper, more meaningful engagement strategy that prioritizes lasting connections over dopamine spikes, fostering an environment where thoughtful content and genuine relationships reign supreme.

Today’s social media Dopamine Machine isn’t built “baked in” to the social media platforms; the shift from quantity to quality in social media engagement will have to start with you (brands).

At this point, I hope your thought bubbles are dancing like champagne bubbles – shooting up towards the top of the dank rabbit hole and towards the light.

Now, let’s gather them into steps.

Today’s social media users are digital connoisseurs, preferring the substance and authenticity of content over the clamor of constant updates; they are the ones who seek to enrich their feeds, not merely fill them.

This is why I’m always shouting, “Think conversation, not campaign!” and “People aren’t starved for content; they’re starved for connection!”

As you think about building your new dopamine machine, you must think about today’s social media user. There are three types you should aim to attract.

1. The conscious scroller: seeking value and authenticity.
2. The silent observers: lurking over liking.
3. Trustfluencers: influencers, micro-influencers, and peer recommendations.

You need to build a customer base on social media, not a follower base.

Creating valuable content for followers is hard. They don’t care.

However, building value content for potential and current customers is easy. It shows your customer how you solve their problem better than anyone. This means you may have a low number of followers on your social channels, but you’ll have a high percentage of customers as engaged users.

Value content examples:

• How your business solves customer problems
• Explaining your methods
• Customer testimonials

And if you want to craft customer content that goes beyond just “likes” (you should!), try storytelling.

True storytelling transcends mere content creation. It’s art, really.

Thought bubbles:

• It must resonate on a personal level, turning viewers into loyal narrators of your brand’s ongoing saga.
• How can you embrace crafting fewer but richer experiences that linger longer in your customer’s memory and heart?
• Introduce interactive content that invites audiences into a dialogue, transforming passive observers into active participants and co-creators of the brand journey.

Conversations & content will fuel your dopamine machine.

Let’s talk about the three content pillars – education, entertainment, and empathy – which are increasingly important for content creation and social media engagement.

1. Education: Tailor your content to the specific interests, language, and needs of your customers and/or community.
2. Entertainment: Encourage audience members to interact, share their own stories, and support each other.
3. Empathy: Identify and empower active community members to become brand ambassadors or champions; trustfluencers.

Education

Information is abundant, so educating your audience can set your brand apart. This involves creating content that informs, teaches, or adds value to your audience’s life or business.

Test the below.

1. How-To Guides and Tutorials: Break down complex subjects into easy-to-understand formats.
2. Webinars and Online Workshops: Host sessions on topics relevant to your audience, showcasing your expertise.
3. Industry Insights: Share updates, trends, and forecasts that keep your audience informed about the latest developments in your field.

Entertainment

Entertainment is a key factor in capturing and maintaining audience attention. This doesn’t mean every piece of content has to be funny or lighthearted, but it should be engaging and enjoyable to consume.

Test the below.

1. How-To & Behind-the-Scenes Content: Show the human side of your business with fun and engaging stories from behind the scenes.
2. Interactive Posts: Use polls, quizzes, and games to engage your audience in a light-hearted way.
3. Storytelling Through Videos: Create engaging narratives in your videos, whether they are about your products, your company culture, or customer stories. (Why do you think Brooke Bytes came to be!)

Empathy

Empathy is about creating a connection with your audience by understanding and addressing their needs, challenges, and emotions.

Helpful little bubble step: This involves communicating in a way that shows your audience you care about them as individuals, not just as customers.

1. Customer Success Stories: Share stories of how your products or services have positively impacted your customers.
2. Supportive Content: Provide content that supports your audience’s goals or challenges, such as money management tips for a financial brand.
3. Community Engagement: Actively engage with your audience on social media, showing understanding and concern for their comments, questions, and feedback.

A customer-centric approach to social media marketing is designed almost entirely around a customer’s needs, interests, experiences, and expectations.

It’s a strategy that puts the customer above all else, using analytics, surveys, empathy, and intuition to create experiences that delight customers.

Build this dopamine machine. Be customer centric.

Doing so will enable you to identify and understand high-value customers, differentiate your brand from competitors, improve business outcomes, and create high-quality growth.

Remember:

• Social media engagement isn’t dead; it’s evolved
• Shift focus from vanity metrics to deep engagement
• Build a customer base, not a follower base
• Create human experiences on digital channels
• Craft content with education, entertainment, and empathy
• Non-engagement means reduced CX, brand image, and sales opportunities