[caption id="attachment_8401" align="aligncenter" width="1920"]

Social Media Echo Chambers in Marketing Thumbnail[/caption][audio wav="https://viscapmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Social-Media-Echo-Chambers-In-Marketing-Full-Article-Read.wav"][/audio]

Social Media Echo Chambers

Social media has become an integral part of our lives and has been for quite a while now. According to an article by Oberlo, there are 3.78 billion active social media users which equates to 48% of the population! On top of the total number of users, the average time spent on these social media apps is 2.5 hours a day!Not only are social media apps gaining more popularity, but the average amount of time these users are spending on social media platforms is ALSO increasing!This week we’ll be talking about social media echo chambers, as well as echo chambers in marketing. We’ll be taking an apolitical look at the effects of social media echo chambers and how marketers may get stuck in their own echo chambers.Some questions we’ll be answering throughout this article include what is an echo chamber? How are marketers getting stuck in their own echo chambers? How can echo chambers be used/avoided in marketing?To learn more about these topics and to find the answer to these problems, read on and join me on an adventure for more knowledge![embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MGnfw6y8wI[/embed][audio wav="https://viscapmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Social-Media-Echo-Chamber-Article-Summary-Audio.srt.wav"][/audio]

Key Takeaways

1. Social media echo chambers are great at evoking certain emotions from their users.
2. Some marketers may need to take a step back and make sure they’re not stuck in their own bubbles.
3. Social media echo chambers can be used to build brand communities.
4. Brand communities can be used for brand loyalty and brand advocates.
5. When you need help with UGC viral videos, you can turn to VisCap Media for help.

[caption id="attachment_8403" align="aligncenter" width="500"]

5 Key Takeaways Social Media Echo Chambers Article[/caption]

What Is An Echo Chamber?

Cambridge University defines an echo chamber as: “a situation in which people only hear opinions of one type, or opinions that are similar to their own” and within a social media context, these different types of social media apps are encouraging these echo chambers to increase engagement on their platforms.These different types of social media platforms are using social media echo chambers to either positively or negatively reinforce what the user believes in to increase the amount of time on their social media app.They can positively reinforce certain beliefs to make the user feel more and more welcome (think Facebook), and can negatively reinforce certain beliefs to create rage bait and conflict on the app (think Twitter) once they leave their comfy bubble.Since these social media users have been positively reinforced so much by their own bubbles created with the social media platform algorithms, they’ll double-down when speaking with someone that holds conflicting beliefs.Both directions have the same end goal: to make users spend as much time as possible on their apps. These users become addicted to the different emotions that the different types of social media platforms have to offer.The most surprising part of all of this is their strategies ACTUALLY WORK! Feeding positive/negative reinforcement to increase social media usage has become its own drug where users keep running back to the source.

How Are Marketers Getting Stuck In Their Own Echo Chambers?

[caption id="attachment_8385" align="aligncenter" width="755"]

Marketers In Their Own Echo Chamber[/caption]Marketers have recently fallen into a very interesting trap where they want to use jargon and vocabulary that appeals to other marketers, even when their target audience for the message isn’t marketers.This has caused some serious issues as to how effective they are at doing their jobs, and how they can break this cycle to get back on track hitting the target audiences they’re aiming for.On top of social media echo chambers being used to target customers, they’re also being used as brand noise. They’re messages by the brand, for the brand, and about the brand across all the different types of social media platforms.Brands are using their own channels, their teammate’s channels, and their partner’s channels to get the word out and promote their products and services. The only issue is that it may create its own feedback loop and echo chamber that can’t be recognized by the people sitting in it.It may take a third-party or outside visitor to finally recognize what’s going on with their channels and recognize why potential customers are not being very receptive to the message.Another issue that marketers are running into is reinforcing their theories and processes that they already currently have without wanting to explore new ways of doing things.To avoid these pitfalls, marketers can be proactive and get ahead of the game. Sometimes the best way forward is to take a step back and really assess all of the marketing tactics and the overall strategy that’s being used.[caption id="attachment_8384" align="aligncenter" width="756"]

Marketer Echo Chamber Rethinking Strategy[/caption]

How Can Echo Chambers Be Used In Marketing?

Social media echo chambers aren’t all bad. There are good ways of using social media echo chambers to help build brands and communities. Think of the Harley Davidson community that exists online.The HOG, or Harley Owners Group, is in a sense a community moderated by Harley Davison for their customers. It requires that members own a Harley and submit the VIN number during registration.These communities are in essence a social media echo chamber that reinforces brand preference and brand loyalty for Harley Davidson. They share awesome ride videos, different Harley mods, and much much more with each other through this app to stay connected.Harley owners can even arrange meet-ups with local owners for scenic rides through Death Valley or the countryside. All of this through Harley Davidson’s approved community message boards.[caption id="attachment_8383" align="aligncenter" width="755"]

Harley Owners Group or HOG Website for Social Media Echo Chambers Article[/caption]Although Harley is doing an incredible job with their community creation and management, video is one of the keys to building great communities!

Using Videos In Social Media Echo Chambers

While content is king in the space, video is queen and to put the two in the same room is something even greater than the sum of their parts. With video expected to drive over 82% of online sales by 2022 and accounts for over 33% of online activity, there’s a way to combine the two to get even BETTER results.The fact of the matter is that paid video ads that LOOK like paid video ads are becoming less and less effective by the day. Something that doesn’t look organic and real is less likely to make an effect on the target audience. By making paid videos LOOK organic with a chance to go viral, potential customers are more likely to tune in and hear the video out.By creating these paid videos to help jump-start their social media echo chamber, brands have the power to shape how their brand is perceived and control the narrative around their brand.Being able to use the emotional pulls of the social media platform algorithms with your own brand’s emotional messages will help the brand create followers who are more emotionally invested in the brands than in the products. These emotional messages can be an origin story, community outreach, or another message that has pathos behind it.As more and more user-generated content becomes published by the brand and they gain more followers, they will be able to start building a social media echo chamber around their brand with loyal followers.[caption id="attachment_8396" align="aligncenter" width="756"]

Social Media Echo Chambers Javy Coffee UGC Community Building[/caption]The power of brand loyalty should not be underestimated as retaining customers is cheaper than getting new ones. To nurture these online communities to remain top of mind, tip of tongue will reduce your overall cost per conversion and help create more brand advocates that will use word of mouth to give you FREE advertising introducing more people to your community.The free advertising will start flowing as more and more followers climb farther and farther up the loyalty ladder until they finally reach the top. The idea is to help the apostle-level brand advocates as much as possible within these communities.These advocates will also be the best bet at combating the defectors and brand terrorists that are spreading negative word of mouth about the brand, products, or services.According to Nielsen, 92% of consumers trust their friends over paid advertising. This is why having organic-looking viral UGC content and an army of brand advocates to promote your brand on your behalf is so important to a modern-day marketing strategy.Including influencer and micro-influencer video ads into the mix will also improve your chances of having your marketing message hitting home with your target audience.[caption id="attachment_8394" align="aligncenter" width="750"]

Social Media Echo Chambers Community Building PowerPod UGC[/caption]

Which Social Media Platforms Are Best For Communities?

Choosing which social media platforms to start building communities on can be a tricky decision. Most companies will make content for about three social media platforms, so which ones should they choose?Based on data collected from Search Engine Journal, here’s a list of the top 5 social media platforms you should be using to help build your social media echo chamber communities.

1. Facebook
2. YouTube
3. WhatsApp
4. Instagram
5. TikTok

[caption id="attachment_8402" align="aligncenter" width="750"]

Top 5 Best Social Media Apps For Community Building[/caption]These platforms will help you create communities that will advocate for your brand and spread the good word to their families, to their friends, and all across the internet.

Why You Need A Social Media Video Advertising Agency

Creating organic-looking viral UGC content is not as easy as some may think. There’s a lot of pre-production roadmapping and processes in place with proven frameworks to make these videos successful. When creating communities with these videos, it may be better to take a step back and let the professionals handle the video content side of things.The creative video advertising agency will outline the video, write the scripts, cast the talent, film the videos, edit the videos together, then publish & track the content for the best results. The process is a lot of work and is also very time-consuming.The video-making process gets even worse if the UGC viral videos are being made by less experienced individuals as there’s quite a bit of a learning curve to everything from writing to filming to tracking & reporting.There’s nothing wrong with finding a really great creative video advertising agency to do the heavy lifting when it comes to video ads creatives.Here at VisCap Media, we’re marketers at heart and not just geeks with cameras. We want you to get the best possible results with your video ads campaigns. We’re here to help and to learn more about us, check VisCap Media’s page on video advertising.When you’re ready, reach out to us and we'll be happy to set up a video call and consultation to see how we can best help your brand succeed.

[caption id="attachment_8395" align="aligncenter" width="750"]

Social Media Echo Chambers Community Building UGC Viral Video BTS[/caption]

Summary

To make a long story short, social media echo chambers are great at evoking certain emotions from their users. These strong emotions can be used by brands to help create a stronger brand preference.Some marketers are getting stuck inside their own bubbles and may need another perspective to really get how to change for the better.Social media echo chambers can be used to build brand communities. These social media echo chambers are how brands will be able to build up a better following.These brand communities are also used for brand loyalty and creating brand advocates as more and more of the brand followers climb the loyalty ladder.When you need help with UGC viral videos, you can turn to VisCap Media for help. We are highly experienced in the field with proven frameworks and videos that produce results.Sources:Social Media + Society | Sage JournalsMarketing Echo Chambers | The Marketing SageSocial Media Marketing Statistics | OberloEcho Chamber | Cambridge DictionaryHOG | Harley DavidsonRecommendations From Friends | NielsenWord Of Mouth Marketing | BigCommerceBiggest Social Media Sites | Search Engine Journal