How Selfies Can Help Your Brand Marketing

Love 'em or hate 'em, selfies are here to stay (queue shutter sound).

A lot of people on social media think selfie taking is just the latest annoying fad. You know, like Justin Bieber? Check. Minions? Check. Selfie sticks? Check. The Kardashians? A resounding check!

But what do those examples have in common? Answer: They still remain popular up to this very day, despite the haters saying they won't last.

Understanding the bigger picture

Selfies, in particular, present an interesting paradox. A lot of people claim to hate selfies and those who take them, saying selfies are annoying and prove you have narcissistic tendencies.

But come on, have those selfie haters not taken a picture of themselves before? Haven't they liked, tweeted, or favorited, a selfie or two of a close friend on social media, or their favorite celebrity?

Probably.

Even a few politicians have been caught taking selfies that weren't supposed to end up in the news! LOL

 

 

Self portraits have been around ever since the medium of photography was invented; they're more than just a passing fad. So maybe instead of hating selfies you should figure out how an occasional selfie might help you.

The science to back it up

A joint study by the Georgia Institute of Technology and Yahoo! Labs states that pictures with human faces are more likely to receive attention than those without. This came from an examination of 1.1 million Instagram photos – those with human faces are 38 percent more likely to attract likes, and 32 percent more likely to receive comments, compared to face-less pictures.

The gender, age, or social status of the subject in the photo does not matter. As long as there's a human face in the picture, the probability for engagement goes up.

This revelation means a lot for brand marketing. A shift to user-generated content (UGC) like selfies has the potential to drive engagement to the your brand in deeper ways than what traditional marketing methods can do.

In the age where everyone is tired of having ads shoved into their faces, this kind of marketing might just be the breath of fresh air that everyone needs.

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Read more=> How to increase customer lifetime value

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More Selfies, More Sales

In case you're still not sure on how to get started with this whole marketing-through-UGC/selfie business, here are some steps you can work on.

#Hashtags Are Your Friends

People often use #hashtags to make their posts known to a greater community at large. For example: One Direction fans congregate under the hashtag #1D, Justin Bieber's under #beliebers. A hashtag (especially a branded one for businesses) allows anyone to jump into a conversation with a company or a public figure, and other fellow followers. It's basically like a community center wherein everyone can join in on the fun without being held back by formalities and red tape.

Make Use of Selfies

Yes, some people might think they're annoying – but statistics tell a different story. Engagement on selfies are on an overdrive. There's something humanizing and more personal about these kinds of pictures that make the public want to like them more. Another benefit according to a recent study is selfies make you a happier person!

Sadly, businesses that have relied on “tried and tested” old school marketing methods have alienated most of their customer base by not keeping up with the times. This age is the selfie generation. You might as well join the fray.

Center Your Marketing Efforts With User Generated Content

According to a 2012 white paper by the Bazaar Voice, a whopping 84 percent of millennials trust the recommendations of people on social media over traditional ads. This isn't something that a marketer should ignore. User generated content that showcases your brand engaging with your customers should take the front and center stage in any of your marketing campaigns.

Maybe it's time you start creating more of your own UGC to improve your brand marketing?

We can help you build more engagement on your social media channels. Get in touch for a quick consultation, and let us post your selfies and hashtags for you.