Social media has captured the attention of over 60% of the world’s population. Any person from that number is connected to and can interact with an end number of people across the globe. This has presented a new opportunity for marketers to capitalize on the compassion of the public and engage in sympathy marketing on social media.
Adverse scenarios function as an easy tool to partake in sympathy marketing on social media.
There are two main types of marketing that play on the public’s empathy seen on social media.
Genuine Cry for Aid
As the world has become more digitally connected, there has been a significant decrease in physical interactions between individuals. People are bottling up their emotions and are finding solace in social media to let them out.
After all, there is a greater reach for sympathy marketing through social media. Many of those who are experiencing adversity see it as an opportunity for aid.
A notable example is that of John and Stella Chhan and their cozy donut shop in California. After the news of Stella experiencing a brain aneurysm and John finding it difficult to maintain the shop while taking care of his wife got out, people came in droves to purchase their product.
The store often sold out within a couple of hours of opening so that John could spend more time with his wife. In this manner, those who require genuine aid can receive it with the widespread reach of social media and the kindheartedness of the public.
Firms Piggybacking on Social Causes
The next category of sympathy marketers are large-scale firms looking to adopt a social issue and brand their product around it. They do this to primarily play on the emotional aspects of consumers. By showcasing a caring side of corporate, they can improve brand image and even increase sales.
The most well-known and recently completed example of sympathy marketing on social media was adopting the pride flag into the brand logo in June. Many companies throughout the world display their solidarity and support for the LGBT+ movement. Although this has been criticized by many individuals, it is seen as merely a marketing tactic instead of genuine support.
Conclusion
Setting forth a positive image by harnessing the power of a person’s sympathy is nothing new. In fact, social media has made it easier for individuals and companies to influence a larger market share through sympathy marketing.
Using a “sob story” has given significant returns to those that have applied it, but this strategy is not feasible in the long term. Nonetheless, as the profit from one empathy point runs dry, another can be easily adopted to attract audiences.
