Harnessing the Power of Specific Messages

May 21, 2013

There’s a common problem in communication of any kind, including the social web. Ask a vague question and you’ll likely get a vague response. But ask about something specific and the chances are the response is more passionate and detailed.

That’s an important rule to follow whether asking your child about their day in school or asking customers to interact on the social web. In Part 6 of Untangling the Social Web, the new study from the Coca‑Cola Retailing Research Council of North America, we demonstrate this exact point.

In an example about understanding metrics we see the incredible range of reactions to a series of videos. Two videos—one on table manners and one making a sandwich—draw tepid response. However, a video evoking the emotional power of Mother’s Day soars.

Businesses need to keep that in mind when creating messages for the social web. Find topics that are special—seasonal, emotional and specific—and you might see traffic spike. Tips like these along with exercises and discussion of wide ranging tactics for the social web can all be found in Part 6 of the study. Download it for free at http://bit.ly/UntanglingtheSocialWeb.

Michael Sansolo

Research Director

Coca‑Cola Retailing Research Council of North America