Whether we want to admit it or not, social media has changed a lot of things in our lives. From the way we communicate, how we consume content and information, how we shop, and more—it’s woven itself into even the most minute detail of our earthly existences. 

 

Of course, and more obvious now than ever, it’s also managed to shake things up in the business world. More and more brands are starting to develop their presence on social media as people flock online to interact on these social media platforms. 

 

But that’s not the end of it. Social media has also changed who we are—at least when online. Feel free to just call it your ‘social media personality.’ This personality is separate from your real-life persona and is largely defined by your relationship with social media platforms, encompassing how you behave, what you do, how you socialize, and project yourself online through these social networking sites. 

 

And out of all the many social media personality types, there are four that you need to take note of—the Initiator, the Mover, the Observer, and the Outsider. 

 

According to top social media management agencies in the Philippines, a country at the forefront of social media marketing, knowing these personality types is essential for brands who want to improve their digital marketing strategy as they dictate how people engage on social media and consume content. And the more familiar you are with how people navigate social media, the better strategies you can employ to hook them in. 

 

The Initiator

 

Like in real life, some people are much more likely to lead conversations. Online, it’s no different and they’re called “The Initiators.” This group of people is mainly comprised of content creators, who broadcast their opinion all over social media—be it good or bad. 

 

And because Initiators are often powered by large followings, what they say often has more weight. They also have more power to influence because of their platform and following, which they achieve by generating content. 

 

The Initiator’s hold on persuasion and opinion is what attracts brands to them. However, they’re not that easy to approach. Since they’re very vocal about what they like and dislike, they tend to partner with brands or services that they genuinely love or believe in. 

 

That’s why to connect with the Initiators, businesses need to impress or ‘wow’ them. Once that’s achieved, they’ll start creating content for your brand’s products and offerings—be it for free or through a partnership. 

 

The Mover

 

People with this type of personality online are what fuel social media platforms—what keeps it going. They’re the most engaged out of everyone on the list, which makes them the primary determiner of whether the content created by an Initiator is in or is out. 

 

While they do not create, they make things move through the act of sharing, commenting, re-posting, and many other ways of interacting on social media platforms. Think of them as the deciders of trends online. This quality is what draws brands and businesses to them. They have the power to make something popular—or even viral. 

 

To get on their good side, brands should create content or messaging that they’ll be able to resonate with or relate to. Once you’ve hooked them in, they’ll do the rest of the work for you, specifically expanding your brand’s influence and awareness. 

 

The Movers determine what’s popular and what’s not, so you shouldn’t ignore them!

 

The Observer

 

Social media users with this personality type are all about lurking and consuming content. They know everything that’s going on—what’s going viral, what’s trendy, or who’s being canceled—but they refuse to interact with anyone online or engage with others. 

 

Although they don’t interact much on social media, they do follow brands or pages that they like. And of course, they also pay attention to what you have to present online. If you want to check whether they’ve seen or received your published content or messaging, you can always inspect your brand’s analytics, specifically visitation, reach, and foot traffic. They’ll be there, for sure. 

 

The Outsiders

 

This personality type refuses to join social media networks although they do use the internet or are online. They usually utilize the digital platform not to interact with other people but strictly for work or business. 

 

Although they aren’t on any social media platforms, they’re still pretty much influenced by it, specifically by people around them who may possess the Initiator and Mover personality types on social media. These two groups are the ones who usually spread the word about recent happenings online, which includes brand campaigns on social media. 

 

Even though Outsiders are not that active or influential on social media platforms, they still have purchasing power so catering to them and taking them into account is still a must!

 

No One Should Be Left Behind

 

Now that you’re familiar with the key personalities that dominate social media platforms, you’ll be able to develop separate strategies to pull them into your brand. This will also make targeting much easier as you’ll know what works for each personality type. 

 

It’s also important that in everything you do, you consider each social media personality. They all work together to form your community online. Focusing too much on one group will shake the balance and could affect your brand’s influence online. So, always make sure that you put in equal effort to appeal to each. 

 

Speaking of equal effort, also make sure to tend to other aspects of your digital presence like SEO (Search Engine Optimization), which helps your store or website gain more foot traffic by increasing your rank on search engine results. 

 

Remember that social media is not the end-all or be-all of digital marketing, it’s just a part of it.