Moodparting?

Photo of a tablet computer at a breakfast table

Moodparting

EMOTIONAL SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook

Positive emotions are at their highest for Facebook users from 6-7 AM.
Negative emotions rise from 9 AM to 2 PM.
Negative & positive emotions converge around 2:30 PM.
Positive & negative emotions hover around the mean from from 4-10 PM.
Positive emotions reach a daytime low around 6 PM.
Negative emotions peak while positive emotions recede from 10 PM to 2 AM.

THOUGHT: I assume Facebook basis these numbers on an analysis of the tone of comments people leave on content posted to the service as well as people’s functional reaction to positive or negative content as evidenced by Likes or Shares.

We call the scheduling of communications based on when people are paying attention “dayparting” but we might now want to think about the concept of “moodparting.”

It might be beneficial to systematically test the use of positive and negative content with your audiences during dayparts. Does a positive blog post or video or photo get more Likes from 6-7 AM or any other parts of the day, for that matter? Do status updates that complain about something receive greater or fewer comments than the average?

Given the importance of social signals in getting visibility for your content within social networks as well as search, understanding the moods of your audience may give your content more traction.

Here’s an example: When former Minnesota Vikings head coach Brad Childress was on the proverbial hot seat toward the end of his term, I ran a set of Facebook ads for my Minnesota Vikings Chat blog that had the same body copy, the same photograph but used different headlines. One headline read “Should He Stay?” and the other read “Should He Go?”

The Should He Stay? ad got the most clicks. Even though the image, copy, and headline for each ad was dispassionate in tone, the emotions of the people who clicked on the ads played into their motivations for clicking. Most Vikings fans wanted Childress fired so their reaction to the Should He Go? ad was likely, Of course.

Because that was the prevailing sentiment among fans, those who saw the Should He Stay? ad clicked on it in order to register their opposition to the notion.

THROWBACK THURSDAY: 1967 McDonald’s Commercial: You’ve just finished listening to The Big Game on the radio; now it’s time for take-out from McDonald’s. [WATCH]

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