Here, Max urges you to look beyond the data on your screens at the human behind the story. He argues that you need to drive and inspire actual human behaviour by targeting the "limbic brains" in order to be positively influential.
The latest .rising leaders post comes from Max Pepe, Head ofClickwork7, a global performance marketing company which specialise in lead generation, customer acquisition and mobile app promotion for clients such as Amazon and Wowcher.
Here, Max urges you to look beyond the data on your screens at the human behind the story. He argues that you need to drive and inspire actual human behaviour by targeting the “limbic brains” in order to be positively influential. Find out what this limbic brain is and discover a new social order you need to succeed.
It’s time to re-asses your social media content. By understanding and applying several core principles routed in psychology and (believe it or not) biology, we are able to unearth the secret to driving actual human behaviour through social platforms.
As marketers in the digital age we are often blinded by science. We can become so obsessed with data, analytics, insight and technology we forget one very important factor – we are still marketing to humans. Data is not a fact, data is a clue. We are not marketing to technology, we are 
marketing through technology. Data and tech are important and necessary tools (I love a good spreadsheet as much as the next man), but every now and then it’s worth stepping outside the two-dimensional number crunching data box we rely far too heavily on, and looking at what we can learn from the human mind.
In his truly brilliant TedTalk ‘Start With Why’, Simon Sinek asks how inspiring companies and leaders are able to generate such earth-shattering results, and achieve the seemingly impossible. How have Apple gone from a geeky computer company on the verge of bankruptcy, to one of the world’s most desirable luxury brands with values and beliefs that transcend culture and language? How did Martin Luther King so successfully lead the civil rights movement where hundreds failed before him? How were the Wright brothers’ the first to achieve powered man flight, when there were others far better equipped, superlatively more qualified and considerably better funded all racing for this accomplishment at the very same time? The answer to this question, gives us a blue print that can be applied to social media marketing with profound effects, and will change the way you approach your social content forever.
Upon deconstruction, it becomes apparent that these inspired people and organisations think, act and communicate in the exact same way as one another – and it happens to be the exact opposite to the way most of us think, act and communicate. This elegantly simple yet perfectly formed theory can be illustrated by what Simon Sinek calls ‘The Golden Circle’:
All of us know what we do as a business. Some of us know how we do it (your differentiating value proposition, your proprietary process or your USP etc). But very few of us know WHY we do it. By why we do not mean to make a profit (that’s just a result), moreover, why does your organisation exist. Your true purpose, your authentic mission and your genuine beliefs – that’s your why.
In relation to the Golden Circle, most of us think, act and communicate from the outside in. It’s natural to start with the easiest element (what) and work inwards; but if Apple started from the outside in their marketing message would read something like this:
This uninspiring message is in no way representative of the bold and disruptive initiatives we expect from the late Mr Job’s Goliath of a tech company – yet it’s this very approach that most of us apply to our social media strategies. We start with WHAT. We push our message out to the world by telling people what we do, with absolutely no consideration for why we do it.
Apple, on the other hand, work from the inside out, they start with WHY. Here’s what their marketing messages really sound like:
This very fact explains why we’re prepared to buy a desktop, a laptop, a mobile phone, a watch (a fridge, a car, and whatever else the future holds) from Apple. Because people don’t buy what you do they buy why you do it. The goal is not to do business with people who want what you have, the goal is to do business with people who believe what you believe. This is the number one fundamental rule we need to apply to our social media content. For the first time in history we have access to a platform designed perfectly to showcase our WHY, social media gives us a stage upon which to demonstrate and communicate our purpose.
On the surface you would be forgiven for deeming this an impossibly utopian mantra; but allow me to dig a little deeper. This is not just Simon Sinek’s opinion on leadership, Steve Job’s opinion on how to run a company, or my opinion on how to approach social media content. It’s routed in neuro-science and biology. If you take a slice of the brain from the top down you will see it is split in to three core sections that correlate perfectly with the Golden Circle.
The outside layer (what) is your Neocortex, your newest brain, your Homosapien brain. This layer deals with complex alpha numeric communication, it understands both written and spoken language, but (and here’s the key), your Neocortex does not drive behaviour. Fact.
The middle two sections (how and why) relate to your limbic brain. This is where trust is formed. These elements are responsible for emotion, loyalty and gut instinct. The Limbic Brain has absolutely NO capacity for language. But imperatively, and super importantly, the limbic brain drives behaviour. Fact.
If you communicate from the outside in and start with what, you are targeting the neocortex. Your audience will be able to understand all the complex features, benefits, and technicalities of your product or service. But you are not stirring emotion, and you will not drive behaviour.
If you start with why, you communicate directly to the limbic brains. If you start with why you build loyalty and trust. It’s here you are able to drive and inspire actual human behaviour. Our social media content therefore needs to target the limbic brains in order to be positively influential. Again: The goal is not to do business with people who want what you have, but with people who believe what you believe. If you approach your social media content from the inside out and start with why, you engage an audience in a profoundly emotional manner. This is how you build a community, a true fan base who intrinsically believe in what you do. Language itself is limited. Pushing, proclaiming and professing your message is crude and ineffective. Product features and benefits will not drive behaviour. Look deeper, establish and communicate your why. Because when you do, you build a following of loyal advocates who become the most powerful marketing team you could ever wish to employ.
Simon Sinek’s TED Talk is absolutely fantastic, but this article is merely a regurgitation of Sinek’s work and offers no additional insight.
Hi Adam. It’s a shame you feel this way. I disagree for a number of reasons. Very few people view Simon Sinek’s talk through the eyes of a social media marketer and apply his philosophy to their social content. This short article is simply encouraging purpose and belief to be communicated through social channels (as opposed to the typical approach of showcasing product pictures and office selfies that lack any substance or function). Curating timeless thoughts, ideas and principles on subjects such as leadership, and applying them to all aspects of our modern digital marketing execution is exactly how we move forward. If you take this article too literally, and don’t look beyond the TED talk it references, you are sadly missing the point.
I don’t think that’s what Adam was saying to be fair. If we are viewing this Golden Circle approach how has practice been tweaked to reflect the shift in perspective. Let’s have some more examples other than Apple. Maybe a case study of a business that shifted their approach and what happened afterwards to their smm efforts? I agree wholeheartedly with the concept and am using it to start a social media marketing course at the end of July – we were just looking for more ‘why’ and ‘how’ I’m guessing:) It’s good to spark debate and comments such as ‘If you take this article too literally, and don’t look beyond the TED talk it references, you are sadly missing the point’ is both patronising and a tad defensive. Let’s all just debate, explore and develop:) Collaboration, open sharing is what we all need…only an opinion. Thoughts?
Agreed – I was surprised it was a verbatim account as a potential thought leader the author needs to add a perspective, develop the argument, context or demonstrate experience of the theory in a working context….disappointing.