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By Phil Mershon Do you wonder how to get your content seen amidst a sea of information? What if you could understand why your audience shares some information and not other? That would make your content stand out from the competition. The Science of Sharing 30 billion pieces of content are shared on Facebook each month, including blog posts, links, news stories and photo albums. HubSpots Dan Zarrella has found that three things must happen to get your content shared. First, people must be exposed to your content (be a fan on Facebook or follow you on Twitter). Second, they must be aware of your content (meaning they actually see it). Finally, they must be motivated by something in your content to share it. Many articles have been written on how to increase your audience size and make people aware of your content, including these by Mari Smith and Denise Wakeman. This article will focus on the motivations for sharing. The New York Times recently partnered with Latitude Research to unpack the psychology of sharing. Based on their study of 2500 participants (and some other recent research), here are 9 reasons why your customers arent sharing your content.
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Notice the evolution in trust. Key takeaway: To build trust, Guy Kawasaki says the first step is to be trusting. The other recommendation is to lead honest and open public dialogues where youre not afraid of negative statements. #2: Your customers dont care about your brand That hurts to hear, but customers have short memories. They wonder what have you done for me lately? Your customers are looking for valuable information, great deals and a chance to meet other people who share their interests. As soon as you stop offering these things, your fans will go looking elsewhere. They may not feel a commitment to your brand, but you can keep them interested in your content. The next couple of points offer some remedies you can implement immediately. Key takeaway: Determine what your audience values from you and keep giving it to them. In fact, exceed their expectations.
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Dont be boring, says Grandma Mary, the alter-ego of Social Media Examiners Facebook community manager, Andrea Vahl. People are far more likely to share something they find intriguing or funny. Look at the case of Volkswagens videos. Their Cannes-winning episode, The Force, a spoof on Star Wars, earned over 40 million views. None of their other videos, more traditional marketing content, came close to 1 million views. Of course, most of us would love a million views. But look at the relative difference in sharing power. Key takeaway: People love to share humor. Get some of your creative staff to find ways to bring humor and fun into some of your posts. See this post by Jason Miller for some ideas.
Notice how CREE has taken a boring subject like lighting and made it a mission and revolution to change lighting in public places across America. While not a cause in the humanitarian sense, this does get people excited about being part of something bigger than your brand or product.
637 S. Victory Blvd.| Burbank, CA 91502 | Phone: (818) 567-4400 | Fax: (818) 567-4401 www.fhofficesystems.com
Key takeaway: Show your human side. Let fans know what causes excite you and give them a chance to help you spread the word.
78% of respondents use links to stay connected to people they might not otherwise stay in touch with. 73% of respondents said sharing content helps them find people with common interests.
Red Bull does a nice job of sharing content their fans might be willing to share with their friends.
Notice how Red Bull asks a question and then encourage sharing. Key takeaway: Evaluate your posts and ask why someone might share this content with their friends.
The way we do that online is through the content we share. 68% of The New York Times study participants said they share content as an advertisement for themselves. They want to give others a better sense of who they are. Key takeaway: Share highly valuable content and links that will give your fans access to information that will enable them to look good in the eyes of their friends. Ask your fans what they would like to know.
Notice how popular words like "giveaway" and "jobs" are. Key takeaway: People who share your content may be using it to crystallize their thinking. Make sure to give them some new thought-provoking content and dont forget to invite their comments.
637 S. Victory Blvd.| Burbank, CA 91502 | Phone: (818) 567-4400 | Fax: (818) 567-4401 www.fhofficesystems.com
637 S. Victory Blvd.| Burbank, CA 91502 | Phone: (818) 567-4400 | Fax: (818) 567-4401 www.fhofficesystems.com
The study authors discovered that people have not abandoned email. In fact, participants share most frequently through email and consider it more private. Therefore they have higher expectations for responses through email. Key takeaway: Dont forget to integrate your email strategies with social media. Jay Baer will be speaking about this at Facebook Success Summit 2011. He also wrote this article.
637 S. Victory Blvd.| Burbank, CA 91502 | Phone: (818) 567-4400 | Fax: (818) 567-4401 www.fhofficesystems.com