Enticing Your Audience With Social Media Sharing
There are many different reasons that drive a person to share content (of all kinds) on social media. One of the main reasons is that the “sharer” has a feeling that the content that he or she is sharing is interesting and beneficial to the recipient of the content.
The many motivating reasons to share content on social media
In addition to sharing content on social media because it is interesting, there are several other reasons why a person wants to share his or her content. A person may wish to share content because the content is important and the person sharing the content deems it important. Another reason is that the person sharing the content believes that the information is amusing. Those reasons are followed by the sharer’s desire to show people what that person believes in and about what he or she is passionate. Of course, there is also the possibly obvious reason that he or she is recommending a product or service that is of value to everyone concerned. The list is rounded off with the content being unique and thus being worthy of being shared. A large percentage of people are inclined to share some type of information through social media. There are several other points that are worth mentioning:
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Differences on a regional level: When it comes to sharing interesting pieces of information, it is one of the more popular reasons that people share content. This is true on an international level. However, across countries, it is sometimes the case that the people prefer to allow other people to get a strong sense of who that person is and what they represent. Many people (internationally) have listed sharing interesting information as their top reason.
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Sharing has been around for a long time: If you think about it, people have been sharing information since the beginning of time. They share information, ideas, and thoughts. That is really the only way that culture can be passed down from one generation to the next generation. If you think about family history, it is the only way that later generations could possibly acquire the knowledge of the family. Of course, it is expected that some of the details of the stories are changed or exaggerated over time; however, the heart of the stories remain in tact in general. With the advent of social media, the limitations are even fewer than they were in the past. We are all a part of the age of information, in which we have (at our fingertips)
- A greater volume of content
- A greater frequency of content
- A greater volume of online connections
- A quicker way to get the information out there online
The Internet is so extensive and so full of amazing possibilities that there is no stopping anyone who has a desire to share amazing information through social media channels. Information now comes at you at a whirlwind pace and you can grab onto just about any type and amount of information that you wish. A great deal of the information gives people the ability to think for themselves and to make their own decisions.
Why you would want to share online
There are several good reasons that you should consider sharing online. They are:
- To expose other people to entertaining, valuable, and educational content.
- To make people understand who you are and where their passions lie.
- To cultivate and maintain relationships.
- To become satisfied.
- To promote your brand and your offerings to the right people.
The different kinds of sharers
There are many different kinds of sharers of social media. The main ones are:
Careerists: Careerists are knowledgeable online users who have the ability to recognize how valuable social media really is. They are able (and inclined) to use popular social media channels such as Facebook and LinkedIn to make full use of their profiles and to form valuable relationships. There are many advantages that can be realized through online connections.
Selfless people (altruists): These are people who have a desire to help others. They maintain contact (generally through Email) and they don’t hesitate to pass along valuable information to others who they feel will benefit from it.
Young, modern sharers: These are young, creative online users who are very much into the new, cutting-edge technology tools that are available. Their sharing approach will go beyond Email to the next level. They will share through Twitter, text messaging, and Skype.
Boomerangs: These are people who share their content so that they get a sense of being validated. The more reaction their content invokes, the happier they are. The information is what give them power. They are called boomerangs because something is returned to them after they have made the effort to share their content.
Getting people to share content online
If you can reach your online connections in a way that motivates them on a human level, they will want to share online. It is important to know how to respond to your online connections.
- Keep your language clear and concise.
- Maintain a sense of humor at all times.
- Communicate a sense of urgency whenever possible.
Conclusion
When it comes to sharing content online through social media channels, it is critical to understand that it is not a one-night stand. You really want your content to keep on giving and the only way to do that is to get people to recognize the value of the content that you are sharing. Social media is a wonderful way to do that. People are interesting creatures. There are certain attributes that we all share, including the idea that we all follow some model, we all wish to be in control, most of us are against change, our memories are rather short at times, we have acute visual capacity, and we love to socialize. Oh, and don’t forget that we will make mistakes sooner or later. After all, that is what it means to be human.
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Via LinkedIn Groups
Group: Writum
Discussion: How Do You Entice People to Share Your Content?
I believe that it’s imperative to share content online these days if one teaches and/or has a business. As a teacher, I put content online, shared language tips and links and ran discussion forums for my undergraduate students. Nowadays, I share language tips and articles for my customers. In both cases, my work has always been shared openly on the internet.
By Ruth Vilmi
Via LinkedIn Groups
Group: Writum
Discussion: How Do You Entice People to Share Your Content?
The best way to get someone to share your content is to share some of theirs. I find that all social media is definitely a “I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine” kind of channel. Other writers are your best bet. But you never know who will pick up your Tweet/Post/Status Update from there…
By Terri Lively
Via LinkedIn Groups
Group: Online Marketing Network
Discussion: How Do You Entice People to Share Your Content?
A good read indeed, makes us think of the kind of marketing strategies which we use presently. Any twitter specific studies?
By Kunal Anand
Via LinkedIn Groups
Group: NJ Business & Industry Association (NJBIA)
Discussion: How Do You Entice People to Share Your Content?
Social media both benefits and suffers from the act of sharing, doesn’t it? Does the reader really care what brand of toothpaste you use (although I am positive they are glad that you use toothpaste!)? A little planning and some thought will help motivate the reader to want to share your articles and posts, through the content that you select to distribute.
A important note – don’t forget to ask the reader to share it! A simple request that works, but far too often is overlooked, especially when marketing via email.
By John Hyman
Via LinkedIn Groups
Group: Writum
Discussion: How Do You Entice People to Share Your Content?
I like to share in cases when it is a reciprocal relationship OR if I just think the info will help/be interesting to my readers. Yes my sites are monetized so I want them out there for my benefit, but the content also serves the purpose of just helping my readers. So if sharing someone else’s content achieves that, so be it. Karma in the long run 😉
By Kelly Smith
Via LinkedIn Groups
Group: Linked User Group (Official Linked User Group)
Discussion: How Do You Entice People to Share Your Content?
Do you recommend posting content to the Discussion area or the Promotions area? Does it even matter? And, is there a problem posting messages and including links? I now have all my Linkedin Groups under moderation. I believe the reason why may be that I posted messages using links. While I personally think posting messages using links and posting to numerous groups is both good and healthy, I have been told that Linkedin’s algorithm has changed and links in posts may be considered as SPAM and the posting of the same message to more than one group may also be considered as SPAM. However, when a person has a weekly meeting and wants people to attend from numerous networks and is familiar with how to use the Linkedin SHARE button, why not use these resources Linkedin freely provides without fear of retribution?
Lamar Morgan
By Lamar Morgan
Via LinkedIn Groups
Group: Linked Business
Discussion: How Do You Entice People to Share Your Content?
I’ve found enticing the share is hard to do, as there is so much white noise out there. The other thing I have experienced (at least that I know of due to the platform) is that my content is generally shared on Twitter by re-tweeting, perhaps because it is easy to do.
By Karl Walinskas
Via LinkedIn Groups
Group: Linked Business
Discussion: How Do You Entice People to Share Your Content?
“If you like what you just read and think someone else could benefit from it, please feel free to pass it on.”
Avoid the enticing and the approach that coerces people – or that they even get a hint that you are trying to use them to market or further your business. People aren’t stupid, well, not all of them, lol!
By Lenna K Millar
Via LinkedIn Groups
Group: Linked Business
Discussion: How Do You Entice People to Share Your Content?
Asking, and making social share very visible. I hate it when the social share is at the bottom of a blog. I don’t need to read the whole article to know if I’m going to share it or not.
By Krista Moon
Via LinkedIn Groups
Group: Small Biz Nation
Discussion: How Do You Entice People to Share Your Content?
My three rules:
1) Make sure it’s good content
2) Make sure it’s relevant
3) Repeat 1 and 2
By Shelah Johnson
Via LinkedIn Groups
Group: Small Biz Nation
Discussion: How Do You Entice People to Share Your Content?
Some great thought here. I’d like to add that besides creating shareable content, promoting it and encouraging people to share, it’s also crucial to make it easier for them, both on desktop and mobile. Strategically placed website plugins usually do the trick.
By Elena Meadowcroft