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Why do people share on social media?

The goal of using social media for your business is to get people to talk about your stuff.  By stuff, we mean your business, your industry, your company, your campaigns, your products or your services.  The more people talk about them, the more successful you will become.

Why do people share other people’s stuff on social media?

The New York Times put out a study called the Psychology of sharing.  Read it here or enjoy some highlights with a tip for each:

Entertainment or Value

We talked about this in yesterday’s blog.  People want to feel like they have something to offer. If they share something that people appreciate, they feel valuable.

Tip: Share something humorous.  Humor gets shared frequently.  Also, find some valuable tips about your business or industry and create a campaign based on those valuable tips (like this one!).

Identity

This one is amazingly simple and powerful.  People want to identify with who they want to be.  You may see a person working as a burger flipper sharing pictures of the latest expensive sports car.  They want to identify themselves as being that type of person.

Tip: Share things that give people an identity beyond their own. Quotes are a powerful way to do this.  Think strategically.  What is the culture of your business and how can you share that culture in a way that people want to identify with?

Relationships

People want to grow and nourish their relationships.  Just look at the posts around a holiday like Valentine’s Day.  People share gushy statements about their spouse.  People share birthdays, anniversaries, and lots of celebrations.  People love to bring people along with them when they have triumph or defeat.

Tip: Find something to celebrate.  Did you know that there is literally a day every day of the year for something?  There is a day for ice cream, dogs, hot dogs, etc..  Pick relevant topics to celebrate and get people excited about building a relationship with your business.

Causes or brands

People love to get behind people of passion.  If you see someone going ‘all out’ for something, you can’t help but share.  There is a part of us that wants to be part of something bigger than ourselves, so we share things that are important to us. . . even if just for that one moment.

Tip: Find a social cause to rally behind.  It can be an environmental, medical, or social cause.  Find this cause and make sure it aligns with your business values.  Encourage your employees to get involved.  Many organizations have speakers that will share about the cause.  Record it.  Interview them.  Create a press release.  There is so much you can do online by legitimately caring about other people.

Tips for better engagement on social media

Keep is simple.
Keep it entertaining.
Keep it relevant.
Keep Sharing.

BONUS Tip: Create a call to action.  People are pretty good about following directions. Tell them to share what you post.  Pick ONE ACTION that you want people to do and tell them exactly what you want them to do. If you line up with a social cause, send a post telling everyone about it and tell them to ‘like’ the page for that cause.

Which category of social media sharing are you going to put into action this week? Share it on our Youtube or GooglePlus.