Social media marketing is a powerful way for brands to get their message in front of customers on a regular basis. It’s also a great way to generate leads and increase sales. But, if you want your content to be seen and shared on social media, it needs to be interesting and valuable.
We’ve all seen social media posts that suddenly went viral and were shared with millions of people across the internet. Some of them were even created by companies or brands, including these:
Beyond these viral campaigns, what makes content likely to be shared by your target audience? How can you create content they think is worth engaging with or sharing?
If you’re like many marketers, creating engagement is one of your top challenges with your social media content.
The motivation behind sharing content on social media platforms varies from person to person. If you want to create successful social media marketing campaigns, it helps to understand why people share different types of content.
Some common motivations people have for sharing on social media platforms include:
Some people share content to inform, amuse and help others. For 94% of us, that’s the main reason for sharing on social media, according to a New York Times survey.
Letting others know who they are and what they care about is a motivation for at least 68% of people who share content online. For many people, using social media is a way to create a personal brand or express opinions.
People also share content on social media to keep in touch with others and build stronger connections. The NYT’s research uncovered that a big motivation for people who share content online is to connect with other people with similar interests and to stay in touch with old friends.
People share content because it makes them feel more involved in the world around them. Sharing content is one way to feel as if you are making a difference or involved in your community.
People express their support for causes and ideas they believe in by sharing content online.
Videos are six times more likely to be retweeted than posts with images, and three times more likely to be retweeted than gifs. Tweets with images get shared 150% more often than those that are only text.
Different types of posts stimulate likes, shares, and comments on social media. The type of post that gets the most engagement on social media is typically one that is both personal and relatable.
An Ipsos study revealed several interesting takeaways about why people share:
The same study showed that while the top reason for sharing content in nearly all countries surveyed was “important things,” it wasn’t the case in Saudi Arabia. There, the top reason (65%) reported for sharing something on social media was to let “others know what I believe in and who I really am.”
That answer also ranked highly in Brazil, where 60% agreed. Comparatively, only 37% of the rest of the world said this was their top reason for sharing.
The survey also showed some regional differences in the willingness to share “interesting” content. That reason topped the list in China, Indonesia, South Africa and Turkey, whereas it was at the bottom of the list in Japan, Germany and Saudi Arabia.
In Sweden, people are most likely to share “interesting” things and least likely to share “to show I’m in the know.” That might not surprise anyone who knows Swedes don’t like to brag (even if they are the Capital of Scandinavia). Turkey is the most likely to share information for that reason (33%).
If you’re looking for help or inspiration in creating social media content for your brand, reach out to UP for support. Have a question? Leave a comment below, or feel free to ask me.