The only thing to do with good advice is to pass it on. It is never of any use to oneself. —Oscar Wilde
Hopefully you tuned in last week for my post on shareable content. Today I’ll be following up that information with some thoughts on how you can create content that your networks will be excited to share with their own friends and followers.
Last week’s post was focused on the emergence of shareable content on social platforms and why people want to share. Today I’ll suggest five things you should be doing to ensure your content is shareable and share-worthy. Don’t focus on the goal of getting shared or “going viral.” Instead, hone in on the kind of content that gets shared often and go to work creating content that ticks those boxes.
“First, understand with extreme clarity for whom you are creating content, and what their REAL needs are.” — Jay Baer
The first step in creating marketing content has always been to identify your audience, but that has never been as complicated as it is today. The digital landscape is almost a macrocosm of dating app Tinder. If a person doesn’t like what they see in their first impression, they can opt out (unlike, unfollow, or pledge their loyalty to a competitor) instantly. There’s no requirement to stick around and do more of a deep dive.
Know which segment of your target is most important. Tailor your language and platforms to speak directly to them. If you shoot for a “general” voice, it likely won’t be specific enough to land with many. Investigate how your target audience views the needs served by your product. Is it an essential, time-saving item or a once in a while luxury purchase? Make sure your presentation and their views align.
Get your hooks in early.
As I pointed out in last week’s blog, there is so much content being published today that it’s a lot more difficult to get noticed than it used to be. Each of us has a little bell inside us that goes off when we see something we identify with. It’s crucial that your audience has that little bell go off right away when they encounter your content.
Your headlines, images, and captions are the first opportunities for your audience to judge a piece of content, so make sure they send the right message to the right people. Brand advocates you can count on to “like” and share your posts mean an expanded reach for your content.
Make it easy.
As I mentioned previously, the desire to share is hardwired inside all of us. Make it easy to accomplish! Encourage people to share your content by putting social icon buttons within your site and on each individual page of content. You can also place a “click to tweet” function within your blog posts that allows a user to highlight a section of text and tweet it from their personal account with the click of a button.
Keep building your network.
Whatever you do, don’t sit back and wait for the likes to roll in. Though you’re publishing great blogs and providing valuable information through your social channels, your journey has just begun. Finding brand champions who are eager to share your content will help grow your network but you need to do a lot of extra work outside of that to ensure you’re widening your net.
Use every social platform that makes sense for you. Send out a regular newsletter and email blasts with new and exciting information. Talk to people about your brand or product at every opportunity. Reach out to other bloggers and influencers in your space to see if they are interested in collaborating.
Humanize it!
It’s no secret that I am a proponent of human-centric marketing. But in the context of social media, how can you not be? My last tip for creating shareable content is to hyper focus on the human you’re trying to reach.
A study by Buffer showed that people like sharing things that address them as “you.” They like sharing things that relate to their daily lives. They like sharing things that put them in touch with their emotions, positive or negative. People like sharing content that feels “human.”
Share this blog!
Ask your brand advocates to share on your behalf! Social sharing is word of mouth on steroids. Maintaining an active presence on social media by sharing your original content can do wonders for your brand awareness. If you focus on the five things I’ve listed above, your content should be that much closer to landing with its intended target.
Image Credit: CC by Paolo Valdemarin
