Header: Top 5 Hacks for Better sharing of your Content Which nobody will tell you! How such engaging and shareable content can be created may indeed involve an element of art rather than science, but this is no longer so true today. Every day, we as marketers and business owners look to create content that will engage our audience in thought-provoking dialogue or inspire them to share with their tribes. WoW is interesting, but how do you get your content to MAYBE stand out in the ocean of information? 1. Get to Know Your Audience and Form a Bond
Insight = Meaningful Understanding Of Your Audience
Know Your Audience, The Key To Shareable Content This is where you must have a strong sense of who they are, what matters to them and why they share. People share for 5 reasons, according to this study conducted by TheNewYorkTimes Consumer Insight Group:
To entertain others
To characterize themselves in relation to others
For cultivating relationships
To self-fulfill
In other words, as a friend of theirs put it: to raise awareness for the sh*t that matters to your soul. BuzzFeed has a firm grip on making content easily shareable, due in part to their process of audience segmentation. They make quizzes, lists and articles targeted (using research) at certain groups and tastes. BuzzFeed is able to capture the emotions and interests of their audience which allows them to create viral content through tools such as surveys, social listening, events and more. Real Thing You Can Do: Create audience personas
Quote to Inspire:
You need to know your audience better than they do if you want to create an unforgettable content experience. Joe Pulizzi, Content Marketing Institute
Application:
Audience surveys and social media polls
Track audience behavior using Google Analytics, etc. Don\’t forget to create extensive personas and keep in mind their likings, and dislikes when creating the content. 2. Create Engaging and Appropriate Headlines
Dig Deeper: The Power of Headlines
Perfect Headline: This is the first thing a reader sees in your content and a good headline can compel them to want to read more. It is the first thing a reader sees, and it often determines whether or not your piece gets read in comparison to all of the other things on their news feed. Per Copyblogger, 8 out of 10 users never make it past the headline. Only two in ten will even look at your content on average. Another media company, Upworthy that created viral content also discovered the power of headline testing and is using it by writing 25 different headlines per piece to find out which one works best. This has led to, 10x engagement results. Actionable Tip: Headline Formulas
Use time-tested headline formulas including:
The content of this email should be in line with the subject line, so it could look something like How to [desired result] in [amount of time]
X Solutions to a Problem You Wish Your Audience Had
The one interesting statement that will decide [desired outcome]
Application:
Make Sure You Do at Least 2-3 Headlines for Each Content Piece
Test headlines with tools such as CoSchedule’s Headline Analyzer. Try different Social Media Headlines to determine which one does the best. 3. Humanize your content
Takeaway: The Relationship between Emotion and Share
It triggers some strong emotions and that is why it got shared. Research by the University of Pennsylvania also discovered that awe-inspiring, anger-inducing and anxiety-producing content are shared most. Example: Always \’Like a Girl\’ Campaign
Always: Like a GirlThis ad played on emotional and societal issueingoing much deeper, evoking equally strong emotion. This resulted in a surge of engagement, and shares which made it an international ice breaker. Quick Win: Storytelling
Trigger Emotion Utilize Storytelling in Your Content Tell stories anecdotes and experiences from your own life that reflects the concepts you are teaching or tells a story of someone else, one could tell customers success in tough times. Quote to Inspire:
It is the age of storytelling; Seth Godin aptly puts it, — “marketing is no longer about the stuff that you make but about stories”. — Seth Godin, bestselling author and marketing genius
Application:
Determine which emotions you want your content to trigger
Engage them emotionally – tell a story. Most importantly…. real-life examples and testimonials to strengthen the message. 4. Use visuals; they increase your engagement! Insight: The Visual Impact
Engagement: A picture is worth a thousand words. A Social Media Examiner report states that visual content is 40 times more likely to be shared on social media than other types of contents. Infographics in Hubspot\’s content strategy Their infographics are GREAT white papers and continues to draw thousands of engagements on a wide range of platforms. Actionable Tip: Use Visual Tools
Create visual content, for example; infographics, images and videos (with Canva or Adoble Spark) High-quality, related photographs should be used and those which help in delivering the message of your content
Quote to Inspire:
People dont buy what you do; they buy why you do it. And what you do only shows what it is.” Simon Sinek, Author and Motivational Speaker
Application:
Add High-Quality Visuals in Your Content. Make complex information easier to comprehend by developing infographics. Better clarified concepts or demonstrated through video
5. Create Content That Is Meant To Be Shared
Insight: Simplifying Sharing
The most amazing content in the world is useless if no one can share it. Making it easy for your audience to help you spread the word on their favorite platform. In the case of New York Times\’ Share Buttons
The New York Times cleverly uses strategic placements of share buttons throughout their articles, driving further sharing. In addition, they have also been using Click-to-Tweet capabilities for sharing quotes and snippets about the piece to skyrocket every story. Actionable: Add Share Buttons
Quote to Inspire:
“Make it simple. Make it memorable. Make it inviting to look at. Make it fun to read.” Legendary Advertising Executive, Leo Burnett
Application:
Feature social sharing buttons on your content, front and center. Favorite quote: Try Click-to-Tweet to make important quotes ready for easy sharing. Develop Shareable Content (or offer the freebies). The viral campaign “Will It Blend? from the blender maker, Blendtec series of videos where they put nonstandard things in a blender, including iPods and golf balls. That campaign delivered 6M+ views and a +700% sales uplift. Blendtec recognised that their audience simply enjoyed the novelty and entertainment, so they jumped right on it — developing highly shareable content which was also directly influencing both engagement levels as well as sales significantly. Key Takeaways:
They Knew Their Audience: Blendtec tapped into the curiosity and entertainment that their audience desired. Generate Emotion: This combination of curiosity and humor not only made the content very engaging, but also served to create at least a limited sense of anticipation when viewers got more than they bargained for. With Visuals: The videos showed the power of product in a visually striking manner. Optimize for Sharing: The ease of sharing on platforms like YouTube was a powerful factor in the campaign going viral. To create engaging shareable content, you have to include a mix of knowing your audience + compelling headlines + evoking emotions (hits the feels) and leveraging visuals – designed for sharing. Applying these strategies will allow you to convert your content into a platform for engagement and expansion. Join the Conversation! Which tactics work best for you in developing shareable experiences? Tell us about your experiences and thoughts in the comment section. Want to get into what we can learn about content strategy and how to ENGAGE more of our readers in your hand written market research? Get more ideas, strategies and customized marketing services by Meticulous Marketing Agency We help marketers like you, create content that makes a difference and drive business growth.
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