by Gina Bell
One thing I know for sure… being a best-kept secret or feeling invisible despite ALL of the things you do day-in-and-day-out to market yourself online can be frustrating to say the least.
Understanding what motivates your right people to share and recommend your content will give your visibility a valuable boost!
So why is it that people are willing to continually pass on content from certain sites to friends, while not at all for other sites?
Here is some insight into the minds of online consumers and why they pass along certain pieces of content and ignore others…
1. Thinking Emotionally Rather Than Logically:
Really great marketing motivate their tribe to take action by making an emotional connection and tugging at their heartstrings rather than try to win them over with logic.
For example, if a video gets someone really inspired about an event, program or website, they might share that video on their Facebook wall without necessarily double-checking the details.
In fact, I’ve observed videos (blog posts & articles too) shared long after the doors to an event were closed because the video was still worth passing along. AND, the video creator/event host enjoys a growing wait list for their next event.
Why did people keep sharing it? It wasn’t that the video presented specific details about the event. It was that it sparked excitement and inspiration for the viewer.
If you can create content that gets people fired up, they’ll be much more likely to pass it on to their network.
2. Wanting Their Friends to Have a Good Experience
This principle is very basic. It’s the same reason why we recommend restaurants and movies to friends: we just want them to have a better experience.
If you create a website that helps people in a certain industry do things faster and cheaper, there’s a good chance your content will get passed around simply because people want their friends to have a better experience.
To make this process easier, it often helps to have “sound bite sized” pieces of information. For example, if you run a website about how to repair your credit, instead of having someone just pass on your website, it’s much easier for them to pass on an infographic specifically about how to repair your credit before buying a home, if they had a friend who’s on the verge of buying.
3. You Helped Them; They Want to Help You
Have you ever had the experience of getting such great customer service that you wanted to return the favor?
For example, you go to a restaurant whose service is so spectacular that you feel like you want to bring more people to their establishment just because you want to help them out.
If your clients get the sense that you’re really looking out for them and that you really care about them, they’ll often be willing to return the favor.
Ordinary service doesn’t elicit this kind of loyalty. But if you provide exceptional service, this kind of marketing can be one of the most powerful marketing tools in your word of mouth toolkit.
Many campaigns that go viral work based on using just one of these principles. A few of them activate all three principles and really take off. Which one(s) makes the most sense for your business?
And I’m curious…
Have you created a piece of content that got a lot of shares or likes? We’d love to hear more about that. What was it and why do you think people decided to share it?
Gina Bell is the Founder of Gina Bell Inc, a company devoted to expanding what is possible for women through entrepreneurship; Publisher of Rebelations Magazine, Author of the #1 Best-Seller Success Rituals 2.0 – Winning Habits of High-Achieving Women and forthcoming author of Invisible-Proof! (ETA Fall 2012). GinaBellinc.com
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15 Replies to “3 Ways to Motivate Others to Share Your Content”
Joel Burger
Hi Gina, this is the second of your blogs I have included in ‘Best of the Web’ http://j3webmarketing.com/best-web – the other is ‘Hindsight to Insight: 26 Women in Business Reveal What They Know Now that they Wish They Knew Then’. Being the best kept secret sounds charming.. but I am sure you wonder if nobody reads your content than why bother?? I have my own blog with only 14 posts so far, which is why I started ‘Best of the Web’ to share great content with others. Please take a look and share with your friends. Thanks.
Joan Penfold
Great article. Ever consider swapping articles? I would like to share http://ezinearticles.com/?Its-Time-To-Get-Up-and-Network!&id=6145828 with you.
5 Pro Tips for Growing Your Social Reach « Benjamin Kerensa dot Com
[…] We all want to feel a level of approval or visibility by our peers and there is no better way to get that by sharing alike and motivating others into sharing your content right back. […]
Margo DeGange
Hi Gina,
Fabulous tips about the kind of content that inspires sharing!
That emotional connection is everything! No one wants boring statistics or a laundry list unless they are first dipped in “emotional chocolate”. THEN you can roll on the “TIP TOPPINGS” and they will seem very yummy!
Just before I launched Women of Splendor, I did a series of videos to tell about the launch (date, info, signup, etc). I called the series “Giving is the New Getting” and each video was inspirational and moving, and helped people move forward and THRIVE in life. At the end I shared the details of the launch rather quickly, keeping the focus on personal growth. The videos were shared quite a bit on social media like Twitter and FB even though Women of Splendor had not yet launched!
Gina you are absolutely RIGHT! Your “3 Way to Motivate Others to Share Your Content” are SPOT ON!
Hugs,
Margo
Gina Bell
Thanks so much Margo! Love the “dipped in chocolate” imagery! Your video series is an awesome example of these tips in action. xo
Allison Crow
Perfect timing. I appreciate these tips. I do notice that inspirational posts get the most love…especially if it has to do with following your heart.
Gina Bell
Hi Allison, oh yes!! I’m a sucker for anything inspirational LOL. I love to give hope as much as I love to receive it. Tug at my heart strings and I will share it because I want my friends fans and followers to feel good too! xo
Nadine Nicholson
Gina, thanks for a great article! One of my most popular posts was this: http://nadinenicholson.com/strategy-goals/plan-week/. It helps you plan your week in 30 minutes or less. I think it was so popular because I made it fast, easy and real for busy, high-achieving entrepreneurs.
Gina Bell
Hey Nadine, thanks for sharing that example. It’s great and I can see why it’s a popular one for you.
One of my most popular posts is a “how-to” post too… http://www.ginabellinc.com/create-a-visibility-boom-with-a-blog-commenting-circle/
People LOVE what I call “real” content. Perhaps that’s what I’ll talk about in my next post for She Owns It!
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment Nadine! xo
Agatha K, The Fun Money Nerd
Soooooo true! I have definitely found that the more I genuinely connect with and support other women entrepreneurs, the more they want to do the same for me.
Gina Bell
Hi Agatha! Yes, and it sure makes being in business a lot more fun doesn’t it 🙂 Thanks so much for popping in to share xo
Bonnie Roill
I sometimes forget about the emotional connection since my science background is my “driver” and the core of my biz. Science, strategies and support for successful weight loss! My plan: one Facebook posting a week that has a poster with a message that makes one stop and think about how they feel about themselves, their body. Thanks Gina!
Gina Bell
Oooh Bonnie, my inner science geek can SO relate. And once you start to see this in action it will become second nature. Love that you’ve set a goal to keep you more mindful of creating the emotional connection. Keep me posted ok. xo
Stacy Keny
Great advice here! Thanks for the positive perspective.
Gina Bell
Hi Stacy, you’re welcome. Thanks for taking the time to comment xo