What Motivates Users to Share Content?

 

There is a science behind what motivates users to share digital content. Researchers have discovered a number of psychological triggers that inspire people to engage in online activities, and here are some of the most important ones:

People love to express their attitudes and receive affirmative feedback from their circle of friends and acquaintances. Sharing content is a way to express one's personality to a group.

Communication: Humans are social beings. We all want to nurture relationships with other people, and digital content enables us to do this more easily and frequently.

Support Ideas: Social media is frequently used to express support for ideas, political positions, and personal beliefs; in this way, users connect with a greater, altruistic good.

Entertainment: At the end of the day, plenty of people use social media to wind down. Entertaining content includes humor, memes, videos, music, and more.

It can be difficult to segment the way people interact online since these categories can and frequently do overlap. However, thinking about these basic motivations is still a useful starting point for developing content that will motivate users to get involved. With that being said, here are

Publish High-Quality Content

This seems like the most obvious point, and it is, but it's also forgotten too often. There are no shortcuts: shareable content is always high-quality content. If you focus on superficial topics and don’t invest enough time in research or content creation, you cannot expect your followers to become interested and engaged. This is one reason why longform content is doing better than ever.

Content development can take time and effort, so if you need professional help, here are some simple resources I have used in the past:

This tool will display a list of the most pertinent topics in any given niche.

Headline Analyzer: The headline is the first thing that your readers notice, and you have to come up with a catchy and intriguing solution. The Headline Analyzer will tell you if you’ve succeeded.

If you decide that serious content creation is out of your reach, you can always ask for help from this expert writing service.

Make Use of Smart Structuring

Internet users read very quickly, and nothing will turn them off more than a "wall of text". Format your content intelligently by using numbered lists, bullet points, and headers to easily highlight key information points.

Add Value to Users' Lives

Informative content is good, but if your readers and clients can’t put your words into practice, then they will not benefit from what you publish. A primary goal of content is to solve users' problems and show them how to overcome them; this will not only build brand loyalty, but it will keep them coming back for more. As long as the content you create is genuinely helpful, it's also certain to be passed around.

Keep in Mind Your Audience

Before ever creating or sharing content, think about your audience: ask yourself if it's something they would like to see and share with their friends. Once you have some ideas, you can even poll your audience to generate comments and perhaps initiate debate. This not only creates engagement, but gives you special insight into what they want.

Design infographics

Infographics are informative but easy to understand. And because they come in the form of images, they are convenient for the majority of Internet users who mostly share visual content on social media. Using tools like Piktochart, you don’t even need the knowledge of a graphic designer to create a reasonably high-quality infographic. The most important thing is to use your business expertise and data to create something your audience will find valuable.

Emotional Triggers

Some of the most successful marketing campaigns went viral because they sparked strong emotional reactions among users. A lot of studies have proven that emotions like happiness, anger, or sorrow have the power to engage people and make them share digital content. Do you remember the "It Can Wait" campaign? Study how AT & T used narrative, art, and user engagement to skyrocket this public safety campaign. Be careful not to co-opt causes that are unrelated to your business, since insincerity can backfire. But when you see an opportunity to contribute, do it well.

Remember the good old times?

Speaking of emotions, never forget nostalgia. Users universally enjoy content that hearkens back to old memories, and if you analyse your audience precisely, you can get an easy target for what will appeal to them. Consider this 90s-themed commercial by Microsoft, aimed at Millennials to promote its Internet Explorer web browser (and be sure to notice the tremendously positive response it elicited):

Provide Grants

People love free stuff. It is a fact that you can use it from time to time to increase your interest in your products or services. Social media pages will often offer a gift based on random drawing, and to include drawing users are simply asked to share, like, or follow the page. This could have a greater ripple effect than compensating for the investment in the prize.
 

Use Fashion Articles

Staying up to date with the latest fashion trends is a must for any advertiser. You should always follow the latest industry news, and use it to create shared content where appropriate. Consider how this Norwegian Airlines sale has created a positive response by responding to celebrity news involving Brad Pitt.
 

Organize Competitions

Tournaments are a great way to engage your audience and encourage them to share your content. Users love competition and often do it with their friends and colleagues, which is a great motivator for their sharing. All it takes is a good idea and a small budget to start the competition - just look at the KFC football challenge.

Be Funny

Your business is critical but your content should not be. Conversely, funny posts, photos, and videos capture users' attention and promise you the right part to share, so do not shy away from them.

Use video content

Video is fast becoming the leading form of online content, with some studies even claiming that video content will make up 80% of all online people by 2018. As a result, you should accept the video as part of your content strategy. That's why Twitter - formerly known as the photo sharing network - is adding a video to its portfolio. This type of content has great potential for viruses, as did this Nike video.

About the Author: Rachel Bartee is a content writer and marketing consultant for Davenport. Concentrated on content and is able to put words into action. She feels passionate about visiting and is inspired by her morning yoga. Reach her on Facebook or Twitter.