Social Sharing
02/11/2013
Remember the all important word we were taught in kindergarten? Share.
We shared crayons, books and sometimes our PB&J sandwiches. Through sharing we made new friends.
What we didn't understand, at least at five I had not a clue, was that from these small interactions we were creating a unique 'classroom community' that was a little different from the other kindergarten classes.
Taking that idea into the social web .. each social network and digital community we particiapte in has its own culture influencing our experiences.
In the social web we're sharing like mad. Some people might say we're sharing too much. (Perhaps that's a post for another day!) There are lots of different social shares from product reviews on sites like Yelp to retweets, repins and of course Facebook and post/article shares.
The social web has brought friends and strangers together in a way that would have been difficult to image 10 or even 5 years ago. I wonder why it seems we've become obsessed with sharing. I came across an interesting study, conducted by the New York Times,The Psychlogy of Sharing. Passing along to you.Ok .. so I'm sharing!
Why People Share?
1. To bring valuable and entertaining content to others
2. To define ourselves to others
3. To grow and nuture our relationships
4. Self-fulfillment
5. To get the word out about causes or brands
What Influences A Social Share?
1. Appeal to consumer's motivation to connect with each other not just with your brand
2, Trust is the cost of entree for social shares
3. Keep it simple and it will get share .. and won't get muddled
4. Appeal to their sense of humor .. I might add carefully
5. Embrace a sense of urgency
Social sharing goes beyond an nice to know. Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Yelp, MySpace have forever changed what and how we buy. We've always sought opinions from family and friends. It may seem odd, but we now also depend on the reviews of strangers to shape our purchase decisions from the most important products .. like your 27th pair of black shoes to the mundane .. which dryer to buy.
The Advertising Research Foundation recent study - Digital & Social Media in the Purchase Decision Process -calls this type of shopping a winding journey where the shopper is “always on” because of the constant interaction with brand.
Social Sharing Tips
For Brands - Invest resources to monitor and track what people are sharing about your brands especially on your own social network pages like Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram. Go beyond counting the number of shares. The gold is in the details of the extended sharing and conversation.
For Customers - Before you take out the plastic read multiple reviews from more than one source or site. A Tweeter search on the product name might pull up some interesting insights and links.
Social sharing takes your unique, personal brand experience and turns it into a brand experience for anyone who happens to come across your comments. You could be more influencial than you ever imagined!
