Understanding the psychology of social media and shareable content is crucial to succeed in online marketing.
What makes people pay more attention to some articles and ignore the rest?
The main question is what makes them push the “share” button?
Is it all about pure logic, or is it something else?
The broadest and most interesting area of psychology focuses on emotions.
And, the most powerful force that encourages people to share content is emotional engagement.
But how can you make people get excited?
Are there any tricks to get more shares, likes, and comments?
The answer is yes, and here we’ll discuss a few.
Help People Express Themselves
According to the research done by psychologists Paula Nurius and Hazel Markus, there is a concept of “possible self.”
This is a so-called ideal “self” standard we strive to live up to.
It’s what we try to showcase in our interests, ideas, behavior, and lifestyle.
Social media is a great place to share these ideas and show other people who we think we really are.
Very often, the representation of an ideal “self” can be irrelevant or unrealistic.
The key is that we keep an image of our possible “self” and hope to magically become that person.
This may be achieved by sharing and demonstrating information that fits this image.
That’s why some people share success stories, political comments, photos of homeless animals, and things of that kind.
Therefore, the first trick to developing shareable content is to craft posts in a way that expresses something relatable to your audience.
Something that not only lets people see and share their real selves, but also their best selves.
Make People Feel Included
Have you ever noticed any time you see an article, picture or a video that reminds you of someone you know, you immediately share it with that person?
For example, your friend is a movie-lover and you see a trailer of a new film they would like, so of course, you share the link with them immediately.
Every time you do this, you get that sense of social connection—you are not alone.
It’s true 78 percent of social media users share content in order to stay connected to those who are important to them.
People want to know others share their interests, and therefore creating shareable content that helps confirm their relationship becomes an effective way to encourage sharing.
Make People Feel Involved
It’s obvious people share content they can relate to.
For instance, if you’re a young mother, you care about children, especially when they need some help or attention, so you might share kid-related content.
Some people not only share information relevant to their lives, but also respond to something that may be important to others.
If people share their experiences with us via social media, we are more likely to respond.
Remember the Ice Bucket Challenge?
Create Positive Content
According to psychologist Rick Hanson, our nervous system reacts to negative events more intensely and can remember those events for a long time, making us more susceptible to becoming anxious and afraid.
When we learn something negative, we react more intensely.
If we hear all positive news stories, and only one negative one, we tend to remember the negative one.
It’s no surprise studies reveal that being subjected to positive content is far more preferable.
People don’t want to hear the negative, they want positive and entertaining content which is more likely to be shared.
Shareable Content = Useful Content
Content that helps your readers solve problems, presents effective strategies, and provides useful tips for life experiences will eventually win readers over and prompt them to share.
Practical pieces of advice attract a large number of people because advice can help them cope with their difficulties.
If you are able to present a guide to problem-solving in a unique and interesting way, then get ready for many shares and likes among your audience.
In your blog posts, show people how they can easily apply your tips, and describe the amazing outcome they’ll have just by following those tips.
Be as interactive as possible throughout the blog.
Keep these techniques in mind and they will increase your chances for delivering shareable content.
What other tips would you add here?
image credit: shutterstock
