No one wants to be the lame friend on Facebook who shares boring, inaccurate or insignificant posts.People share content that pulls on their heartstrings, tells their friends what type of Game of Thrones character they best represent, or even something that makes them pee their pants with laughter.Facebook’s latest updates to their algorithm, specifically the change that reduces the number of stories created by your friends in your News Feed, means brands must consider how to get their content seen by people outside their network. The obvious answer – get more Shares.
Why Shares Matter on Facebook
It doesn’t mean Likes and Comments are no longer important. They are still key metrics and those engagements help build brand loyalty. However, Shares are going to be vital in getting your content seen by folks outside your existing network. Does this mean you should start slapping a “Share this …” call-to-action on all your content? For the love of Jimmy Fallon, no.
Adjusting your content calendar over time with new content pillars can help you gain more Shares. With any Facebook changes, you shouldn’t rush to change your strategy and content overnight. We suggest sprinkling in these five content pillars into your calendar over the next couple months. Some of these categories may already be a part of your writing process, but we are going to focus on ways to increase your Share rate.
1. Informational Content
Informational content, such as, hacks, insider information and infographics*, can see a high Share rates when done correctly. For example, Staples could have crafted a post about binder clips keeping those important documents together. Snooze fest – people know how to use binder clips. Now take that same informational content pillar and turn it into a witty, how-to post that generated nearly 12k Shares.
* Note: Keep in mind that you can’t boost an infographic on Facebook due to the 20% text rule.
2. Storytelling Content
Everyone loves a good story! P&G nailed it during the Winter Olympics with their Thank You, Mom series. It was inspirational and relatable – two key ingredients for this content pillar. Don’t have the budget for an Olympic-sized video? Take a page out of Olay’s book with this emotional, customer story.
3. Emotional
According to a Buzzsomo study, the emotions that are most likely to trigger people to share content are awe, laughter and amusement. This can be executed with powerful text, such as a quote or relatable statement, over a gorgeous image. Fixodent hits one out of the park with this awe-inspiring video.
4. Interactive
Quizzes are a very popular way to execute interactive content. This could also be Fill in the Blank or What Would You Do posts. People love to share their opinion and knowledge. However, influencers are an extremely effective way increase Shares and access a larger network. Influencers, like the knowledgeable traveler below, are very relatable to audiences.
5. Snackable Images
The golden rule in generating Shares in this content pillar is to stay away from super-posed and cheesy images. Create real, easily-digestible (or snackable as we say at IgniteSMA) images. For example, Chobani could have used a photo of happy, smiling people eating yogurt on a sunny day in the park for Earth Day. Staged images will never compete with organic-feeling content. This is also a great example of using creative to showcase a holiday or trending topic.
One of the things that makes working in social media so exciting is the constant evolution to stay competitive and relevant. What content pillar are you going to add to your mix?
Disclosure: Multiple Ignite Social Media clients have been featured in this post.
