Research Reveals Secrets of Social Sharing

How can you get more people to share more of your blog posts, Tweets and Facebook posts? Ironically, the answer lies in a 50-year-old psychological study.

Fifty years before the iPhone and social media took over our lives, an Austrian-born psychologist and market researcher cracked the code on a marketing challenge every business faces today: How to encourage people to tell others about their products and services. Whether it’s called word-of-mouth or social sharing, getting consumers to share with others is the Holy Grail for any marketer.

In 1966, Ernest Dichter, who was trained by one of Sigmund Freud’s pupils, conducted research on what makes shoppers tick. His findings transformed the way the world looks at relationships between products and consumers. It was the first international and interdisciplinary study to reveal the hidden world of motivation research and insights into the way consumers think, feel and act. Since then, others (including The New York Times) have built on his findings.

What Dichter Discovered About Social Selling

Dichter discovered there are four motivations for consumer sharing, but they boil down to two primary reasons people share: You’ve blown them away with your product experience, or you’ve made them feel good in some way.

Dichter’s four motivations for social sharing include product involvement, self-involvement, other involvement and message involvement.

1. Product Involvement. About 33 percent of sharing is based on a good product experience. The customer found the experience to be so delightful or fulfilling they had to tell their friends. This is why some companies’ Facebook pages are filled with happy consumers. Take Starbucks, for instance, where people share pictures of their daily cups of coffee.

2. Self-Involvement. This comprises about 24 percent of shares. People share content that expresses their knowledge and opinions, and makes them feel smart—like breaking news and political issues.

3. Other Involvement. About 20 percent of sharing fits here. People want to help a friend by sharing, for example, coupons or product reviews.

4. Message Involvement. This makes up about 20 percent of shares. It’s triggered when someone finds a message so humorous or informative they want to share it. Cat videos and memes fall into this category.

Fast Forward to 2004

In 2004, results from a study conducted by four researchers, published in the Journal of Interactive Marketing, referenced Dichter’s research and others, and added an electronic component to the analysis. While the researchers found eight factors that contribute to word-of-mouth sharing, they all strongly correlate to Dichter’s original findings, with three new incentives for sharing—venting negative emotions, receiving a positive platform assistance and gaining economic incentives.

But what is most insightful about this study is the discovery of four primary segments of people who share online. This insight could be viewed as a precursor to today’s buyer persona creation.

• Segment 1—Self-Interested Helpers. These content sharers appear to be strongly driven by both concern for others and economic incentives. This segment is the largest group, representing 34 percent of all sharers.

• Segment 2—True Altruists. These consumers appear to be both strongly motivated by helping other consumers as well as helping companies, because all other motives are less important. This is the second largest segment, representing 27 percent of the sharers.

• Segment 3—Multiple-Motive Consumers. They are motivated by all factors, except economic incentives. This segment includes 21 percent of all sharers.

• Segment 4—Consumer Advocates. They seem to be motivated primarily by a concern for other consumers. It is the smallest segment at 17 percent of all sharers.

New York Times’ 2011 Study Findings

One of the most frequently shared recent studies on the topic of why people share content online is a report compiled by The New York Times. The Psychology of Sharing revealed people’smotivations for sharing, six sharing personas and best practices for encouraging consumers to share content.

Regarding sharing motivations, the study concluded that the primary reasons for sharing were linked to relationships—improving others’ lives, defining themselves to others, enriching relationships and gaining fulfillment. This aspect of the survey correlated strongly to Dichter’s original findings.

The study also cited several statistics on what inspires and motivates people to share links, videos, images and offers online, including:

• 85 percent say reading other people’s responses helps them understand and process information and events
• 84 percent share because it is a way to support causes or issues they care about
• 78 percent share information online because it lets them stay connected to people they may not otherwise stay in touch with
• 73 percent share information because it helps them connect with others who share their interests
• 73 percent say they process information more deeply, thoroughly and thoughtfully when they share it
• 69 percent share information because it allows them to feel more involved in the world
• 68 percent share to give people a better sense of who they are and what they care about
• 49 percent say sharing allows them to inform others of products they care about and potentially change opinions or encourage action

NYT Survey Breaks New Ground on Sharers

A groundbreaking aspect of the New York Times study was that researchers could determine which areas of the brain were triggered during the sharing process. From this insight, they formulated six online sharer personas defined by emotional motivations, desired presentation of self, and role of sharing in life. Along with two more sharer types than the 2004 study, this study also revealed more sharer insights.

• Altruists. These sharers are helpful and reliable. They are motivated to share by being seen as thoughtful and connected. Their primary sharing vehicle is email.

• Careerists. These sharers are valuable and networked. They are motivated to share by being seen as intelligent. Their primary sharing vehicle is LinkedIn.

• Hipsters. These sharers are young and popular. They are motivated to share by being seen as cutting-edge and creative. You will find them using multiple social sharing vehicles, but not email.

• Collectors. These sharers are relaxed, thoughtful and always making plans. They are motivated to share by being seen as creative. Their primary sharing vehicles are email and Facebook.

• Selectors. These sharers are resourceful and careful. They are motivated to share by being seen as thoughtful and informative. Their preferred sharing vehicle is email.

• Boomerangs. These sharers respond to reaction, validation and empowerment. Their primary sharing vehicles are Twitter and Facebook.

The New York Times study also detailed seven best practices that contribute to encouraging more customers to share more content.

1. Sharing is how consumers connect with one another. Appeal to consumers’ motivation to connect with others, not just with your brand.

2. Trust is the cost of entry for getting shared. If consumers don’t see you as an authority they can trust, they won’t share your content.

3. Keep it simple. Publish content on a highly focused topic. This boosts your brand and helps you stand out in a crowded marketplace.

4. Appeal to their sense of humor. A little personality and humor can make a big difference.

5. Embrace a sense of urgency. If there’s an element of urgency in your content, it appears valuable. As a result, people are more likely to share it.

6. Getting content shared is just the beginning. One share is not the endgame. You need to continue to support sharing, and even reach out and say thank you now and then.

7. Email is still No. 1. In a world dominated by social media, don’t forget about email. It’s still the primary way people communicate. So consider making it easy for your readers to share your content via email with a click (unless they are hipsters, of course).

Don’t Forget About Quality Content

And finally, a study conducted by Ogilvy & Mather in 2014 condensed global insight on sharing into one primary takeaway—to encourage content sharing you must produce high-quality content.

The study also identified companies leading the way in producing shareable, quality content by country. In the United States, for example, companies taking the lead include: Huffington Post, Upworthy, Apple, NPR, Buzzfeed, The New York Times, Mother Jones, Humane Society, Amazon, Drudge Report, NPR, PBS, Kraft, ESPN and PETA.

While the world we live in today is very different than it was 50 years ago, a review of the research conducted since Dichter’s groundbreaking study shows that our motivations for sharing have stayed relatively the same. The biggest difference between the world then and now is how much content is created every day, how much content is shared and how frequently it’s shared.

To stand out in this crowded social world requires a strategy that takes into consideration the insight shared by leading voices on the subject. Understanding the motivational forces behind the act of sharing—and working with them in mind—is the best way to help your company get more of your content shared more often by more people.

This article was written by Karen Taylor from Business2Community and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.

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Three reasons to love consumer generated content

Take a moment to imagine how Mad Men‘s Don Draper might respond if you told him his client’s customers would be creating the ads for his new campaign.

The concept of consumer-generated media used to be unthinkable to agencies and advertisers. But a few decades and a few thousand projects later, UGM is both an unavoidable reality and a valuable marketing tool for brands.

So what’s changed? The channel, for one thing: today’s consumers have access to digital platforms that allow them to create high-quality, expressive content. Marketers have also become adept at managing consumer-generated messaging, such that they can use the power of word-of-mouthwithout compromising the brand image they’ve worked so hard to build.

That’s critical, because when it comes time to make a purchasing decision, 81% of consumers still consider friends and family to be the most trusted source of product information (just 47% say the same about advertising).

Incorporating those opinions into a marketing campaign can, therefore, produce highly effective results.

Challenges do remain, from ensuring that content comes off as authentic to meeting tangible marketing objectives.

How, then, can the Don Drapers of today determine whether this kind of content is worth the trouble? Let’s look at three recent campaigns and the three major reasons why consumer-generated media makes sense.

It inspires and engages audiences

For its new cross-channel marketing campaign, the Missouri Division of Tourism is putting tourists in control of its digital content.

The organization responsible for promoting the “Show Me State” enlisted the help of six groups of real family and friends from nearby locations like Chicago and Nashville to explore various Missouri destinations, outfitting them with GoPros and iPhones to capture footage of their travels.

Chris Kilcullen, VP and Digital Director with H&L Partners, the St. Louis marketing agency behind the ‘It’s Your Show’ campaign:

Tourism campaigns usually use high-end cinematic shots, professional actors, and scripted scenes, but for this campaign we wanted to try something different.

Since everything was unscripted, we didn’t exactly know what we were going to get. We did know, however, that footage would be genuine and authentic, and in those unscripted, organic moments, we believed that what we’d uncover would be very relatable.

The resulting content is featured on an interactive microsite that includes maps and videos and allows users to customize their own ‘show.’

Kilcullen:

With the new campaign, we’re saying, Don’t take our client/agency’s word for it, take it from these tourists.

Given its goal of inspiring potential travelers to plan a trip to the state, the Missouri Division of Tourism and H&L Partners were smart to tap consumers from multiple demographic groups and locations to produce content.

Each has different preferences and travel tastes, so the ensuing videos offer inspiration for all.

It demonstrates brand loyalty

Considering the extent to which consumer opinion is swayed by family and friends, consumer-generated content that demonstrates product and brand loyalty has tremendous marketing muscle.

If you know where to find your existing fans online, it doesn’t take much to harness their enthusiasm and share it with potential customers.

Baby and body care products company The Honest Company has mastered this tactic on Twitter. The company curates and retweets customer images of its products, and its distinctive packaging in particular.

When there’s a cute baby in the mix, Honest adds “Adorable #HonestBaby” to its share. It’s a simple strategy that encourages customers to share and tag their posts, while also providing Honest with a steady stream of fresh social media content.

Adorable #HonestBaby! RT @megg_x33: I got the best little delivery!! 🙈 baby B + @Honest! https://t.co/biIBwa734F

— The Honest Company (@Honest) 22 March 2016

When using consumer-generated content to showcase your brand, consider the nature of the platform.

The Honest Company reposts consumer-generated photos on Instagram too, but here it sticks with professional-quality images. The result is an elegant collection of content that’s consistent with this social site’s artistic image.

You know the week is off to a great start when you have fresh flowers and a clean kitchen! | #Repost: @bisoustyle

A photo posted by The Honest Company (@honest) on Feb 8, 2016 at 9:06am PST

It creates personal connections

We know that consumers share content they feel reflects their personality. They also respond to content that speaks to them on a personal level. As such, companies are wise to invite consumers to share personal stories that relate to their brands.

Consider Mercedes-Benz. The automaker recently launched a social media contest that invites consumers to submit photos that align with its #NeverStopChallenging tagline.

The contest gives its followers the chance to see their photos featured on Mercedes social media accounts – but it’s the brand that’s the real winner here.

By associating itself and its vehicles with the concept of achieving lifelong dreams, Mercedes strengthens its image as an aspirational brand with a coveted luxury product.

Because Mercedes is simultaneously cheering consumers on and displaying a desire to support their personal hopes and dreams, audiences feel more connected to the brand.

That sentiment can translate into positive word-of-mouth, leads, and sales – three more reasons to love consumer-generated content.

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16 marketing lessons from subscription box businesses

The subscription box business model has become more and more popular in recent years, but what makes it so popular? 

Modern consumers love the idea of subscription boxes when they have to do with a niche that they’re personally interested in.

It’s the convenience of receiving your favourite snacks, games, beauty products right on your doorstep that makes subscription boxes appealing, while many consumers like the idea of discovery, or even the mystery a surprise box may bring.

According to a recent survey by Hitwise, the visits to subscription box sites have increased almost 3,000% in US since 2013, counting 21.4 million visits during January.

The success, and even the mistakes, from these sites are offering us useful insights about design, customer experience, content and marketing.

What can we learn from them?

Be unique

How will you stand out from the rest if you don’t find a way to showcase your uniqueness?

Focus on design

Your uniqueness should also be highlighted by great and functional design which will allow your customers to enjoy their visit to the site. Even the smallest details matter.

Solve a problem 

Every business idea starts with a goal and this helps customers understand how they can benefit from each subscription. Gousto, for example, is promising to help you cook healthy and delicious food.

Think like a user

A great site search function that allows the right amount of customisation for the user’s needs is always useful and helps customers stay longer to your site, until they find what they’re looking for.

Improve the user experience

I like how Pact coffee guides users from one page to another in a simple and appealing way. Once you add all the details about your coffee preferences it suggests the best option for you.

Be helpful

It’s important to provide all the details on the most important pages to increase the chances of converting a visitor into a customer.

Here, Natural Blender tries to answer all the common questions (delivery, box contents etc) in a visually appealing way.

Create a community

People love being rewarded about their sharing spirit and social media has taken gamification to a whole new level.

By encouraging a customer to share a unique code, the business reaches a new audience, but also strengthens its bonds with the current customers as they are rewarded for their actions.

Serve like an expert 

Build trust with your expertise and help consumers subscribe even faster to your services.

Whether it’s a page that we’re introduced to the chef, or a blog that shares tips and tricks, there is always a new way to gain the much-desired loyalty.

Show your passion for your niche

Your creativity and your passion about your niche will be appreciated, especially when they are presented in a clever and appealing way.

How about this pop up window from BarkBox?

Help customers s(h)ave time

Time is a crucial factor for many customers and they appreciate it when a business understands that they are busy.

That’s what Dollar Shave Club promises to achieve, by sending new shaving razors to its customers every month.

Don’t be annoying

Sorry, Pact coffee, but I think you’ve sent me too many mails. Not every user wants to be bombarded with messages. It’s important to find the right email frequency.

Test, test, test (and only keep what works)

Both these images appear on the slider of the homepage of BRUU tea with the first one being rather different than the rest of the homepage, while the menu buttons are not even clearly visible.

This reminds us the importance of testing every image and its effect on the product, especially when it’s placed at the homepage.

It’s also important to pay attention to the details. For example, the fonts used by Borough Box could be better.

Use social media

As new subscription box services emerge every day, it’s not always easy to reach a target audience.

Social media and targeted advertising is an ideal start for the promotion of the business and many subscription boxes used Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to spread a word about their unique services. It may not be effective on its own, but it’s certainly a great start to increase traffic and attract a bigger audience.

Provide options

People don’t like being offered just one option, but they also don’t like feeling paralysed from too many suggestions. Glossybox offered four options to its customers, highlighting the preferred one to ensure that it is not ignored.

Use email marketing

Email marketing along with social media promotion are crucial both for old and new customers and they get even more effective when combined with a great offer.

Goodbye should be hard, but not complicated

Subscription boxes are all about building a bond between the business and the consumer. However, not everyone stays loyal and a business should respect this decision in the most helpful and understanding way.

There’s no need to make it complicated for the consumer who wants to cancel a subscription, but rather, try to keep a pleasant experience until the end, hoping they will come back soon. It’s not a bad idea to provide suggestions on how they are able to return and even offer them a discount for that, but always keep the process simple.

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How to Use Social Data for Better Lead Generation

Many sales pros and B2B marketers have written off social media as a somewhat effective, if difficult to measure, means of increasing brand awareness. Sure, it can get people talking, but it doesn’t do much to directly contribute to the bottom line.

If you’ve caught yourself thinking like this, think again. Social media can be a fantastic source for lead generation, if you know how to uncover and interpret the data it provides.

There are a number of ways that social media can be measured and used to generate leads: gated content, email opt-ins, paid advertising campaigns and more. But tied into all of these activities is data – what you know about your customers, your competitors, and your industry.

Improve targeting and segmentation

If you already have a large audience in your mailing list, you can improve open rates, engagement and actions taken by leveraging social data. By combining what you know about your audience on social media (their likes, dislikes, recent purchases, who they are connected to, etc.) with their email address, you can segment a large audience into several smaller ones. These smaller audiences should share traits that are relevant to your brand’s marketing and sales goals – like their job title, brands they have interacted with recently, or the size of their influence on social media, for instance. Each segment can then receive its own tailored messaging, which will increase lead gen over time.

Personalize your messages

Whether you are sending a cold email or replying to a long-time customer on Twitter, the more you can personalize your message the better. After all, consumers want to feel like the brands they engage with know and care about them. Social data enables more personalized messages in the context of both sales and marketing. Emails no longer have to be generic “check out our latest feature” pieces – instead, they can be personalized to directly address recent pain points your prospect has expressed via Twitter or LinkedIn. Customer service tweets no longer have to uselessly repeat, “for assistance, call our toll free number” – now they can directly address the current (and past) issues the customer is facing.

Automate based on the buyer’s journey

Social data can also be used to develop marketing and sales automation in order to capture and move more leads down the funnel.

For instance when you know that your customer is in the decision stage of the buyer’s journey, based on their interactions with your brand on and off social media, you can create an automated email drip campaign to showcase key product features that will address their pain point and increase the urgency along the way.

Using social data to inform lead generation campaigns will strengthen them and increase the number and quality of leads that come through. Whether through automation, personalization or segmentation, you can develop more precise, targeted lead gen campaigns thanks to the proper application of social data.

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5 Great Social Media Marketing Tips For Appealing To Millennials

It seems that everyone these days is fixated on how they can appeal to Millennials – and rightfully so. In the US alone, they make up about a quarter of the population and wield an annual spending power of $200 billion. You can hardly fault a brand for trying to get their piece of the pie.

Characterized by a lifelong relationship with technology, these ‘digital natives’ are consuming media in ways that have changed the entire landscape of marketing. They’re experts at getting information quickly and efficiently, and they’re very discerning. They’re a tough generational nut to crack, but let’s look at a few tips you can use to start building a more Millennial-friendly social media marketing strategy.

image: http://cdn.business2community.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/resource-millennials-theme.jpg.jpg

1) Recognize the difference between young and old Millennials

I’ll kick things off by defining the term ‘Millennial’. While the exact dates vary, most studies on the matter agree that Millennials are born between roughly 1980 and 2000. This means that the youngest Millennials are still navigating the angsty waters of high school, while the eldest will soon be pushing forty. It also means that the oldest could be parents to the youngest.

Naturally, there is going to be a difference in how to market optimally to both groups. Young Millennials, for example, spend more time on social media across a wider set of platforms and have a higher tendency to use it as a source of news or information. Meanwhile, older Millennials use Facebook less frequently for news, and more for social interaction. I, like many others, fall somewhere near the middle and share experiences with both young and old Millennials.

While it is convenient to think of Millennials as one uniform group, remember that there can be just as much diversity within the group as there is between other generations. And that might mean adopting an equally diverse marketing approach if your goal is to capture the whole set.

2) Use shareable content to target social groups

One of the key things to understand about Millennials is that they are highly prone to suggestion from friends. In a study on young Millennials, 95% said that friends are the most credible source of product information while 91% claimed they would consider purchasing a product if a friend recommended it. Another study by the McCarthy Group found that close friends, followed by news reports and friends on social media, ranked the highest in terms of trust among Millennials.

Clearly, this is something brands should look to take advantage of. By making content as shareable as possible, they can increase brand advocacy within social groups. Millennials are looking to things like their friends’ Instagram profiles and Pinterest boards to inform their shopping habits, so consider ramping up your presences in those spheres.

3) Swap traditional advertising for compelling content

The McCarthy Group study also found that, while friends ranked the highest in terms of trust, advertising and sales people ranked the lowest. To make things worse, 84% of Millennials said they flat out don’t like advertising. Daunting statistics, surely.

In order to overcome these odds, marketers need to start investing in content that feels authentic and provides value to the consumer without an in-your-face sales message.

Take advantage of the fact that Millennials are 247% more likely than others to be influenced by blogs or social networking sites and make content creation a staple of your marketing strategy. The more value you can add, the more traffic you’ll get and the more credible your brand will be.

Whole Foods have done an excellent job of providing useful, quality blog content for their health-conscious clientele. Their recipes and tips are at such a high standard, it almost feels incidental that all the ingredients are available in their stores.

4) Use social for community management

Here’s an interesting stat – 81% of Millennials prioritize “fast” service over “friendly” service. We all know how much Millennials love social media, and it happens to be one the quickest and most direct ways to tackle customer issues. So why not start using it as part of your community management? Here are a few do’s and don’ts to get you started.

Let’s also get one thing straight – Millennials might want to be served quickly, but no one wants unhelpful customer support. If you’re pressed for time and see a customer that needs attention, don’t try to rush out a half-baked response. A quick “Thanks for your message, we will look into it” lets them know that their voice has been heard and gives you time to adequately deal with their query.

To really improve your response times, try using Locowise to track your response performance. It’ll show you where you are, so you can get where you need to go.

5) Show Millennials you share their values by supporting a cause

They occupied Wall Street. They rallied against rape culture and police violence. They partied in the streets when same-sex marriage was legalized. Millennials are a socially conscious bunch, and it’s shaping their consumption habits.

A survey by Cone Communications revealed that 91% of Millennials would switch to a brand that was associated with a cause. Interestingly, the effect appears to be more pronounced in young Millenials, who are more likely to talk about corporate social responsibility on social media than older Millennials. They’re also more likely to have purchased a product with a social or environmental benefit in the past 12 months, and more of them believe that they can make a significant impact through purchases.

One thing is clear; Millennials of all ages are likely to support your brand if you can show that you share their values. TOMS shoes has quickly become the classic example. One Forbes contributor wrote, “I have a Millennial-aged friend who only wears Toms shoes despite the fact these shoes hurt his feet, cannot be worn in the rain or cold, and fall apart within weeks simply because he strongly believes in its mission of providing shoes to third-world children”.

Key Takeaways

– Think of ways to appeal to both young and old Millennials
– Create content that is easily shared within social groups – Millenials trust their friends above all!
– Move away from traditional advertising and focus on producing authentic, quality content
– Use social media to quickly address customer concerns
– Identify with a worthwhile cause that Millennials can relate to

Locowise is loaded with actionable metrics, including data on how your brand is resonating with consumers in different age groups. Want to see how you’re performing with Millennials? Sign up for a 14-day free trial.

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