With an estimated 3.48 billion users as of 2019, the reach of social media is now larger than it has ever been and continues to grow day by day. As the number of posts increase across the board, so do engagements between users. People are liking, commenting, favoriting, and subscribing at an incredible rate – a trend that gave rise to the “age of the influencer”.
While double tapping an Instagram post or liking a tweet are signs of support, none are as powerful as a “Share”. Whether it be on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn, the meaning behind sharing a post goes much deeper than people realize - think of sharing as co-signing. Just as political candidates endorse their campaign messages, sharing a post says “I approve this message” to the millions who may see it. An endorsement – even if you’re not running for office – is a big deal.
So, why do people Share?
Spreading a Passion
Your social media feed is a curated selection of content filled with exactly what you care about the most. For some that's political memes and financial advice while for others it's purely gaming news and movie reviews. Regardless of the subject matter, people share content that they’re passionate about.
For digital marketers, knowing your company’s buyer persona and understanding the interests of that hypothetical client is the first step in creating and curating content that resonates with your target audience.
Contribute to a Community
The ecosystem of social media networks as given rise to a slew of passionate communities that come together around, well… everything. Let’s say that someone is in the unspoken “marketing community” on Twitter. Other digital marketers, thought leaders, and companies will begin to find this person based on the thoughts they tweet out, the posts that they like, and the content that they create.
Over time, sharing information that your followers – your growing community – would find helpful becomes the goal. Curating a feed of relevant, interesting, and useful information provides value for readers and creates engagements, in turn releasing those little endorphins that encourage us to keep the cycle going.
“Sharing is Caring”
Many non-profits, charities, and those simply wanting to put some good back into the world have made a valuable discovery in recent years – people on social media care. They care a lot.
While GoFundMe’s around the world have raised millions of dollars in support for countless projects helping those in need, those donations were only possible through spreading the word on popular social media platforms.
While not physical currency, “social currency” has incredible value. When one person shares a post, let’s estimate that five people see it while only one donates to the cause. Though only that single person may have donated, the other four shared the post to their own social media following and each reached another five people who followed the exact same trend. As more people become familiar with the project, news about the cause begins to gain traction, reaching thousands if not millions of people. Only a fraction of the total number of viewers donated, though the awareness generated provides an incredible amount of value.
Finding an Audience
In a world where the latest app can make someone “internet famous” overnight, you’d be hard pressed to find a person – or a company – who wouldn’t want to take advantage of the opportunity brought by internet stardom. However, creating content isn’t easy and the fast pace of social media means that the content that is made has mere hours – maybe even minutes – to make a strong initial impact. Thankfully, not everything you share on social media has to be original content (nor should it).
Sharing the latest trending posts and commenting on breaking industry news signals to your followers and community members that you are a thought leader constantly and consistently monitoring your field to stay up to date on the latest and greatest. This isn’t meant to take away from the value of original content – leverage your unique perspective and use that individuality to your advantage.
Every single online interaction carries weight and provides value for your digital presence. However, sharing is a much more powerful tool than dropping a like or leaving a comment. Not only does the simple click of a “Share” button help your content spread, but it increases its validity and the respect others have for you within the industry.
For companies on the hunt for a trustworthy social media team on tops of the latest trends in your industry, SeedSpark can help! Contact us to learn more about how our team of creatives and marketers can refresh your brand, rejuvenate your social media feeds, and connect with your audience in a completely new way.
