What compels people to share the online content they enjoy?
Social media marketing emphasises the sharing of information, in order to spread marketing messages, so understanding why people choose to share particular online content can provide valuable information from which successful social media marketing plans can be built.
A new study from The New York Times studied ‘medium-to-heavy’ online content sharers and asked them what influenced their decision to share or not to share. In short, people’s motivations for sharing content were:
- Spreading the word — 84% of people shared content to show support for issues they care about.
- Information management — 73% said they process information more deeply when they share it.
- Bring value and entertainment to others – 49% said sharing allowed them to inform others of products they enjoy about and to potentially change opinions.
- Define self — 67% share to give people a better sense of who they are and what their passions are.
- Grow relationships — 78% felt sharing content kept them connected to people they may not otherwise stay in touch with.
- Self fulfilment — 69% like to share information because it makes them feel more involved in the world.
By taping into these psychological motivations for sharing, marketers can build communication campaigns that will be shared more often, and reach wider audiences.
Source: The New York Times — The Psychology of Sharing
