95 million photos and videos are posted on Instagram alone, every day.
How does it happen that some of them are shared by thousands of people, while others never get the “share” button?
Before going into the psychology of sharing, I would like to encourage you to think:
What makes you share online content? Do you share because the video is funny? Or maybe it represents your values? Or perhaps the content made you emotional?
The social media network is complicated, but specialists are doing a great job of untangling the factors of effective social media content.
Understanding online mechanisms start with understanding what motivates people to talk about brands and products.
The basis of the Psychology of Sharing
Research by Ernest Dichter (1966) indicated that people share information about brands, due to their: INVOLVEMENT.
The distinguished 4 categories of involvement that influence “Word-of-Mouth” advertising are:
- Product Involvement - the experience is simply pleasurable, so it is worth sharing.
- Self Involvement - egocentric need of the sharer to gain attention and feel special after sharing.
- Other Involvement - sharer wants to help others by pressing the “share” button.
- Message Involvement - the message is valuable, therefore it is worth sharing.
In the article, Ernest Dichter concluded “when the consumer feels that the advertiser speaks to him as a friend…the consumer will relax and tend to accept the recommendation.”
However, how do these findings connect to the current social media environment?
The platforms of marketing changed a lot since 1996, but the psychology behind the choice of sharing stayed the same!
Why do we share content on social media?
- We share to bring value and fun to others - as easy as it seems around 94% (according to The New York Times) of people share content to inform, amuse or help others.
- We share to define ourselves - social media is our online representation, therefore 68% of people share on social media to show who they are and what they care about.
- We share to nourish the relationships and communicate - shared content keeps us connected to the people we share it with. Additionally, we can meet people with the same interest, through the act of sharing.
- We share to feel fulfilled - sharing simply helps us feel connected to the world.
- We share to get the world to know about the causes - by sharing we show support for the principles we believe in.
Conclusion
What is important to remember is that liking, or even loving, doesn’t necessarily lead to sharing. To share the content on social media, the viewer has to feel a connection to the content as an individual. The post must be a representation of themselves and must reflect their tastes and values.
Next time, you create a piece of content (for example video), think about what it means for you.
Try to incorporate a strong trigger to connect with your audience and get as many “shares” as possible. It can grow your personal brand and be a powerful tool for business growth.
Ready to grow?
Achieving a big number of shares can be challenging. We understand that. Cooperation with specialists can give you a better understanding of crucial steps and can help you to accomplish the desired results.
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