This presentation is all about why we, as humans, share - and how marketers can create content that fills our sharing needs. It covers the social roles of sharing (social currency, identity formation, and relationship building) and includes case studies to illustrate how brands can use these natural tendencies to get their content shared.

1. Why We Share: The Webinar
Presented by:
Kate Davids, Senior Research Analyst at Face
Image by Flickr User Carlos Maya

2. What We’ll Cover
Sharing and Marketing Together
The Personal and Social Roles of Sharing
Where Content Fits In
How To Optimize Your Content

3. Sharing and Marketing
Together
Image by Flickr User Carlos Maya
Image by Flickr User Sean MacEntee

4. “a marketing strategy that focuses on spreading information and opi
nions about a product or service fromperson to person, especially by
using unconventional means such as the Internet or e-mail”
- Dictionary.com
Image by Flickr User coolio-claire

5. But how do you get people
to share your content?
Image by Flickr User Jonathan_W (@whatie)

6. Most discussions about sharing
focus on the content being shared
– what makes it shareable.
Today, we’re going to focus on why
people share in the first place.
Image by Flickr User lowjumpingfrog

7. Personal & Social Roles of
Sharing
Image by Flickr User abbybatchelder

8. Shhh….. Here’s a Secret
Sharing Is Social!
Image by Flickr User Leo Reynolds

9. Four Big Reasons:
To Gain Social Currency
Tell Others Who We Are
To Help Shape Our Identities
Build Stronger Relationships

10. “Social capital refers to the collective
value of all "social networks" [who people
know] and the inclinations that arise from
these networks to do things for each
other ["norms of reciprocity"].”
- BetterTogether.org
Social Capital relies on this
giving cycle
Image by Flickr User katerha

11. In a way it’s like accumulating favors from
people. Like favors, social currency can be
transformed into reciprocal favors – and
even money.
Image by Flickr User Tony.L.Wong

12. How Content Can Help Us Gain Social Capital:
Passing on content that is useful to their audience
Sharing entertaining content that makes them look like
they’re interesting and fun
Passing on something new so they look like they’re in the
know
The goal is to look good

13. Another role of sharing is to tell others who we are, like a
badge, proclaiming to others what groups we belong to.
68% of respondents
claimed to share content
as a way to give people a
better picture of who
they are and what they
care about.
“The Psychology of Sharing”
The New York Times Customer Insight Group
Image by Flickr User portmanteaus

14. This allows us to play with
our own identities.
Developing ourselves even as
we tell others who we are.
Image by Flickr User lissalou66

15. Sharing also helps us build stronger relationships.
78% of people shared information
because it let them stay in touch with
people they wouldn’t see normally, and
73% said it helps them connect with
others based on interest.
“The Psychology of Sharing”
The New York Times Customer Insight Group

16. Sharing is complex!
Image by Flickr User michael.heiss

17. As humans we like to share in order to help
satisfy these four needs:
Look better in
front of our peers
Tell others who
we are
Understand
ourselves better
Grow closer to
others

18. Where Content Fits In
Image by Flickr User Bogdan Suditu

19. The content we share has to satisfy
at least one of these needs.
Look better in
front of our peers
Share new,
interesting, or
entertaining
content
Tell others who
we are
Understand
ourselves better
Content that describes who we
are, what we like and our
opinions
Grow closer to
others
Content that
others can
comment on,
starting a
discussion or
further sharing

20. Look better in
front of our
peers
Share new,
interesting, or
entertaining
content

21. Tell others
who we are
Understand
ourselves better
Content that describes who we are, what
we like and our opinions
“I like Dragon Ball Z
and he [my avatar]
looks like someone
from Dragon Ball Z.”
Image from: http://j.whyville.net/smmk/whytimes/article?id=13764

22. Tell others
who we are
Understand
ourselves better
Content that describes who we are, what
we like and our opinions
6th grade Whyville player
Bev: “[My second account]
is a boy! And it’s called
cuteguy and I just made it
for more clams, but
sometimes when I am
bored I hang out in that
account.”
Image from: http://j.whyville.net/smmk/whytimes/article?id=13764

23. Grow closer to
others
Content that others
can comment on,
starting a
discussion or
further sharing
Image by Flickr User ErgSap
Image by Flickr User Wonderlane

24. We feel like we belong
when our friends engage
with our social posts.
Image by Flickr User ErgSap
We feel like we don’t
belong when our friends
ignore our posts.
Image by Flickr User Wonderlane

25. As marketers we can use human
nature, creating content that fulfills
these needs -
And people WANT to pass on
@josef

26. Here’s How
Image by Flickr User V31S70

27. Make content that will
help sharers gain status
Burberry’s Art of the Trench
• Shanghai promotional
event
• Shared photos of the
event on Sina Weibo.
• 99% increase in user
reposts of content
http://www.marketmechina.com/burberrys-powerful-weibo-strategy-and-the-benefits-of-weibo-campaigns/

28. Make content that helps people describe
themselves to others
Skittles Facebook Page
• Weird and quirky jokes
• Wacky images
• Consistently high engagement per post

29. Make content that helps people engage
with each other
Coca-Cola’s Share A Coke
• Facebook traffic increased 870%
• #1 most talked about Facebook page in Australia,
23rd globally
• 76,000 virtual Coke cans shared online
http://www.nature.com/srep/2012/120329/srep00335/fig_tab/srep00335_F1.html

30. Thank you
Kate Davids, @katedavids
www.facegroup.com
www.pulsarplatform.com
Image by Flickr User Scott McLeod