If you want to go viral on Facebook, you have come to the right place. First of all, if you’re going to get any return on your investment posting, shareable content must be a big part of your marketing strategy.
The benefits of shareable content should be easy to see. By motivating your Facebook followers to share your content more people are going to know about your business. This engagement will almost always create significant traffic, and this is what every business owner needs. After all, it cost you nothing and the social value it produces is substantial. Furthermore, the benefit will be even more meaningful if the message reaches your targeted audience.
Doing this right could also trigger a snowball effect, making your content go viral. This result is the ideal goal you want to achieve. However, there is no foolproof formula on how to go viral on Facebook; it’s just that certain types of content have a higher chance of striking a home run than others.
Before your content can go viral on Facebook, it’s important to understand the reasons why people are inclined to share content in the first place.
Why do people share content?
A New York Times study revealed the human psychology behind why people share content online, and they do it for the following reasons:
– Educate: 73% of them state they can process the information more clearly and thoroughly when they share.
– Influence: 49% of the respondents say that they want to influence the opinions of others or inform them about a specific cause.
– To help others: the vast majority of the respondents (94%) want the content they share to be helpful to the recipient.
– Personal identity: 68% of respondents share content because they want to create a persona and associate themselves with specific activities or values.
– To connect with people: 78% share content online since it allows them to remain in touch with the people. 73% of them do so because it will enable them to establish new connections with people who have similar interests.
– Feelings of participation: 69% of people share content because they feel more connected to the world.
– To support: 84% of respondents want to help a cause or bring attention to specific issues, and sharing content online allows them to do that.
View the New York Times Study on The Psychology of Sharing: Why Do People Share Online,
The types of content that go viral on Facebook
Now that we’ve established the reasons why people share content online, it’s time to look at what types of content are the most suitable to invoke the desired response (in other words, get users to share and make your post go viral on Facebook).
1. Shareable content can give
The giving could be special offers, discounts, limited-time sales or contests. As long as there is a benefit, they will happily share it with their friends. This sharing is especially true in the case of giveaways with progressive rewards (as in the more people participate, the more prizes are given out).
2. Shareable content can advise
If you can provide helpful material that gives good advice, you’re onto a winner. Think about solving a problem, achieving something, or overcoming an obstacle. However, it does need to be related to your business to make an impact on your revenue.
3. Shareable content can warn
If there is an impending danger of any sorts, people will be motivated to share it to inform their friends.
4. Shareable content can entertain
Entertainment is a surefire way to success, especially if it clicks with a broad user profile. Funny anecdotes, pictures, and quotes are a great way to entertain your audience. The only thing to look out for is that the humor is not too offensive to a specific group of people since you don’t want to offend your followers.
5. Shareable content can motivate
Inspirational quotes and stories get people moving towards a particular goal in their lives, and carefully picked inspirational material can go a long way towards getting lots of shares.
6. Shareable content can amaze
If you can come up with amazing pictures, that’s great. Fact listing is also excellent, as long as you keep it relevant.
7. Shareable content can unite
People are naturally inclined to form groups based on personal, religious, or other types of values and beliefs. That way, they feel like they belong to a group, which allows them to reinforce their standpoint.
How does Facebook measure user engagement?
Facebook does, in fact, measure user engagement regarding shares, views, likes, clicks, reactions, the number of people reached, and so forth. With the help of these metrics, Facebook can quickly determine which types of content the users consider to be the most interesting.
User engagement is essential since it has a direct effect on how many people will see your posts. In other words, your reach depends on the user engagement of the content you post. In the end, a high user engagement on Facebook shows that you have a quality audience and that you tend to share content that matches their interests.
A quick word on getting ideas
Getting ideas is much more comfortable than what you might think, and we’ll let you in on a little secret:
Follow the Facebook pages of your competitors, observe what works and replicate it.
That’s it! Of course, you shouldn’t just copy and paste other people’s content directly, but it’s a great way to get a tip on what you should be doing.
Then, all you need to do is to come up with quality content of your own, or – better yet – just link to relevant pieces of content you found online. If the material meets the criteria outlined above and you believe it is something your audience would enjoy, just run with it.
Ask others to share your content, and it can help you go viral on Facebook with little effort.
If you’re promoting a good cause, for example, there is no shame in asking others to share it. In fact, they will be glad to do it, since showing your support is a good deed, and it also portrays whoever shares it in a good light. Remember the vast majority of the respondents to the study as mentioned above (94%) want the content they share to be helpful to the recipient.
Now go viral on Facebook with a solid content marketing strategy
By reading this article, you’ve learned the most important reasons why people share content and the most shareable elements. By using this knowledge, you can increase user engagement, promote your business, and increase sales. Now you’re on your way to mastering Facebook and growing your business.
For more on this subject read this related article on how to “Create Viral Press Releases and Content“