Think about it: when you use the share function on social media to show other people content you have found there, what is the motivating factor? Perhaps you reckon the content would be useful to friends and family, or you find it amusing.
Whatever it is that drives you to share social media content, your brand could benefit from the positive word of mouth that can come about as a result of you posting share-worthy material — like the types detailed below — to social media.
Infographics
What is an infographic? The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines it as “a chart, diagram, or illustration … that uses graphic elements to present information in a visually striking way”.
Infographics often excel at making otherwise complex information easily digestible. The data you could choose to present in an infographic includes statistics, timelines and maps.
Whatever data you want to put into an infographic, however, just hand that information to us and see what visual magic our graphic designers can build around it.
How-to guides
Sometimes, you want to do something but just can’t time-effectively figure out how to do it. This is when a how-to guide can be useful as a reference point.
Chances are that you have specialist expertise in a subject that many members of your target audience would be keen to learn more about. For example, a heating engineer can know how to repressurise a boiler or replace batteries in a thermostat.
These are examples of procedures that can be explained clearly in text, graphics or video.
Listicles
The word ‘listicle’ is a portmanteau of ‘list’ and ‘article’ — as, though it includes entries of a list, those entries are each fleshed out with additional information.
The piece you are reading right now is an example of a listicle — as, though its subheadings alone could be sorted into a basic list, we have… you get the gist. Key to the appeal of listicles is how easily they can be scanned by people who are pressed for time.
Heartwarming stories
Given how bleak and dispiriting the news can often be, it stands to reason why many people rejoice at feel-good stories.
Your business could have a fair few of its own to tell — perhaps about charitable work it has undertaken in the community, or even just a personal achievement one of the company’s employees has made.
If you are wondering how exactly you could reveal these stories to your brand’s social media followers, keep in mind that our digital copywriters would be able to help.
Polls
These can be run on both Facebook and Twitter, and would allow you to gather opinions from followers on a range of subjects.
One reason why polls can spark an especially high number of shares is that many people might be eager to encourage other people they know to vote in a poll — and perhaps for one specific option in it as well.
Besides, social media users can jump at the chance to interact with content rather than just consume it.
