In the current digital landscape, content strategy has become the name of the game, and shareability is one of the most important aspects for a content marketing strategy to gain traction.
The challenge comes in formulating relevant content in a manner that makes people take note, and become involved – ultimately opening your message up to their circle by sharing it with their community. There is no magic bullet in creating a viral campaign, but a few strategic approaches can take some of the guesswork out of how to position content to a wider audience.
Headlines
A title that will draw in your user is the best first place to start. A line that stands out draws people to read more. Though perhaps overdone, but statistically backed – the approach of a numeric list, such as ’10 Ways to…’ or ‘The Secret of…’. These titles tease and pique interest.
Length
Craft your content in a concise manner. Unless creating a white paper or full length article, content that is easily read in a single sitting is more digestible for the sharing environment. Bulleted lists, numbered entries, step-by-step articles, and sectioned how-to pieces create this effect.
Emotional Value
Triggering an emotion through content is key when developing shareable content. Many campaigns that go viral touch on a personal note of a users life, tugging at the heartstrings – eliciting the ‘awe’ factor. This is done much of the time through visuals. Some ideas include broadcasting events and team building that an organization participates, personal perspective and life bettering subjects.
Leader Positioning
Writing about cutting edge strategies, new and trending information, current events and great product reviews will position an business as a leader in the marketplace. Staying current, relevant and on trend will create the tone of a trusted and reliable source – with an audience sharing the content of an expert in the field.
Quoteable
The marketplace loves inspiration. Taking sound bites and writing content with quotability in mind is key to this kind of share ability. Quoteability gains much traction through twitter and editorial opportunities. Content is more likely to create inbound links, driving traffic to the quoted site.
Trending
If attending events, making sure to capitalize on the community that is also attending by hashtagging and updating/reviewing the events surrounding. Providing point of view on relevant current events, product launches or industry happenings will position an organization to the right user base.
Consistent
Post and share content on a consistent basis. As regular posting occurs, a better idea of user patterns and engagement will surface. Posting a steady stream during peak times, while not spamming, will create a consistency that brings users back for more.
Content, when shared with a wider audience is like a great referral. Instead of cold opens, an audience can do all the promotion for you. Shareability is the key. It is simply the the job of the brand to ensure that messaging is on brand, consistent and backed by their values.