Think about the last video you watched on YouTube. Now ask yourself, how did you hear about it? Most likely, the video was shared by a friend, colleague or family member. Sharing is how we interact with those around us and create meaningful experiences. Just like a movie recommendation, we rely on those we trust to share meaningful or entertaining online content.
I came across a recent article in Bulldog Reporter’s Daily Dog titled, “Your Customers are Sharing Content – Are You?” which points out the various ways people share content. According to a recent Pew Research report, sharing is one of the most integral activities associated with online news. And because of today’s desire to share content, businesses can leverage this behavior to drive website traffic and referrals.
At Communiqué PR, we are constantly sharing online content such as blogs, videos and articles that we think might be valuable to our clients and colleagues. So just how effective is sharing? Share This, an online platform for sharing and influence, released a study of online social sharing behaviors and discovered the following:
• Sharing generates almost half of the traffic for websites and brands
• Sharing also accounts for 31 percent of referral traffic
• On average, shared links are clicked on 4.9 times
• Everyone who shares is an influencer on that specific topic
• Sharing is a viable marketing solution for reaching audiences when they are most receptive to a particular category of content or information
Sharing can take place on a variety of platforms. Companies can utilize social media, or their company website or blogs to encourage sharing. However, many companies are not taking advantage of this opportunity. One easy solution is to consider a website share button. This makes it simple for visitors to share the content on your website with friends. Yet today, only 34 percent of Fortune 100 companies have share buttons on their websites and 13 percent have share buttons on their newsroom content. The numbers are even lower for smaller companies.
In an age of online information overload, people look to those they know to recommend content so they do not have to sift through the sea of information themselves. Consider connecting your company’s blogs, press releases and news articles to social media, making it easier for people to share your information and increase your brand awareness. It is now more important than ever to reach out to credible influencers to help distribute your content. The chances are, your customers are sharing content, and you should be too.