How to be shareable

Right now, the highest form of marketing leverage is being "shareable"... 

...as people are less responsive to many traditional channels, but open to recommendations from others who they know and trust. 

Having people share your message, your content, your name is the holy grail of marketing arbitrage in the times we are in.

Not just because it multiplies eyeballs on your content, but because it also amplifies trust,  memorability and adds weight to your personal brand equity.

This is different to "going viral" which implies a once-off "flash-in-the-pan" spurt of activity that is uncharacteristic and doesn't belong there (like a virus!) and eventually goes away.

Shareable content is that which people routinely like to share with their friends and network.

Of course, being everywhere and “front of mind” is great. Even encouraged, if you can.

So is being “findable”  - being accessible in the right places so that people who are seeking out what you offer come across you when they’re looking to buy.

However, inspiring other people to share your message (via your content) trumps everything.
 

You can say what you like about your brand, but if others say it for you the impact is exponentially more!

Now you might be wondering what shareable content actually looks like. Here are a few examples:

💛 Customers share your content with their network and enhance it by talking about their experience with you.

💚 Advocates and colleagues and peers recommending you, because of your reputation.

💙 PR/Media - trusted publications publishing your content for their readers/viewers.

🤎 Associations and Industry Groups share to their members

🧡 Collaborations/Partnerships/JVs /Suppliers - who share your content because they see the benefit in it for their customers.

💜 People who love your message sharing it with their audience ....just because.

Here are some recent examples of what some of these can look like....

Or course it starts with having a clear and compelling message that inspires people and makes people WANT to share - because they know it will help others and ultimately benefit THEIR brand and reputation, too - it becomes a win/win!


So where do you start?


Don't "try" to create something sharable. Just focus on being consistently insightful, motivating, perspective-shifting and action-inspiring as it relates to your industry or specific area of expertise.

Incorporate a mix of tangible/practical/actionable content that appeals to people's left brain need for strategy and action - while lacing it with authenticity and stories to bring it to life and engage emotion and tap into people's desire for hope, to feel good and inspired in their business or life.

Is it really achievable for anyone?


I shared a blog a few weeks ago on how we need to get past the need for perfection to get our message out into the world, and the power of the concept of "work to publish" which I learned from Patreon Founder Jack Conte. 

Becoming a creator that people want to share won't (usually) come overnight. It's going to take time, consistency and in many cases volume to build the muscle that knows how to create decent content. 

When I started doing Crossfit (which I picked up after my fourth child) I didn't go straight to heavy weights. I started with super light weights, and concentrated on technique and consistency - 

Of course I might have been able to pull of one decently heavy lift if I wanted to, but that wasn't the intention. The intention was to build the muscle and form that would enable me to gradually lift heavier weights in multiple reps as my standard way of exercising, not a once-off feat. 

It's like that with content too. Some people think it's about putting all the effort into a single piece that they agonise over to perfect and is super impactful, but the reality is getting your message into the world requires repetition and practice.

Assuming you have a solid area of expertise to draw on, it's consistency and empathy towards your audience and commitment to the process that are the vital ingredients to creating shareable content.

Many of the creators that are loved and shared and quoted worldwide - Adam Grant, Seth Godin, Marie Forleo - have been sharing their content, writing and speaking about the area for many many years, producing voluminous content and assets, and constantly refining the way they communicate their message. 

To the point they're so dialled into what moves people, they talk mostly about that. 

It's a process to get there.

But a beautiful, inspiring and enriching one. 

So start now (like today, or next week) - with very gentle expectations on yourself.

Read this blog to get inspired to embrace imperfection.

Just choose one thing (just like I choose this blog as the "one thing" I will create each week).

And do it regularly.   

Be curious, observe how you can grow, develop and refine your message so it's even more impactful. 

And stay the course. 

Because YOUR message matters.

******
 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nina Christian is a Marketing Futurist & Global Marketing Mentor who helps people do their marketing in a more human way. 

She is a Certified Practicing Marketer (CPM), Life Member and Fellow of the Australian Marketing Institute & AMI State Chair (Vic) and for 20 years was director of Braveda (Winner, Best Marketing Agency, Australian Marketing Excellence Awards).

Several years ago Nina saw the world of marketing shifting – this time as people became their own brands.  With this, she created a new business as a thought leader, combining her expertise in brand building with personal positioning, resulting in a breakthrough praxis known as Marketing Me™.

She has a knack for simplifying the complex which comes from being a hands-on mum to five children, and uses this to turn time-sucking activities into easy-to-follow systems and processes that make a lot of sense and get outcomes fast.

There are different ways to work with Nina based on your situation and organisation size - with all of them you'll see rapid transformation and tangible outcomes fast. Book a chat with Nina here.