The moment you log into any of your social media accounts, one commonly comes across posts about interesting information or products which people have shared. Have you ever wondered what makes that content share worthy? You probably haven’t given much thought to this aspect. One of the reasons why businesses are striving to make shareable content is that it creates free marketing for their brand and is a much more effective marketing strategy than most other practices. Moreover, the ROI is considerably greater as the only investment that you would have to make is to create engaging content that encourages people to share it. In today’s digital age, the successful delivery of any information is not determined by the quantity of data presented in it; rather it depends on the engagement factor and the “share” ability of the content. Now I am sure you are thinking “How do I make my digital edition shareable?” Well, first of all there is no defined formula to creating viral content. It depends on a number of factors. We have compiled a list which can be used to create exceptional editions and flipbooks that would be considered share worthy.
Keep It Relevant There is no sense in creating content that is irrelevant to the industry you are in. You cannot have Coca Cola writing about the benefits of camping. You may get some traffic, no doubt about it, but eventually, the bounce rate would increase as readers won’t find your brand relevant to the content. Creating irrelevant content can tarnish the brand’s image as people would be less likely to believe in the information that is provided to them over time.
Engage Your Readers The only way you can capture the attention of your target audience is if you create unique content (should not be over exposed on the internet) that is engaging and entertaining. Once you achieve this, you can sit back and relax while your content gets shared across many virtual circles and spreads like wildfire. Try to read your own post or content from a reader’s perspective. If you are not able to find something that sparks your interest, then it won’t do much good when published. It takes a great deal of convincing to get users to click on that “share” button.
Leverage Controversy If you analyze the content that has gone viral, almost 90% of it has something controversial associated with it. People often use controversies to create an edgy or shocking element to their content and our society is driven towards controversies like bees to honey. The benefit of using such content is that it reaches above and beyond your targeted industry, thereby giving you greater visibility and awareness. To accomplish this, your audience needs to be jolted out of their seats with dynamic and unique content that is engaging and interactive. This will determine if your content becomes relevant or not. Just log onto your Twitter profile and check out the current trending topics. They are there for a reason.
Provide Solutions A more utilitarian approach to making your content shareable would be to provide solution content to trending questions and questions that have very few answers. A good way to go about this would be to make a list of the questions that are being asked by your target audience. Use forums and other discussion platforms to find out the latest topics. Apart from gaining “share” ability, the content (with solutions of course) would also get better SEO rankings and this will eventually help your brand’s visibility. Remember, your content should always create value for the readers, or else your digital edition would only occupy virtual space without any tangible benefits being realized. Read about optimizing your digital editions for SEO.
Choose the Right Media The media for the content may not seem to have a lot of significance on its success but it does make a mark on the message being conveyed. This could relate to the platforms that are used to promote the content. It could also determine the base medium that is used for the content itself. This means you have to evaluate whether Flash and HTML based would be more effective or would an app provide greater benefits. All of this requires adequate time and research which would only bring more benefits as it would help you to understand your target audience even better.
Give A Personal Touch Create content that appeals to human emotion and feeling. If you can add that personal touch and connect with your readers emotions than anything is possible. It is important that you relate to your target audience on a personal level as this will help them understand you better. Moreover, this is a good way to humanize your brand. Make sure to maintain this approach by using topics that are positive, inspiring, and unexpected. Using positive directions is good for spreading a positive feeling amongst your readers and the manner in which they share the content.