Social media.. love it or hate it… it’s probably here to stay. So, how do you make the best use of it? By examining why people engage in social media, you can begin to plan the kinds of content that you need to be sharing in order to make your campaigns work for you.
The 5 reasons we share
There are a number of psychological reasons that the human race is what appears to be addicted to social sharing. According to Smarp, a company that helps businesses deliver focused content to employees, says there are 5 main motives for social sharing which include: defining who we are to others, for self-fulfillment, to share valuable content with others, to support different philanthropic missions and share worthwhile brands, and last but not least, to reach out and get connected to people. There is the basic human need to not feel alone and to seek relationships. Social media is an important tool for connectivity.
Now that you have reviewed your 2019 marketing strategies and have chosen the best social media platforms to utilize to expand your business, build your brand, and engage your loyal customers, it’s time for a 2020 action plan of what you will share on social media.
Four types of content
As we have discussed before, there are four major types of content that are shared to meet those psychological motivations for social media. The first type of content that many social media users are looking for is entertainment. Everyone loves a funny meme, a cute picture, and an outrageous and surprising action.
Secondly, people go to social media to be inspired. There is nothing better than a short Instagram video that gets us excited about work, ourselves, and about life.
Many users are looking for information. They want to be educated… they want to learn something nifty, something that will help in their lives, or something about the world around them.
Lastly, a great deal of content is meant to persuade. It can be to persuade you to go to an event, raise some money, buy a product, etc… or just to share a post!
Types of content and when
How do people and agencies educate, inspire, convince and entertain on social media? That varies between platforms and for what purpose. More heavily, people and businesses are sharing video content, news and educational videos, coupons and discounts, music videos, photos, links to blogs and infographics, etc…
Content consumption by demographic of course varies. The “Boomers” often get on social media to get the news, and they are often getting their social media early in the morning until lunch time. They also like the content to be short and sweet! Surprisingly, many from this age group enjoy videos, especially if they are 5 minutes or shorter. It’s no surprise that Gen Xers and Millennials also enjoy videos, but it is interesting to note that they have more patience for longer videos up to 10 minutes.
Gen Xers are much more focused on healthy living and consume heavy amounts of social media at night time and especially on weekends according to Fractl. Likewise, Millennials get their dose of social media in the evenings as well.
Unlike Boomers, Gen Xers engage in social media for information on lifestyle, entertainment, travel, and finance. Likewise, Millennials get their entertainment fix on social media but especially engage in content related to technology.
Headlines and images are essential
One thing that bridges the generation gap is that they all believe good headlines and accurate and engaging images are essential to their selection of readable content. Another interesting tidbit about social media according to Smarp is that all three generations prefer to get good news on social media. While many of us click on the most horrific headlines in our newsfeed, most of us prefer our social media continues to veer on the side of joyful and inspiring content and headlines.
Whether your audience is Millennials or Gen Xers, they all utilize social media. Understanding what kinds of content they engage in the most and what times of day you can find them, you can create and disperse content that engages your audience at the right time, in the right way, and in the right place.
