Social sharing is the practice of sharing content or promotions to a social media site or application. It is the broadcasting of our thoughts and activities; it’s a sociological phenomenon and it’s continuing to develop. Knowing what people are doing, where they are shopping, with whom they are interacting with, and knowing how much they are willing to spend are all great marketing opportunities. Marketers need to be aware of who their fans are, but more importantly who their influencers are.
How does social sharing work? You come across a promotion of interest to you – let’s use golfing as an example. You enter a promotion to win a high end golf club, a driver that would take your game to the next level. You share the promotion by posting it to your Facebook page and Tweeting it out to your Twitter followers. Your friends who are also avid golfers click your link to enter the promotion, and share it out to all of their friends and followers. Then, their friends who are into golfing enter and share, and before you know it just one person has helped put the promotion in front of 100+ people interested in a specific segment.
Social sharing is all about finding like-minded people, making it the perfect referral vehicle for Marketers. Social sharing works based on a simple concept – if you like golfing there is a very good chance that you have a number of friends who also like golfing. Your friends who like golfing are also very likely to have other friends who like golfing. Social sharing gives brands the opportunity to reach these friends of friends and expand your reach.
It’s important to note that the most credible source of advertising today are referrals from people we know and trust. 84% of people trust recommendations from family and friends, and 67% of people say they’re at least a little more likely to purchase a product after a friend or family member shared it via social media or email. New prospects or people who indicate they are interested in your product or service are best engaged through social sharing.
Social sharing is a critical point of a solid contest marketing platform. SHARE & WIN contests are usually the most effective style for marketers, as they really encourage entrants to share with their friends for a higher chance to win. Plus, SHARE & WIN contests can help you determine who your influencers are.
