Nobody sharing your content? This could be why.

Feel like your social media posts are falling flat? With little to no engagement and no shares or retweets it may seem like all the effort you put into making your content is going to waste. Here is our advice on how to boost your content naturally without having to put a budget against it.

Remember your target market.

There are two main reasons why someone will want to read your content; because it’s entertaining or because it’s educational. For the vast majority of people your best bet is to create something dynamic and funny. However, if your content is B2B you need to make sure your content is something that will educate the reader but also not give away trade specifics. For example, if you were to post a step by step technical guide on how to set up a particular type of campaign for free – not only will it alienate the general public, other industry professionals will be unlikely to endorse it by sharing it. This brings me to my next point.

Realise the different motivations for people reading and sharing your content.

As I’ve said, people will read your content for two reasons: firstly, if it teaches them something, and secondly, if it’s entertaining. The reasons why they might share this for the rest of their friends to see are completely different.

People may click on your link, or read and ‘like’ or ‘favourite’ your post, but they won’t share it unless it’s something they want to put their name to. They may agree with the post or find it entertaining, but more importantly they want everyone else to know they agree with it too.

Ultimately, people share content because it makes them look good. Bear this in mind when thinking of a title and attaching a photo to your work.

Figure out what your objective actually is.

This sounds obvious, but it’s important. Although inextricably linked, there is a difference between posting content to promote brand awareness, content that takes people through to your website and, naturally a simple hard sell.

If your aim is simply to gain brand awareness, keep it light and funny. Visuals are great and people are much more likely to share them.

If your aim is to create web traffic your content has to be click through – such as a blog or something to entice people like a special offer. Again to get people to share it, there has to be something to make it shareable, vitally you need good copy. If you can’t sell your blog in one sentence what difference will an extra 500 or so words make?

BEWARE OF CLICKBAIT!

People will lose patience with you if you don’t deliver what you advertise, an enticing headline that doesn’t deliver.  People are less likely to click on your next post and much less likely to share it.