In the growing age of information, social media has turned out to be a powerful tool to share content. Social media owes it overwhelming effectiveness to the fact that it is a popular hub for information and interaction, the two of the primary factors that drive business.

The number of social media users is expected to rise to 4.41 billion by 2025. Such a vast user base can be leveraged to turn social media into a go-to tool for:

• creating brand awareness
• generating increased conversion

And the best part is all of this comes at the ultimate price tag: free.

But the problem arises when the contents being shared on social media sites do not fulfill the soaring expectations that you were relying on.

What Are You Doing Wrong?

There is nothing new about sharing content on social media. But sometimes, the purpose of sharing gets lost in the race to acquire a hefty follower base. And we end up getting diverted from living up to the promise we heartily pledged in the beginning.

Here’s a spoiler alert.

In a study conducted by The New York Times, as many as 94% of the respondents indicated that before sharing, they carefully consider how a certain information will be of use to readers.

If the content you are sharing isn’t contagious enough, chances are you have taken the wrong bend at the fork. Following are some suggestions about how to make it right.

How to Inspire Action on the Social Media Front

There exists a significant slice of people who are consciously or unconsciously impacted by the social media marketing trends implemented by businesses. Your motive should be to leverage that.

1. Types of Content That Generate Shares

There is a lot more to content than just writing a blog. To make the most of your target consumers’ sharing habits, it is important to identify the type of content that carries tumultuous sharing prospects, some of which include the following:

The ‘How to’ content has carved out a niche for itself because it identifies problems and works itself to a solution that is pretty self-explanatory and feasible enough for the common man.

‘Videos’ have the potential to communicate with the viewer at a personal level, while making the message more succinct and easy to remember.

‘Infographics’ can go viral in minutes. It is the visual aspect combined with a tsunami of data and statistics that make infographics all the more popular.

We love ‘Lists’. Be it short, long, or medium, we are hardwired to love them. And it goes without saying that the more detailed the list, the better it is.

You have your list, take your pick.

2. Is Your Content Worth Sharing?

Ask yourself: does your content pack enough punch to provide the readers with what they are looking for? Does it provide enough value in exchange for the time they are spending to read it? If your answers are in the affirmative, then you are already experiencing a rise in traffic. If not, then there’s some more work to be done.

What makes a content valuable are:

• the practicality of the information it provides its authenticity
• the actionable quotient
• its alignment with recent and upcoming trends

Your content becomes instantly shareable if readers can relate to it and learn something new from it. So, before you start drafting the next content with hopes of surging social shares, think: is there anything new that you are bringing to the table with the new content?

3. The Endless Appeal of the Mighty Visual

Why get lost in the crowd when visuals can take you the extra mile?

With an attention span of 8 seconds, the human brain processes visual content 60,000 times faster than text. Therefore, the more images and videos you put in, the more engaging your content becomes. This is because:

• a visual accompanying a block of text makes the content easily comprehensible and, therefore, memorable.
• visuals make the storytelling aspect come alive in the content, indulging readers in an engaging experience, which resonates well with the audience.

Quick fact: tweets with images have been found to receive 18% more clicks, 89% more favorites, and 150% more retweets.

When it comes to social media, the real deal has a great appeal. And stunning and authentic visuals can skyrocket the shares to a welcoming bulk.

4. Make the Headline Catchy

The headline is the first thing that a reader notices. And the time your readers take to read it is your window to fame. Be sure to utilize it to the fullest.

What has made to the top of the list in the headline contest are:

• numbers
• actionable strategies cliffhangers

Once you make your headline a click-bait, rest assured, a good percentage of the viewers will click on it to find more about it. Now is the time to make their clicks worthy. If your article lives up to the expectations that the catchy headline has generated, you have one less thing to worry about in your life.

5. Make Sure That the Social Sharing Buttons are Prominent

Have you ever wondered where to place the social media buttons on your blog? It must have confused you quite a bit. Well, you are not alone in this.

A lot of debate and discussions on this topic have taken place. But those haven’t led to a definite answer yet. But it turns out; you can get along just fine by placing the buttons anywhere among:

• header
• sidebar
• footer

Wherever you place it, what matters most is the prominence. The point is to keep the social engagement possibilities in close proximity to the content and in the reader’s line of vision.

The rule of nature is: when you make something interesting and easy to share, people will be more than happy to spread the word for you. And sometimes, all you would need to do is ask. It’s that simple.

Do you have a few other tricks up your sleeve to up the game in the social media market? Share those with us. We will be glad to hear from you.