3 Compelling Reasons To Share Valuable Content
Posted by Kim Adams on Fri, Nov 11, 2011
OK -- so your business has a social media presence. You have a Facebook page which you (or
someone you designated) posts to on a regular basis. You use Twitter to announce and share interesting tidbit about your company or that you've found on the web, and you (or again, your designated social media person) engages in discussions on LinkedIn and your company's blog.
You're doing all these things, but in the back of your head, you're still wondering:
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"Why do I need a Facebook page?"
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"What's the point of tweeting?"
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"Does anyone even read comments on blogs?"
To answer your questions, I'm going to take us back to childhood for a moment. Do you remember when your parents asked, "If all your other friends were jumping off a bridge, would you do it too?" Back then, the appropriate answer would have been "No."
But when it comes to your business, social media and content sharing, the answer needs to, at least, be "Yes," and if you're doing it correctly, your answer is: "They would be jumping after me."
Content sharing is important for several reasons, but I've outlined three big reasons below.
Build Relationships
As the phrase "social media" implies, social media is all about building a rapport with your customers and readers. Posting a one sentence statement on your Facebook page once every couple of weeks is not going to pass as honest relationship building. You need to offer your audience something worth reading, something worth talking about and something worth passing on.
Content sharing with your audience is a launching pad to build that ever-important dialogue. The more high-quality content you share, the more your audience will want to engage with you. This is important because it leads to...
Gaining Your Readers' Trust
In an August blog post, Phil Mershon mentions the 2011 Elderman Trust Barometer, which states that only 56% of people on the planet trust a business to do what is right. That means there are a lot of skeptics out there, and that means you will have to work extra hard to prove that you are worthy of that trust.
Content sharing that manages to both impart wisdom and engage your audience will increase your audiences' trust factor exponentially. Readers who trust you and what you have to say will share your content with others.
Reach Guru Status
Once you have started creating valuable content for your audience, you can aim for "Guru" or "Thought Leader" status. Content sharing will enable your audience to recognize you as an expert in your field. When they have a question or an issue, you are the person they think of when seeking the answer. If you are fortunate enough to become a thought leader, people will share practically anything you have to say. But that won't happen without good content. You content has to do one or more of the following:
If you keep the above in mind when developing your content and deliver, your social media will work in your favor.
Just Something To Consider About Content Sharing
Your content sharing should not be a lacksidaisical effort. You have to take it seriously and make a concerted effort to do it well. Why? Because not doing so could spell disaster for your online reputation. As vast as the Interwebs are, the community itself is actually rather small and intimate. Put anything less that trustworthy content out there, and your readers will dub you a "poser" and never read your content, let alone share it (other than to ridicule it).
But if you are sincere in your desire to share content with your audience, the above should not apply to you, so please, don't let fear get in the way of possible success.
Content sharing is necessary for a business to stay competitive. It's the quickest way to reach your audience, and it allows you to find out what your audience thinks about you, your business, and how they think you can improve your offerings. It's (mostly) free and almost instantaneous marketing research. And it doesn't get much better than that.