5 ways to get Facebook users to share your content.

Facebook's latest change will place greater priority on updates from friends and family. A recommendation for Facebook page administrators and publishers is to post content that is easily shared by their audience.

So, this raises an important question: why do people share content on Facebook? And how can you use this information to ensure you're creating the type of content people are most likely to share?

The content marketing agency Fractl conducted research that should help marketers who want to gain or maintain an advantage in the Facebook news feed.

[quote author=”Ashley Carlisle, Fractl”]With the latest adjustment placing more emphasis on user-generated content, as well as content generated by third-party users who share content, marketers now need, more than ever, to understand the sharing habits and motivations of Facebook users in order to ensure brand perception and engagement on the network.[/quote]

Here are the top five reasons why people share content on Facebook, according to research by Fractl:

1. Entertain

The reason people said they share something is to entertain their friends with interesting content, according to Fractl. This group accounted for 48% out of the 2,000 people surveyed.

The type of content that fits into this category would be fun, beautiful, funny, or inspired by videos, articles, images, and memes, or some other type of "light" content that makes people feel good.

2. Express yourself

17% of respondents said that they share content that they care about. This is their way of expressing who their friends are, letting them know what they like (e.g., sports, hobbies, pop culture) and what they care about (e.g., causes, politics, etc.).

Only 5% of respondents share content more than four times a day, but of those who do, 42 % say it's to make the page more noticeable (compared to 31% of all respondents who check Facebook daily).
Another interesting finding: 62 out of % people said they avoid sharing posts that are of poor quality or look bad. Therefore, try to ensure that your content will be shared without causing a bad impression!

3. Evoke emotion

Does your content have an emotional impact? Emotions such as happiness, sadness, fear, surprise, anger, and disgust are proven drivers of clicks and actions.

According to Fractl, 131% of people said they share something that will make their friends feel a certain way. Women are more likely to share this type of content.

Interestingly, however, 52 out of % people tend to avoid sharing content on "controversial" topics. So, if you want to gain more visibility on Facebook, controversy may not be the best alternative.

4. Educate

11% of respondents said they share content that their friends will find useful. This news content can be text or comments.
Most of this group (55%) said they share things that they hope their friends will find useful.

5. Other reasons

Fractl also had a fifth category, Others, which accounted for 111% of respondents. This group said they share content on Facebook to: try to convince their friends about something (2% of respondents); let people know what they are reading (3% of respondents); and find out what their friends think about something (3% of respondents). The remaining percentage said they share for a variety of reasons, but one interesting one was “to find the content later.”
Sharing makes people feel connected.

Whether on Facebook or another platform, 69.1 T/4T of people said they share content, at least partially, to feel closer to their friends. Facebook itself is proof of this – more than a billion people log in every day to stay in touch with family and friends.

Being able to truly connect with people through your content is powerful and invaluable. Therefore, try to create "shareable" content that people enjoy. Maintaining a loyal audience will help build the momentum you need to help your business thrive, regardless of any changes to Facebook (or other social media).

None of this should be too surprising (it's often easier said than done), but it's good to remember that to create relevant content for your industry you have to take three points into account:

Do you agree?

Do you agree with the 5 ideas above? Have you used any of them in your digital marketing? Share your opinion in the comments and help us enrich the content.