As retailers and entrepreneurs, it's all-too-easy to reduce sharing to a simplistic, mechanical function that customers "will simply do". And we would be completely wrong. It turns out that there are several distinct reasons why people share. The New York Times' Customer Insight Group did a study (http://nytmarketing.whsites.net/mediakit/pos/) and identified the 5 following motives: 1. To bring valuable and entertaining content to others 2. To define ourselves to others 3. To grow and nourish our relationships 4. Self-fulfillment 5. To get the word out about causes and brands Here's a SlideShare we put together to help you think more deeply about these motivations. Think of these 5 motivations as starting points for evaluating your customers' desires. Your product and your content has to resonate well with at least one of these motivations before your customers will share!

1. 5
DRIVING
FORCES OF
SHARING
PRESENTED BY

2. Honey, you should
share your toy
with your brother.

3. Why should
I share?

4. Well because...

5. ... I don’t really have
an answer for that.
Why do people
share anyway?

6. TO BRING VALUABLE AND
ENTERTAINING CONTENT TO OTHERS
#1
REASON

7. I share to enrich
the lives of those
around me.
TO BRING VALUABLE AND
ENTERTAINING CONTENT TO OTHERS#1

8. TO BRING VALUABLE AND
ENTERTAINING CONTENT TO OTHERS#1
Example:
Sharing this so that
my readers can
work faster.
Source: https://twitter.com/brianclark/status/298867411543810048

9. Source: https://twitter.com/bznotes/status/527356800169807872
TO BRING VALUABLE AND
ENTERTAINING CONTENT TO OTHERS#1
Example:
Here’s something
entertaining my
friends could
watch during
their breaks!

10. TO BRING VALUABLE AND
ENTERTAINING CONTENT TO OTHERS#1
Source: “The Psychology of Sharing” http://nytmarketing.whsites.net/mediakit/pos/
94%
carefully consider how the
information they share will
be useful to the recipient.
of participants

11. TO DEFINE OURSELVES
TO OTHERS
#2
REASON

12. TO DEFINE OURSELVES TO OTHERS
#2
This is who I am.

13. What do we know
about this person?
Example:
TO DEFINE OURSELVES TO OTHERS
#2
Source: https://twitter.com/bakingjames

14. What about this?
Source: https://twitter.com/TheNateGreen
Example:
TO DEFINE OURSELVES TO OTHERS
#2

15. 68%ofparticipants
Source: “The Psychology of Sharing” http://nytmarketing.whsites.net/mediakit/pos/
TO DEFINE OURSELVES TO OTHERS
#2
share to give people
a better sense of who they are
and what they care about.

16. TO GROW AND NOURISH
OUR RELATIONSHIPS
#3
REASON

17. TO GROW AND NOURISH
OUR RELATIONSHIPS#3
Shared
experiences
bring us closer.

18. These people
may not have
seen one another,
they have a
shared childhood
experience
that connects
them together
like old friends.
TO GROW AND NOURISH
OUR RELATIONSHIPS#3
Example:
Source: http://www.reddit.com/r/nostalgia/comments/2kz4ud/anyone_remember_when_these_were_popular/

19. 78%of participants
Source: “The Psychology of Sharing” http://nytmarketing.whsites.net/mediakit/pos/
TO GROW AND NOURISH
OUR RELATIONSHIPS#3
share information online
because it lets them
stay connected to people
they may not otherwise
stay in touch with.

20. 73%of participants
Source: “The Psychology of Sharing” http://nytmarketing.whsites.net/mediakit/pos/
TO GROW AND NOURISH
OUR RELATIONSHIPS#3
share information because
it helps them connect with
others who share their interests.

21. SELF-FULFILLMENT
#4
REASON

22. SELF-FULFILLMENT
#4
I feel valued when my
honest thoughts
resonate with others

23. Example:
SELF-FULFILLMENT
#4
Source: http://www.slideshare.net/dougkessler/the-search-for-meaning-in-b2b-marketing
Doug Kessler put together
an entire presentation
and shared it with the
world because he
personally felt it was
important.

24. 69%of participants
Source: “The Psychology of Sharing” http://nytmarketing.whsites.net/mediakit/pos/
share information
because it allows them to
feel more involved in the world.
SELF-FULFILLMENT
#4

25. TO GET THE WORD OUT
ABOUT CAUSES OR BRANDS
#5
REASON

26. TO GET THE WORD OUT
ABOUT CAUSES OR BRANDS#5
I believe in this
cause and I want
others to get
involved.

27. Source: https://twitter.com/PeterTatchell
Example:
TO GET THE WORD OUT
ABOUT CAUSES OR BRANDS#5
What cause do you
think Peter Tatchell
supports?

28. What about
Leonardo?
Example:
TO GET THE WORD OUT
ABOUT CAUSES OR BRANDS#5
Source: https://twitter.com/LeoDiCaprio

29. 84%of participants
Source: “The Psychology of Sharing” http://nytmarketing.whsites.net/mediakit/pos/
share because it is a way
to support causes and
issues they care about.
TO GET THE WORD OUT
ABOUT CAUSES OR BRANDS#5

30. SHARING IS
ALL ABOUT HUMAN
RELATIONSHIPS

31. VISIT
BLOG.REFERRALCANDY.COM
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SHARING
AND WORD OF MOUTH.
weeeeeeeeee...!!

32. “The Psychology of Sharing” http://nytmarketing.whsites.net/mediakit/pos/
https://twitter.com/brianclark/status/298867411543810048
https://twitter.com/bznotes/status/527356800169807872
https://twitter.com/bakingjames
https://twitter.com/TheNateGreen
http://www.reddit.com/r/nostalgia/comments/2kz4ud/anyone_remember_when_these_were_popular/
http://www.slideshare.net/dougkessler/the-search-for-meaning-in-b2b-marketing
https://twitter.com/PeterTatchell
https://twitter.com/LeoDiCaprio
CREATED BY