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The smart social media gurus at Altimeter Group offer us a classic example of how to help your content go viral. Their latest report, “Social CRM: The New Rules of Relationship Management” has been viewed 30,000 times, favorited 200 times, and embedded more than 130 times.
What it all can teach us:
1> Put it on a blog
2> Add sharing buttons
3> Host it on a sharing site
4> Give them cut and paste content
5> Remove all barriers to sharing
6> Ask people to share it
7> Say thank you
8> Give out the goodies
9> Keep a scoreboard
10> Let them share however they want
1> Put it on a blog
Blog content is always easier to share than something buried on your corporate website. By publishing their report on a blog, Altimeter’s content is quick to publish, easy to link to, and allows for ongoing updates.
2> Add sharing buttons
Put a share button offering links to all the popular social sites right next to the document. Altimeter’s report offered all the big ones: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Digg, Reddit, etc. Even if readers don’t always use the actual widgets, posting them next to your content helps get them thinking about sharing your stuff. (Click image for a close-up.)
3> Host it on a sharing site
When you put your paper on a sharing site like SlideShare instead of as a download or PDF on your own site, it already has all the tools for sharing, including email, Twitter, Facebook, and codes that allow bloggers to embed your content on their websites. It won’t cost you a thing and you’ll be instantly sharing with everyone. Bonus: You’ll get new readers who find you when they’re searching on the sharing site looking for similar content. (Below is an example of what SlideShare allows bloggers to do.)
Social CRM: The New Rules of Relationship Management
4> Give them cut and paste content
If you want people to write a good post for you, give them stuff they can copy and paste into their content. Altimeter gave everyone a sophisticated chart that they could use with their blog posts. It helps everyone look smarter, better explain a complex idea, and create a more interesting post. If you want to get bloggers to write what you want, write it for them.
5> Remove all barriers to sharing
To really help your content go viral, you’ve got to get out of the way. This means removing barriers such as forms, log-ins, and complicated download processes. Just let them grab the stuff and use it. Think of all the times you’ve walked away from a report with an annoying form that demanded your personal information.
6> Ask people to share it
Ask nicely. People are glad to help. For this report, “spreading the report” was one of the four action steps. Altimeter called it “open research” and politely asked readers to share it with partners, constituents, vendors, clients, and to blog about it.
7> Say thank you
Give positive reinforcement every time someone shares your content. When someone blogged about the Altimeter report, Altimeter added them to the original blog post. If your readers tweet about your content, re-tweet it. If they write something nice, post a comment on their blog. Do everything you can to show your appreciation.
8> Give out the goodies
Give people all of your content, not just a snippet and a plea for a link. It’s one thing to say, “Hey, will you link to this report?” It’s an entirely different proposition when it’s “Hey, here’s the full report. Feel free to share it.” When your fans can only post a link, it’s promotional. But when they can blog a full report and add their insights, it gives them a chance to create genuine content — making their blog more valuable.
9> Keep a scoreboard
Use a scoreboard to put all of this word of mouth on display. Most of the sharing sites use them automatically, and it helps everyone see all of the buzz about your content — leading to more word of mouth. When people see that 30,000 people have viewed and shared Altimeter’s report and re-tweeted it 550 times, it just creates more buzz and adds more legitimacy for their content.
10> Let them share however they want
Help fans of your content share it however they want. Ask yourself: Do you care how they share? Or that they share? Give them every tool you can to help them share with more people, more often, in the way that’s easiest for them. And don’t try to control it, just enjoy it.
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Thanks Andy
I really appreciate this. In fact, I just cross-linked back to you, which of course cements the linking relationship “thank you!”
Perhaps number 11 would be: We also create a community, called the Social CRM Pioneers using Google Groups where the conversation has grown beyond the report.
Also, we’re trying a new business model, by sharing openly our research “Open Research” we know the influence will spread and grow, rather than hiding it behind a registration page or a paywall. We see it working.
Much appreciated, thank you!
Andy,
thanks for the mention. we’re really thankful for the pre-report contribution and the post-report response. Great break down of what can be done!
R