The Psychology of Sharing: Crafting Irresistible B2B Content

When the right kind of content circulates among the right people, it can have a remarkable impact on brand reputation, client engagement, and even open doors to new business opportunities. 

However, creating content that resonates with your B2B audience is only half the battle. To improve your reach and impact, you need content that your audience is eager to share. 

But what makes B2B content "share-worthy"? To answer this question, it helps to understand the psychology behind sharing. Knowing what motivates people to share can help us to create content that not only informs but also inspires our audience to take action and spread the word.

Understanding What Motivates People to Share

By exploring the motivations behind social sharing, we can unlock the potential of our B2B content to reach a wider audience.

Dichter's Pioneering Insights 

Ernest Dichter, a pioneer in motivation research who changed how international giants such as General Mills and Procter & Gamble advertised their products, laid the groundwork for understanding sharing behaviour as far back as 1966.

In his groundbreaking Harvard Business Review article "How Word of Mouth Advertising Works," Dichter identified four key motivations for sharing:

• Product Involvement: For 33% of people, their great experience of a brand made them want to tell others about it.

• Self-Involvement: Another 24% of people shared because it allowed them to gain attention or appear knowledgeable.

• Other-Involvement: In 20% of cases, the sharer was motivated by a desire to help others.

• Message-Involvement: And finally, 20% of respondents believed the message itself was so valuable it deserved to be shared.

These foundational insights remain remarkably relevant in our digital age, forming the basis for much of our understanding of sharing behaviour today.

New York Times’ Psychology of Sharing research

Building on Dichter's work, The New York Times Customer Insight Group conducted an extensive study in 2011 to understand the modern psychology of sharing. Their research revealed five primary motivations for why people share content:

1. To bring valuable and entertaining content to others: 49% of participants said sharing allowed them to inform others of products and services they cared about, identifying the potential to change opinions or encourage action as a motivator. 94% considered how the information they were sharing would be useful to the recipient.

2. To define ourselves to others: 68% wanted to give people a better sense of who they are and what they care about.

3. To grow and nourish our relationships: 78% share information to stay connected with people they might not otherwise stay in contact with. And 73% share to connect with others who share their interests.

4. For self-fulfillment: 69% wanted to share because it helped them to feel more involved in the world around them.

5. To get the word out: 84% wanted to show their support for causes or brands they care about.

The study also identified six distinct personas of sharers:

• Altruists are characterised by their desire to help others and share valuable information. They are motivated by a genuine desire to enrich the lives of others and are more likely to use email as their primary sharing method.

• Careerists view sharing as an extension of their professional identity. They are motivated by a desire to build their professional reputation and network and are more likely to use LinkedIn as their sharing platform of choice.

• Hipsters are typically younger, trend-conscious sharers. They are motivated by a desire to be the first to share cutting-edge content and are often early adopters and gravitate towards visually-oriented social platforms like Instagram and TikTok.

• Boomerangs share content primarily to elicit reactions and engage in conversations. Motivated by the validation and engagement they receive, they are more likely to share content that is provocative or controversial on platforms like X and Facebook.

• Connectors use sharing as a way to maintain and strengthen relationships, often through Facebook and email. They are motivated by the conversations and interactions their shares produce and often share content related to planning events or activities.

• Selectives are the most discerning of the sharing personas. They are highly selective about both the content they share and who they share it with. They are more likely to use one-to-one channels for targeted sharing with specific individuals rather than broadcasting.

Understanding these motivations and personas provides a crucial framework for creating shareable B2B content that resonates with different audience segments.

Strategies for Creating Shareable B2B Content

When it comes to creating shareable B2B content, we don't have to reinvent the wheel. In his 2013 book “Contagious: Why Things Catch On”, Jonah Berger outlined six principles that drive virality in his STEPPS framework. STEPPS stands for social currency, triggers, emotion, public, practical value, and stories. 

Leverage Social Currency

People want to share things that make them look good, smart, or in-the-know among their peers. This means providing exclusive information or developing content that makes sharers feel like insiders and signals desirable qualities to others.

In the professional world, social currency translates to professional currency. It’s about creating content that allows your audience to demonstrate their expertise, insider knowledge, or forward-thinking mindset. This could include:

• Scenario planning documents or forecasts predicting shifts in the market.

• In-depth analysis of how emerging trends could affect your industry.

• Thought leadership that challenges conventional wisdom or offers new insights and perspectives.

• Behind-the-scenes looks at innovative processes or technologies.

• Expert interviews and roundtables on hot topics with industry thought leaders.

When creating this type of content, consider these psychological factors:

• Exclusivity: Make some content available only to a select group or for a limited time. This increases its perceived value and the sharer's sense of being "in the know."

• Novelty: Ensure your content offers genuinely new insights. The psychological impact of sharing something truly novel is much greater than sharing commonly known information.

• Relevance: Tailor your content to the specific challenges and interests of your audience. The more relevant it is, the more valuable it becomes as social currency.

• Actionability: Include clear takeaways or action points. This allows the sharer to not only demonstrate knowledge but also provide value to their network.

By leveraging social currency in this way, you're not just creating content; you're providing your audience with valuable assets that enhance their professional standing. This taps into deep-seated psychological motivations, making your content not just informative, but irresistibly shareable.

Tap into Professional Triggers

Triggers are stimuli that prompt people to think about related products or ideas. 

Understanding and leveraging professional triggers—events, cycles, or processes that naturally occur in your audience's professional lives— is a powerful way to make your content more relevant and shareable. They create opportunities for your content to satisfy key sharing motivations, and to become part of your audience’s conversations and decision-making processes.

First, you need to identify the triggers that might prompt your audience to think about and share your content. This could include:

• Industry events: Annual trade shows, conferences, or regular professional meetups.

• Financial milestones: Quarterly reviews, annual planning cycles, or fiscal year transitions.

• Business challenges: Technology upgrades, strategy sessions, or organisational changes.

• Seasonal fluctuations: Industry-specific busy or slow periods.

• Product/service lifecycles: New launches, updates, or contract renewals.

• Individual career milestones: Moving to a new company, gaining a promotion.

You might develop "evergreen" content that address perennial challenges but can be easily updated and re-shared during relevant periods. Or create tools or resources that help your audience navigate these trigger points (e.g., a checklist for quarter-end reporting). Alternatively, a content series can follow the natural progression of business processes (e.g., a series on strategic planning that unfolds over several months). 

Then, tailor your distribution and promotion strategies to coincide with these triggers, increasing promotion of relevant content during key periods.

When crafting trigger-based content, consider these factors:

• Timeliness: Ensure your content anticipates or quickly responds to trigger events. Set up alerts on search and in your CRM to make sure you strike while the iron is hot.

• Exclusivity: Offer trigger-specific insights that aren't widely available to tap into the desire some people have to be ahead of the crowd.

• Community: Create content that encourages discussion around shared experiences, appealing to people’s desire to connect with others.

By aligning your content with these triggers, you increase the likelihood of it being found and shared when relevant conversations arise.

Create Emotional Connections

If you’ve ever seen rage bait proliferate across your timeline, you know how easily emotional contagion can lead to rapid spread across social networks.

Content that evokes strong emotions, particularly high-arousal emotions like excitement, awe, anger, or joy, is more likely to be shared. As Berger puts it, "When we care, we share."

While B2B content is often thought of as dry or purely informational, tapping into emotions can significantly boost shareability. Remember, even in a professional context, decisions are often driven by emotion and later justified with logic. 

In a professional context, emotional content can take many forms:

• Inspiring case studies of business transformations or success stories.

• Personal narratives of professional growth and overcoming challenges.

• Content that addresses common pain points or frustrations in your industry.

• Visionary pieces that paint an exciting picture of future possibilities.

• Stories that highlight the human impact of business decisions or innovations.

When creating emotionally resonant content, you’ll want to think about:

• Authenticity: Ensure your emotional appeals are genuine and aligned with your brand values. Authenticity builds trust and encourages sharing.

• Balance: While strong emotions drive sharing, be ethical. Maintain a professional tone appropriate for your B2B audience.

• Resolution: If you're addressing pain points or frustrations, provide hope or solutions to create a satisfying emotional arc.

• Empathy: Demonstrate understanding of your audience's emotional landscape to create stronger connections.

Crafting content that resonates emotionally with your B2B audience does more than enhance engagement. It taps into the fundamental human desire to connect, share experiences, and find meaning in professional endeavours.

Amplify Your Public Presence

Ideas and behaviours that are more visible are more likely to be imitated, so making a product or idea more observable increases its chances of becoming popular.

One way of doing this is to work on building a community around your brand, amplifying your content’s shareability and impact. This approach taps into the fundamental human need for belonging and the desire to connect with like-minded professionals and be involved, which are key motivators in sharing behaviour.

Community-centric content can take various forms:

• Surveys or polls that invite participation and sharing of results.

• Open-ended questions that prompt reflection and conversation.

• Content series that build anticipation and ongoing engagement.

• User-generated content campaigns that showcase your audience's experiences.

• Virtual or in-person events that bring your community together.

When creating community-fostering content, consider these factors:

• Inclusivity: Ensure your content welcomes diverse perspectives and experiences.

• Reciprocity: Encourage two-way communication and value user contributions.

• Continuity: Develop ongoing initiatives that keep your community engaged over time.

• Recognition: Highlight community members' achievements and contributions.

Building a community takes time and consistent effort, but the payoff can be substantial. By fostering a sense of community, you're not just encouraging sharing—you're creating a loyal audience that sees value in engaging with and distributing your content.

Provide Practical Value

People share information they find useful, informative, or that helps to solve a problem. 

When someone finds genuinely useful information, they're more inclined to share it with others who might benefit. This impulse isn't purely altruistic—it also positions the sharer as a valuable source of information, enhancing their professional standing.

Practical, value-driven content can take many forms:

• Actionable guides and how-to content that solve specific problems

• Templates or tools that simplify complex processes

• Checklists and frameworks for implementing best practices

• Curated lists of resources or tools relevant to your industry

• Data visualisations that make complex information easily digestible

• Calculators or interactive tools that help with decision-making

• Webinars or video tutorials that demonstrate practical skills

When creating content focused on practical value, consider these factors:

• Specificity: The more specific and targeted your content is to your audience's needs, the more valuable it becomes.

• Actionability: Ensure your content provides clear, implementable steps or insights, including how to deepen their knowledge.

• Timeliness: Address current challenges or anticipate upcoming needs in your industry.

• Accessibility: Present complex information in easy-to-understand formats.

If you can consistently provide practical value, you’ll not only encourage sharing but also establish your brand as a go-to resource in your industry. This builds trust, enhances your reputation, and keeps your audience coming back for more.

Craft a Compelling Story

Storytelling isn't just for B2C marketing. People share stories because they're easy to remember and retell, helping information to travel more effectively.

Narratives captivate our attention, stick in our memory, and compel us to share. When you weave your insights, data, and key messages into a story, you're not just conveying information—you're creating an experience that resonates on a deeper level.

Consider these narrative approaches:

• Customer success stories with a clear arc: From challenge to solution to triumphant outcome.

• Analogies that demystify complex concepts through relatable scenarios.

• Personal anecdotes from industry leaders that illuminate broader trends.

• "Day in the life" narratives that showcase how your solutions impact real people.

• Future-focused stories that paint a vivid picture of where your industry is heading.

The key to crafting compelling B2B narratives lies in balancing emotional appeal with factual substance. Your stories should evoke feelings of achievement, progress, or even tension and resolution, while simultaneously providing concrete, actionable insights.

When crafting compelling B2B narratives, consider these factors:

• Relevance: Ensure your story aligns closely with your audience's experiences and challenges.

• Authenticity: Use real examples and genuine emotions to create trust and credibility.

• Structure: Choose a narrative structure that best supports your core message (e.g., hero's journey, before-and-after, problem-solution).

• Detail: Incorporate specific data points and sensory language to make your story more vivid and impactful.

• Balance: Strike the right mix between emotional appeal and factual substance.

• Takeaway: End with a clear lesson or call-to-action that ties back to your audience's need.

Remember, a well-crafted story does more than inform—it inspires. By tapping into the power of narrative, you can create content that not only captures attention but also motivates your audience to share and act upon your message.

The Art and Science of Shareable B2B Content

Creating shareable B2B content is both an art and a science. By understanding the psychological drivers behind sharing behaviour and applying proven principles of viral content, we can craft messages that not only inform and engage but also inspire our audience to become advocates for our brand.

Remember, at its core, sharing is a human behaviour driven by our desire to connect, help others, and define ourselves. By creating content that taps into these fundamental needs while providing real value to your B2B audience, you can unlock the power of viral communication and extend your reach far beyond your immediate network.

As you develop your content strategy, continually ask yourself: Does this content make my audience look good? Does it evoke emotion? Does it provide practical value? Does it tell a compelling story? 

By consistently addressing these questions, you'll be well on your way to creating B2B content that doesn't just inform, but inspires sharing and drives meaningful engagement across your industry.

Don't let your content go unshared. Partner with 1827 Marketing to craft B2B content that resonates and spreads. Reach out today for a personalised content strategy consultation.