Shareable content (or as I like to call it, Bumper Sticker Content) can significantly increase your reach on social media.

I’ll tell you how in a sec, but first, if you’ve been using Instagram for your business, you’ve probably been told one or all of the following ways to grow your audience and connect with your customers:

• Use hashtags to find the right people
• Follow and partner with complementary brands
• Like and comment on your followers posts
• Offer something of value to your audience

I believe these are all very useful tools to grow your audience, however…

If you’re not creating content that is also highly relatable, your message will only get so far.

Because sharing what you think your audience wants to hear and what they actually want to hear is like standing on a street corner with a bullhorn, shouting at everyone to come to Jesus. It’s just not likely to happen without actually knowing what makes your audience tick.

The Psychology of Shareable Content

When I was a kid, my mom used reward charts to motivate me and my siblings to do our chores and finish our homework. Each finished task won us a gold star on the chart, and a week’s worth of gold stars earned us a small prize. 

A little known secret is I would have done it all for the gold stars alone. Those shiny pieces of swag were a badge of honor to me, because they represented part of my identity and values. They said, “I want to be good, I want to be useful, and I want to be known for excellence.” (And that’s still true!)

Bumper stickers are the adult version of gold stars.

“Social media is our modern-day version of that,” says Christy Wright, author of Business Boutique. “When someone retweets or reposts something in their newsfeed, they’re putting a sticker on their virtual binder [or car] that says,’ This represents me, what I think, how I feel, what I believe.’”

Examples of Bumper Sticker Content

Content that is so relatable, relevant, interesting, or current that people share it as a way to express their own identity or values.

When your content is highly shareable, you get more eyeballs on your business and can begin to create relationships with people and earn their likes, trust, and business.

So how do you create bumper sticker content?

1. Get to know your followers. Chat with them, ask them what their struggles are, and do your own research to develop content that educates and inspires them.
2. Don’t just use words, tell stories. A story is simply a piece of info arranged in a way that shares a low point (a problem), a high point (a solution), and a resolution. And they work  because our brains are scientifically more active when we hear them.
3. Make it interesting and beautiful. Your audience has a shorter attention span than a goldfish (for real!) These days, you have about 1 second to hook them and reel them in. Make your story, your images, or your videos so irresistible or USEFUL they stop mid scroll.
4. Make it fun! I’ve had some of the greatest reach, connection, and shares with my silliest content, because when it comes down to it, people are always looking for little flashes of delight in their days.

So what do you think—have you noticed more engagement when you use Bumper Sticker Content?