If you want to increase the chances that your content will be shared on social media, you may want to consider these tips from Phil Mershon of the Social Media Examiner:
1. Build Trust
People share content online only when they trust the source. Lawyers who share inaccurate information or seem to be hiding something online will not be seen as trustworthy.
2. Give Them What They Want
What content or information is most important to your audience, your clients and potential clients? If your readers do not care what you write about, they won't share it with others - and they may stop reading entirely.
3. Be Interesting
Nobody wants to read boring content. There's too much good content out there to waste time slogging through boring content that's filled with legalese or is difficult to understand.
4. Show Your Passion
People like sharing content that they are passionate about. When you show what turns you on, it will turn like-minded readers on, which makes them much more likely to share your content.
5. Keep Relationships in Mind
Sharing is a way of building relationships. What is it about your content that will help to build relationships? Why would your readers want to share your content? Think about what how your readers build relationsihps with others when writing your content.
6. Make Your Readers Look Good
Your readers, clients, potential clients and strategic alliances are trying to build their credibility in the same way that you are. Provide them with content that will help them in their business or make them look like an expert when they share it with others.
7. Be Thought-Provoking
When your content makes people think or shows a new perspective, it encourages conversation and sharing.
8. Know Your Audience
If you don't know what your audience values, you can't provide them with content that they will want to share. Mershon's article cites a New York Times study on the psychology of sharing* which identifies 6 online sharing personas and Mershon has added a seventh. It makes sense to know what kind of content your audience prefers and how they like to share.
9. Integrate Your Content with Email Strategies
Although social media is popular, some people still prefer to share more privately, through email. Integrating an email strategy to disseminate your content and allow it to be shared through email takes advantage of those more private sharers.
UPDATE: The New York Times removed the study from the internet in 2016, but another site has posted a link to the PDF report of the study, which you can find here.
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