August 25, 2010 74 Comments

Make Shareability a Priority

I have three stages to how I encourage sharing of posts on my site. Sharing, I believe, and shareability (not exactly a real word), are important for your blog (for most websites). Here’s my methodology.

Stage 1

On [chrisbrogan.com], I have a lot of ways one can share. At the top and bottom of each post, I’ve got the Facebook Like functionality added:

Facebook Like

When someone pushes that little button, it sends off an instance of my post to Facebook to that person’s wall, thus giving all of that person’s followers a chance to read the post, and giving me a chance to get some new visitors. When those visitors are new, I use a plugin called WWSGD to display this to them for the first few times they visit my site:

WWSGD plugin

Thus, I encourage people to “like” something, and I encourage newcomers visiting from that action to become subscribers to my blog.

Stage 2

At the bottom of every post, I include the following:

more ways to share

I use the ShareThis plug-in, the Facebook Like Plug-in, and Tweetmeme, to give people three ways to extend out from my blog. Of these, the most used (near as my stats let me know) is the Tweetmeme button.

Stage 3

Inside Disqus, my commenting system, there are a few more ways to share and extend my community’s relationship with my post:

Disqus share options

Of these, I imagine that people most often click to subscribe to comments, as I don’t yet have accurate stats to know that for sure, but have some anecdotal evidence.

Make Shareability a Priority

If you’re hoping to grow your blogging community (and/or distribute ideas beyond your small circle), then shareability is the key factor. It should become part of your formula for how you do everything you do. Back in 2006, I coined this phrase: ” Give your ideas handles.” It’s still just as pertinent.

Oh, and be sure that you’re making good use of Creative Commons as your document licensing of choice. For instance, share your Flickr photos, please.

And with this, we’ll all grow. Yes?

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  • http://www.esimplestudios.com Gabriele Maidecchi

    I have seen in some blogs people including both the official Twitter button and the Tweetmeme one, so I kinda went for the same approach myself, however, since I like to understand things rather than blindly copying behaviors… what’s your thought on this? Is the Twitter button mature enough to just swap for it from Tweetmeme or is it better to keep the latter for “historic” reasons, or both won’t hurt?

  • http://twitter.com/BruneianDollar Bruneian Dollar

    First!

  • http://www.carfocus.info Peter Abatan

    As you mentioned in your book Social Media 101, even if you cannot leave comments establish a relationship by using the like button or tweeting the article you have just read. I have only just started to implement these changes on my blogs and I am beginning to realize the difference it makes.

  • http://www.aisajib.com Sajib

    Definitely putting those share buttons is crucial for every other blog. Especially share on twitter and facebook is a must.

  • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

    Second, according to Disqus, but interesting. I think you’re my first “first.”

  • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

    Here’s how I’m thinking on that one: TweetMeme is run by my friend, Nick. The Twitter button is run by a few hundred people. On the one hand, I’m still rocking the TweetMeme button in support of my friend, Nick. Some day, it might not be the best solution, because he doesn’t have a few hundred people.

    See?

  • http://twitter.com/kyleplacy Kyle Lacy

    Yes! Comments are great way to hear what your readers think but sometimes it means more to have them share your article.

  • http://dannybrown.me Danny Brown

    Seems we were on the same wavelength in our most recent posts:

    http://dannybrown.me/2010/08/24/creative-social-sharing-promote-your-blog/

    I wonder if Nick will fold into Twitter eventually, since Tweetmeme has worked with Twitter to get their official button up and running?

  • http://dannybrown.me Danny Brown

    Seems we were on the same wavelength in our most recent posts:

    http://dannybrown.me/2010/08/24/creative-social-sharing-promote-your-blog/

    I wonder if Nick will fold into Twitter eventually, since Tweetmeme has worked with Twitter to get their official button up and running?

  • http://www.learnstreaming.com Dennis Callahan

    A couple of these are new for me, thanks. My favorite line is “we’ll all grow”. My post today was Sharing Helps Everybody. So, yes I agree that we all grow using shareability.

  • http://www.esimplestudios.com Gabriele Maidecchi

    Yes I understand what you mean, and I gotta say you convinced me in supporting Nick as well

  • http://TannerChristensen.com tannerc

    Sure, making it easy to share content on your website is great, but that doesn’t necessarily mean people are going to share it simply because they can.

    We share what makes us feel, and if your blog/website isn’t doing that, it’s not worth sharing about. Right? So yes, make it easy to share, but more than that: make sure you’re creating content that is really worth sharing. Create content that people will intrinsically WANT to share.

  • http://www.toddejones.net/ tejones

    Awesome stuff Chris. I knew that I needed to do some of this stuff. It really seems to be about making it as easy as possible for folks to share. Multiple options. Incorporating this in all my blogs/websites.

  • http://www.ocbchgal.com/ Kathy

    Hi Chris,

    Which Facebook Like Plugin do you use? There are several in WordPress, and the plugin you use, seems to work perfectly.

    Thanks,
    Kathy

  • Michael Pine

    If your Facebook “Like” button showed up without my having to click view comments, I’d use it more. :)

  • http://twitter.com/JanetAronica Janet Aronica

    I like that you give people several options to not only receive your content (subscribe, email) but also to share. I think you have to give people options. I also like that you aren’t just installing the Twitter button right away to be trendy like some people. You’re supporting your friend, and I think you’re probably paying attention to the value that Data Sift will bring… :)

  • http://reallifemadman.blogspot.com Marjorie Clayman

    There is one downside of sharing that I am starting to see people talk about, and that is the breaking apart of the blog community. I share my blogs via Twitter & Facebook and have share buttons so that other people can do the same. Sometimes I receive feedback directly on my blog. Sometimes someone comments via Twitter, other times via Facebook. Unless you are networked with all of the same people in all of the places you are sharing, you’re going to end up with lots of little conversations instead of one giant, all-encompassing one.

    I still hesitate every time I go to someone’s blog — do I comment here, do I comment via Facebook? I try to ask for peoples’ preferences.

    So what is your preference, Mr. Brogan? Where do you most like to receive blog feedback out of all of the places you share your content?

  • http://twitter.com/MimiMeredith Mimi Meredith

    I LOVE shareability! I am going to see if I can work it into my vocabulary…and my goals, as I continue to work on my new blog site.

  • http://desaraeveit.com/ Desarae A. Veit AKA DesaraeV

    You should add the Facebook like button as part of your RSS feed that gets emailed out.

  • http://desaraeveit.com/ Desarae A. Veit AKA DesaraeV

    I would recommend: Digg This Button, Disqus Comment System, Facebook Like, FB Share, SexyBookmarks, Twitter Tools, TweetMeme Retweet Button, WP Google-buzz

    You can take those names directly into the plugins section of WordPress. The one your looking for is Facebook Like (very easy to setup). Let me know if you need help. You can also VERY easily add it to your RSS feed.

  • http://ajleon.me/ ajleon

    Thanks for the tips, Chris, particularly the WWSGD plugin tip. :)

  • http://www.ocbchgal.com/ Kathy

    Thanks Desarae, but there are several that come up with “Facebook Like” in their title, and the plugin that’s named Facebook Like alone, only has 2.5 stars (based on only 5 ratings). I doubt that’s the one Chris is using.

    And thanks for the other suggestions as well. The only one I don’t have set-up, that I need, is the Facebook Like button.

    Thanks again, :)
    Kathy

  • http://nateriggs.com nateriggs

    Lolz. Guess I really “Like” your stuff. ;) Nice post.

  • http://bcox.me Brandon A. Cox

    I couldn’t agree more. This is the #1 factor I hit on when talking about web content strategy. There are plenty of other important issues to discuss but the thing I repeat is “It’s gotta be social. Can I share it?”

  • http://www.danieldecker.net Daniel Decker

    Sharing is caring (enough to hook others up with useful stuff). I LIKE it but that’s apparently obvious via the screen shots above. :)

    Sharability rocks but thank you more so for making content that is worthy of sharing.

  • http://twitter.com/garrettira Garrett Ira

    This post was hugely helpful since I’m in the middle of creating a new blog. I’ve always been a fan of Disqus & Tweetmeme. I’m also curious about your opinion on the Wibiya toolbar. What do you think?

    Thanks for the post!

    Garrett

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  • http://trafficcoleman.com/ TrafficColeman

    That my whole goals as a marketer is too have an setup that my readers can follow to share my content. I suggest having a share button at the top and bottom.

    “TrafficColeman “Signing Off”

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  • http://inchoo.net Toni Anicic

    Well, I respectfully disagree with this article. It is a sound advice, however, shareability can’t really be your priority, but it should be one of your secondary objectives.

    Making money is a priority for any business. If your main call to action is “share this” instead of “buy this” it can seriously endanger your business.

    This post sounds awesome in theory but to state something like “Make Shareability a priority” I would expect a decent case study showing that a “Tweet this” is more important call to action than “Buy this”, “Get a free trial” or “Add to cart” in terms of ROI.

    I don’t know what got into me today, I’d usually never leave this kind of comment… It’s just that I’m kind of sick of reading “authority” blogs talking about stuff they pull out from their heads and stating it a s a fact, without any research to back it up.

  • http://www.carfocus.info Peter Abatan

    Toni, I think you have completely missed the point. I suggest that you read Trust Agents, it will give you an idea of where Chris is coming from. People are tired of being sold to and social media is the new medium to build trust, so you can begin to see why these trust buttons are important.

    You see if you want to make a fast buck then social media is not the right place for you, but if you want to build trust then this takes time. Chris has been blogging since 2004, but he did not get his first 100 subscribers until a few years ago.

    There are really no “Authority” blogs in the real sense. The fact that a blog has tens of thousands of subscribers does not necessarily make them an authority, its just that they have something to say which readers identify with and wnat to listen to. Chris has been there and that is why people listen to what he has to say. I am sure he will not call his blog an authority blog.

  • http://inchoo.net Toni Anicic

    Look, I read the book, I read lots of books. I’m holding an “Inbound Marketing” book by Brian Halligan and Darmesh Shan in my hands right now :)

    I’ve built an awesome business on nothing but inbound marketing, way before the term was even coined, but that was not the point I was trying to make.

    The point was that most of the stuff we get to read at blogs like this one are usually something that authors pull out of their heads with no research to back their claims. I know, because I use to be just like him, years ago. Thankfully (or unfortunately, depending on where you stand) I changed.

  • http://donotreadthisblogunless.blogspot.com/ Nachase

    Toni, I think we understand that you are a ‘bottom-line’ person. Chris Brogan gets paid $10,000.00 for a twenty minute speech in front of major corporations.

    His take on Social Media is that you do not collar someone at a function and shout “Buy My Junk!”. Chris understands the relationships formed online will either make or break your business. Merely trying to make a ‘sale’ will kill any hope of a long term relationship with your newly met potential social media customers.

    I joined the Social Media community in September of 2008, and have not made a dime off of anyone from Facebook ads, PPC or Adsense campaigns or any other marketing techniques using Social Media. I have however contacted and had meaningful discussions and received much good advice from people who know how to co-exist in a social media environment like Facebook, Twitter and others.

    Go ahead, sell all you can, but to make a success of this space, you have got to tone down the agressive marketing tactics like our big corporate companies practice, and make a name for your customer service. The money will follow1 Just my two cents Toni..

  • Amy

    I echo Kathy’s question. Which Facebook Like plugin should I choose? I will also look into the others. I mainly need to make sure I can install in the front and bottom of each post. Thanks!

  • http://twitter.com/mayaREguru Maya P.

    I say comment on the blog. I think there is a disconnect when people comment on FB to one of my blogs… like there needs to be a connection back for legacy of it?

  • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

    Actually, I get paid $22,000 for it.

  • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

    You’re absolutely right. I must’ve had it wrong. I guess your 14K unique views to my 200K unique views means I’m doing it wrong. It’s wild how I pull it out of my head. Yep. I don’t run a company executing social media for Fortune 100s, nor do I actually draw a salary from my own blog and other related businesses.

    Sorry to waste your time with my premise.

    : )

  • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

    Explain how it came out of my head, person who’s never met me. As for case studies, you feel free to wait around for them. I work on execution. Here’s a basic one: compete.com , my uniques vs. yours. My RSS vs yours.

    My “main call to action” wasn’t shareability. It’s *a* priority.

    ROI? Let’s see. So far, my blog pays 3x my mortgage every month, plus gets me speaking gigs that pay pretty decent rates, plus I run two successful companies, plus I get to meet heads of state and heads of industry based on this stuff that I “pull out from [my head].”

    You nailed me, Toni. Phew. Glad to get that off my chest.

  • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

    That assumes that comments are a currency.

    I like and value comments. I get paid for results.

  • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

    Huh. Didn’t notice that it didn’t. I’ll ask Brian Gardner about that.

  • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

    Ding ding ding.

  • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

    That’s table stakes. You need decent content. My point is, if you make it harder for them to share, they won’t.

  • http://inchoo.net Toni Anicic

    Heh, I can see my reply really got to you since in the absence of actual data I asked about you started throwing out numbers that go into your favor but are completely irrelevant for the topic of this blog post. :)

    Look, I didn’t want to offend you, I understand you need to write often and finding a good idea to write about after so many years of blogging is not an easiest task. With my reply I was trying to remind you of whats the difference between useful article and something that just sounds logical but was not properly tested in practice.

    You can continue bragging about how much money you make or you can accept that my reply was brutally honest view on this article. I’m fine either way.

  • http://www.lawyer1point9.wordpress.com Lawyer1point9

    I swear I am in the wrong job ; )

    And Toni, can’t help thinking you are picking the wrong fight here. Good luck with it.

  • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

    I’d say my numbers were directly relevant. I said that sharing is important to growth. I point to the fact that my efforts with sharing show a numeric result, a tangible result, plus a financial result. Seems those would all be reasonable measures.

    But if you’d like to persist that I haven’t tested it out, it’s okay. Feel free to wait around for case studies. I’ll just keep executing and writing not-so-useful articles. : )

  • http://reallifemadman.blogspot.com Marjorie Clayman

    Yeah, I like comments on the blog too, but sometimes I comment wherever I see the post first. I’ll try to remember to just comment on your blog from now on :)

  • http://reallifemadman.blogspot.com Marjorie Clayman

    Fair enough. However, don’t people sometimes equate # of comments on a blog with the health of the blog? It’s hard to prove that a blog is getting results if it is not starting conversations, I would think.

  • http://www.danieldecker.net Daniel Decker

    I could be wrong but it doesn’t appear to me that Chris was saying it has to be either or but rather both and. Sharability versus conversion to a product really gets down to strategy and what the goal is of the blogger / business. For someone like Chris, and I am only using and educated assumption here, an expanded platform with high visibility and awareness is more important than a transactional model in trying to get individual users to convert or “Buy Now.” He’s addressed this before. Much better, for him, to attract and lead a TRIBE and monetize off high level speaking gigs, clients, NY Times Best Selling books, etc. Why trip over a dollar to make a dime? For him, he’d turn people off it he was always saying BUY NOW, it’s not the essence of his platform but maybe it is for you and that’s okay… for you.

    Each of us has our own directive and what we want to accomplish so what works for one may be very different than what works for another. To say that theories are pulled out of someone’s head with no backup may or may not be true but just because you used to do it doesn’t mean Chris is. In Chris’ case I think he proves almost daily that he’s walking his talk and the results speak for themselves.

  • http://www.carfocus.info Peter Abatan

    That is a great response Daniel. I could read from Chris’ response he was not happy, so would I if what is written reads like a personal attack. A lot of times we don’t necessarily need to have stats to back out claims to proof that something works for us. We just know it does because of the results produced.

  • http://kmburck.com Kathy

    It shows up when you click on the blog title. Not on the “Home” page of the blog. But I don’t believe it’s meant to work on the “Home” page anyway. Because you have to be on the actual post in order to “Like” it. Otherwise you’re only liking the site/blog as a whole.

    At least that’s my thought process. :)

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