Creating Shareable Experiences for Social Media

Not much beats social media when it comes to sharing experiences with friends, family and even your small business. Whether you pay for ads on social media or prefer to expand your reach organically, small businesses should pay special attention to making customer experiences noteworthy. In The Experience Maker, author Dan Gingiss lays out the importance of experiences in all your marketing efforts, but in this post we will focus on the social media aspect.

Why Are Shareable Experiences Important?

In his book, Gingiss shares the results of a study showing that 75% of people don’t believe advertisements but 90% believe recommendations from friends. Additionally (and possibly counterintuitively), data shows that customers are more willing to share positive experiences about a business rather than negative experiences. If your customers aren’t sharing their good interactions with your business, you may need to look at making a few changes.

Creating Shareable Experiences in Your Small Business

Luckily for you, the personal service offered by many small businesses works as a big advantage in creating shareable experiences. For example, a restaurant with eye-catching food presentation, unique tableware and a cozy atmosphere is prime content for any diner with an Instagram account. Scrolling through Facebook right now, I see a friend sharing a post (with an added testimonial) made by a contractor who recently completed a renovation project in their basement.

Sometimes it just takes that little bit of “above and beyond” to prompt someone to share a positive experience. With that idea in mind, it should be easy to come up with strategies specific to your small business that can turn current customers into advocates on social media. What are some areas of your business that are best suited to exceed your customers’ expectations?

Help is Available

If you ever need any help with creating shareable experiences in your small business social media strategy, your local Wyoming Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network advisor is ready to provide no-cost, confidential assistance anywhere in the state. Click here to sign up and find your local advisor. Also, I highly recommend checking out The Experience Maker to help boost your marketing strategy — as an added bonus, it’s a book all of our advisors are familiar with.

About the Author: Jake is a professional storyteller and data-driven marketer with a passion for strategy and leadership. He spent 12 years working in television news before crossing to the other side of media as Director of Public Relations for Idaho State University’s health care programs. Since 2017, he has overseen the statewide marketing efforts for the Wyoming SBDC Network. When he’s not in the office, Jake enjoys road trips with his family, riding bikes and tackling new home renovation projects.