What Makes Certain Content Contagious?

“Contagious” was recommended to me during our BetterBookClub.com quarterly meeting.

There is a saying that it isn’t official until it’s “Facebook Official.” With people using various social media accounts (think Twitter, Instagram, etc.) daily and even multiple times a day, word-of-mouth marketing works the best. I know personally that I will trust the opinion of a close friend who has experienced a product or service over what a television or magazine ad tells me.

Reading through Professor Jonah Berger’s book, “Contagious,” you will realize the “why” behind word-of-mouth marketing. Through learning you’ll recognize that remarkable things are defined as unusual, extraordinary, or worthy of notice or attention. You will also learn that something can be remarkable because it is novel, surprising, extreme, or just plain interesting. However, the most important aspect of being remarkable is that it is worthy of an actual remark. This concept has me thinking about companies who post content on social media that is so engaging it makes me want to read the entire post or article. A company even takes it up a notch by not only inviting me, but by actually making me want to leave a comment on Facebook or re-tweet on Twitter or double tap on Instagram.

My big takeaway from reading this book is that I will try to follow at least one of the six principles of contagiousness (the STEPPS process) when I am helping with content for my company’s social media accounts. I will need to ask myself, “Does what I am writing and/or sharing fall into one or more of the following categories: Social Currency, Triggers, Emotion, Public, Practical Value, Stories.”

I enjoyed reading examples of triggers, emotion, and stories through Jarod’s Subway story, Kit Kat, and coffee, as well as NASA and Mars candy bars.

While I will use information that I learned in this book for my work-life, I can also apply the tips to my personal life. (I really love books in the BetterBookClub.com program that can touch on both aspects.) I am a bargain shopper so I loved the section of the book about “The Psychology of Deals.” The framing of the deal made me stop and think on what triggers me into thinking that something is a good deal or not in my eyes.

After reading Contagious I realized that through his experiments, Berger knows exactly what he is talking about. After all, I decided on my own to write a review on the book. How’s that for word-of-mouth marketing at its finest?!

Happy Reading!

– Lauren

View the Amazon.com review here.