Content is the fuel of the social web

How to make your brand a part of the conversation

This study from AOL and Nielsen investigates the overlap between content and sharing to answer the question: Does content fuel the social web?

The majority of users’ time online is spent with content; a great deal is also spent on email and social networks – two platforms where content can be shared. This study from AOL and Nielsen investigates the overlap between content and sharing to answer the question: Does content fuel the social web?

In a word, yes. 23% of all social media messages contain links to content. Plus, this doesn't account for downstream activity – responses to these messages such as comments and “likes.” What's more, it turns out sharing is a cross-platform activity, with the same people utilizing multiple means for distributing their favorite content.

So how can marketers, agencies, buyers and planners take advantage of content sharing? The study looks at the following key areas:

• The amount of social media conversations that include content & brand mentions
• The user’s motivations: What makes people want to share content?
• Two main strategies for using content sharing to spread your brand’s message
• Industry-specific information for autos, entertainment, finance and tech