Social sharing vs. social stealing

by. Ben Pankonin

“Be Authentic.”

It’s often one of the most paralyzing phrases in the English language and yet it is often the first advice heard in a social media presentation. Mark Twain said, “There is no such thing as a new idea. It is impossible. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope. We give them a turn and they make new and curious combinations.”

When building your own campaigns, whether social or traditional, make sure you know what you can learn from your competitors.

Wilson Mizner also once mentioned, “If you steal from one author it’s plagiarism; if you steal from many it’s research.”

Here are 4 things your competitors are sharing with you:

Look behind the share button

Watch for experiences. Look for the reasons that your competitors get shares and you will find out what makes their followers proud to be customers. These experiences may be more personal than you think. They may be sharing about the positive experience with a non-profit or an individual who provided good service.

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