Why do we share inspirational quotes and memes on social media?

When it comes to social media, inspirational quotes and memes are one of the most posted and shared types of content out there. They’re right up there, alongside the cute and/or funny animal videos. By why do we post and share so many of those inspirational quotes online?

The simple answer is this – they work because people like them!

Social media is all about being social. It’s about sharing our thoughts, feelings, actions and motivations with our friends, colleagues and the larger world – and if you’re in business, it’s about getting your brand out there, in front of lots of people too.

The benefits of inspirational quotes and memes

Inspirational quotes and memes come with a range of benefits:

  • They’re visual – instantly appealing. We can all see their beauty and simplicity
  • They serve as reminders to think, feel and see things in a different way
  • They make us feel good and raise our levels of positivity

But they also have a range of benefits for any business too:

  • They encourage interaction with our fans – even if they just hit the ‘like’ button
  • They’re easily (and often!) shared – meaning our brand name is getting out there (you have put your website URL or name on them, right?)
  • They’re easily shared on other platforms – especially visual sites such as Pinterest
  • They’re universally appealing

Bottom line, those inspirational quotes can mean getting your business and brand name in front of more people and, potentially, more people visiting your social media profile and website.

The downside of those quotes – and how to get past it

But there are people out there who feel that social media is just getting too full of these feel-good quotes – and quite frankly, they’re finding them plain annoying. So if you want to create and share your own inspirational quotes, you need to bear this in mind and think carefully about the following:

#1: How often will you post?

You want to encourage interaction, not drive people away. Really study your ideal clients and see what works for them. Unless you’re planning to be really active on social media, stick to a maximum of 2 or 3 a week.

#2: What’s your end goal?

You need to have a strategy in place for social media – and any inspirational quotes you share, need to be part of that strategy. Are you looking to get your name out there or do you want to drive people to your website, and ultimately end up with an additional sale?

#3: Think brand awareness

Include your website URL or company name on all pictures and look to use quotes that help support your overall brand – for example, quotes that highlight your ethical and innovation viewpoints or that demonstrate your business characteristics (young, trendy, fun, flirty etc.). Look to also keep to a certain style of image and font too – as this helps increase brand awareness.

Regardless of how you view inspirational quotes, you cannot fail to see that they’re an important part of the current social media world – so why not embrace it and create your own? You can create them quickly and easily, with sites like Canva, so why not take a look at what you can create?

Image courtesy of anyaberkut/Dollar Photo Club