Book Review: Contagious

Why should you continue reading this post?

You want to make your business to be talked about more. You want your posts to be shared more and reach more people. The following are practical principles you can and should include in any marketing campaigns or business ventures.

• S - Social Currency
• T - Triggers
• E - Emotion
• P - Practical Value
• P - Public
• S - Stories

The above 6 principles abbreviated STEPPS explain why some things are ‘contagious’. And here is a summary of each point.

1. Social Currency

People share information or are more likely to tell their friends about something if it makes them look cool, smart, funny etc.

What value will it give person A for them to share your business or information with person B? Will it make them look more informed, in the loop?

Takeaway: The more the social currency sharing information has, the more it will be shared.

2. Triggers

Ever noticed that any time there is a family gathering, there is always a Coke? Coke always advertises with good family vibes and having a good time.

Family vibes have now become a trigger for us to think of making the moment better with a Coke.

Takeaway: Aim to associate your business with something that customers come across everyday e.g. when you brush your teeth every morning (if you actually do), you think of Colgate. If you think of Aquafresh, side eye.

That way, that particular thing becomes a trigger for customers to have your business in mind all the time.

3. Emotion

This point isn’t directly related to business but it relates more to what I am doing now, writing, content creation etc. And it is fairly simple to explain.

And we have a fairly recent example. Covid Pandemic.

People would share that which invoked the most fear or the most hope, regardless of whether it was factually true or not.

Takeaway: Either make people extremely sad or extremely happy. (Just not angry)

4. Practical Value

Of what use is this article to you? Well, I hope you get some insights into what makes sharable information more sharable. That’s the practical value that I hope that you reading till here will give you.

Takeaway: Make your business, content give practical value to the customer. As long as it is solving a pain point and giving value, it will be contagious and spread like wild fire.

5. Public

The more public something is, the more likely people will imitate it. Design products and initiatives that advertise themselves are more likely to stay at the minds of users creating what Berger called Behavioural Residue.

6. Stories

Aren’t humans sucker for a good story? We communicate in stories and stories stick more than raw facts and points.

Takeaway: Create a narrative or story that people want to tell which carries your idea along for the ride.