Whether people are online or offline, the motivators that spur people to share information fall into four buckets: Self-Expression, Status Achievement, Altruism and Self-Serving.
Self-Expression
In the traditional direct marketing world, people are motivated by cash — or saving it in the form of coupons, discounts, etc. Within social media, the biggest motivator is often self-expression. That means finding a promotion that allows customers to express themselves, such as customizing a Nike (NYSE: NKE)
shoe that they can share with their friends.
Status Achievement
Most people like to brag, and that tendency is multiplied by the Web. Creating a promotion that allows customers to improve their status amongst their peers is an effective way to get them to share with their network. For example, Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN)
Altruism
In addition to bragging, people also like to do good — especially when it’s convenient. In the above-mentioned airline example, allowing consumers to share carbon offsets taps into a person’s altruistic nature. This promotion makes the consumer feel good, not only for helping to save the planet, but also for helping their friends feel good about joining the cause. In this scenario, consumers are motivated to share by the opportunity to do something good — not because of some physical reward they are going to get back in return.
Self-Serving
While self-serving offers work really well in the offline world (coupons, discounts, etc.), this motivator is less potent in the realm of social networking. However, that’s not to say that it can’t be effective if done right. Combining a self serving-offer with one that taps into status achievement is one way to maximize results. For example, you can give a person a $100 gift certificate for forwarding a $20 coupon to 10 friends. The consumer wins big — a financial reward plus status among friends.
Thanks, Maslow.
Scarlett of Suburbia 
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