Determining the Effective Factors in Sharing Message of Non-Profit Organizations in Social Media: An Inquiry in Information Content Viral Marketing

The present study was conducted to determine the effective factors in sharing messages of non-profit organizations in social media. The present study tried to identify and extract the main factors affecting the sharing of the message in social media, and also determine their respective impact. This study was conducted using descriptive-survey method. For this purpose, after extracting some of the most important factors influencing the sharing of messages in social media based on exploratory study, the conceptual model of research was designed and after determining the validity and reliability of the researcher-made questionnaire, 400 questionnaires were distributed using stratified sampling method. 366 questionnaires constituted the basis of data analysis. Structural equation method was used for data analysis. Four hypotheses were in this study. All four hypotheses were confirmed. Data analysis suggested that the involvement of emotions, social currency, practical value and altruism had a direct and significant effect on sharing any message. In a general summary of the variables studied, emotions, social currency, and practical value of message and altruism play an important and effective role as variables in sharing any message in social media. Thus if non-profit organizations opt for making  their voices heard in the multitude of messages  shared on social media at any moment and its being seen repeatedly they must strive to reach out to endless volunteers eliciting various emotional reaction-who have already been outside of the scope of their institutions. You must also connect with your audience by highlighting the social currency of the message. Non-profit organizations should be aware of the community's concerns and show enthusiasm about solving its problems so as to motivate people to share their messages with friends to start an online conversation. They should know that individuals tend to seem smart and informed in the eyes of others. Consequently, enriching the content of the message, they can persuade their audience to share it and expressing the concerns the society is already suffering from, they can trigger the altruism in people and make them react accordingly.