All too often, content creation, distribution and promotion is seen as an afterthought – something that can be done once all the other ‘important’ jobs have been completed. This mindset can have a negative impact on business, however, as without an effective content strategy in place in can be hard get your name out there and give your company the boost it really needs.
In fact, the right content promotion strategy can improve conversion rates, increase leads and assist brand awareness campaigns. It’s also a cost-effective way to market products, advertise jobs, network with other businesses/prospective employees, and provide industry-specific information that could gain you much-needed respect within the entrepreneurial world.
In short, mastering content promotion is of paramount importance, so here are seven things you must do to avoid getting lost in the ever-changing sea of content tactics:
1. Devise a thorough content-promotion plan
Worryingly, many business owners think that anyone can write gripping copy. This is often reflected in their hiring strategy in which highly-trained copywriters are ignored in favour of budding marketing experts who are only able to knock up a bit of average sales copy here and there.
The reality is, content is an extremely important part of business, and if you want your strategy to be a success it’s not only important to hire trained writers, but to also think carefully about what you’re going to say and when. The needs of customers are forever changing as are their wants, so try to:
- Devise a content promotion plan with highly-defined goals.
- Set monthly deadlines and benchmarks for success.
- Have short-term and long-term strategies in place that can be easily adapted.
2. Give your audience a reason to care
If you see someone on the street, you might not care too much about them, as you know little about their life. Start speaking to them, however, learn about their story and you’ll probably find your become much more emotionally attached.
The same applies to business.
Companies with a strong brand and a compelling history are much easier to warm to than faceless firms which give their audience no reason to care or react. Many well-known organisations even become household names touching the hearts, minds and souls of people all over the world, which is why it’s essential to develop your own brand’s story. This can then inform you content promotion strategy and allow for ongoing marketing ideas that your customers can connect with.
3. Stand out from the crowd with free content
When it comes to content creation, producing top-notch copy that’s informative, factual and helpful is key – but that’s not all. While it can be tempting to charge for your best articles, blogs, whitepapers, etc., it can actually be better to offer up epic content for free.
Think about it: if your audience knows they have to splash out for every word your business writes, they might be tempted to look elsewhere – even if what you’ve produced is wonderful. On the other hand, if you post content for free, you’ll not only stand out from the crowd as a go-to resource, but you should develop a loyal following which is fantastic for brand awareness and hopefully sales.
4. Select the right promotional channels
These days, there are many promotional channels for content including social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Before you spread your latest musings across the web, however, it is really important to select the right promotional channels from the start. To do this, find out where your ideal clients are already hanging out on a regular basis.
Are they Facebook addicts who respond happily to Facebook ads or are they more up for retweets here and there? Perhaps they want to avoid these somewhat casual platforms and stick to networking through LinkedIn? A little bit of research will go a long way in this case and save you lots of time, money and effort placing content where it’s not needed or wanted.
5. Cross-promote your best content
While you don’t want to be splashing your content over any social site you come across, there are many ways you can cross-promote your material without spamming or annoying people. When you know which platforms prospective customers are using, you can then devise a plan to link all your marketing efforts together. For example, you could drive your LinkedIn followers to a webinar. You could then post the webinar to YouTube and direct followers back to LinkedIn to give their feedback.
6. Engage with and listen to your audience
Having a content strategy is one thing, but it’s not set in stone. To keep your audience engaged, you must learn to listen and react to what is being said. If you don’t, there’s a high chance they will switch off and go elsewhere. With goals and targets to meet it can be easy to throw content at people in the hope you will get your leads or conversions, but by forming loyal bonds with prospective clients you’re sure to have much better long-term success. While your content strategy plan should guide your actions, it must be tweaked to ensure you stay on point.
7. Keep a close eye on results
Finally, you must always keep a close eye on what’s working and what’s not. There are many tools available out there such as HubSpot which can help you figure out how many page views, followers or social shares you’ve earned, so keep a close eye on results – and if you don’t know how, employ someone who does. Don’t forget to give your campaigns time to work, however, and avoid putting a stop to certain strategies based on early results.
Content promotion is an important part of business and one that’s often overlooked. It can help with everything from brand awareness to annual turnover, so make sure you’ve a well thought out strategy in place. Contact the team at Minerva Creative today to discuss how we can help support you in disseminating your content to right audience at the right time.
