Have you ever spent what felt like countless hours researching, editing, analyzing and creating compelling content for your business – only to have it never be read? It can be a pretty frustrating feeling.
Here’s the deal: If you want people to read your content, you need to spend just as much time, if not more, promoting it than you did actually writing it. Put another way, this isn’t Field of Dreams. So just because you build it, doesn’t mean your audience will come a-runnin’ without a nudge in the right direction.
I know, I know. Creating your content was exhausting enough. But lucky for us, we live in a tech-savvy world, where promoting and sharing your awesome content is much easier that it sounds. That is where social media comes into play. So before you write social media off completely, read up the following six ways you can generate more leads by using this approach.
Be Engaging
Just posting your fabulous content on your page and saying “I’M AWESOME READ ME” isn’t going to get you very far. The science behind getting those click-through’s is posting your content with an engaging headline – often by way of asking a question. Think to yourself, “Would this headline make me want to open this, if I didn’t work here?”
If the answer is “no,” then take another stab at it and keep those gears turning until you think you’ve got something engaging. Remember: Just because you know your content is amazing, doesn’t mean your audience will automatically get that, as well.
Use Pictures
I think it’s safe to say we’ve all heard the phrase, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Not only is it accurate, the data shows that social posts with visuals bring in higher engagement rates. But not just any images will do. The visuals you choose should be compelling and of high-quality. You should always err on the side of being appropriate (and legal), of course, but don’t be afraid to think outside of the box. Imagery is a great way to be creative and have a bit of fun with your storytelling.
Tailor Your posts by Platform
If you really want to get the most out of your social media strategy, you’ll want to post your content across multiple platforms. Each platform is different, thus each post should also be different. For example, Twitter only allows for up to 140 characters, but both LinkedIn and Facebook allow for much more exposition.
Keep in mind, however, that just because you have a multitude of platforms at your disposal – Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. – doesn’t mean you need to post everywhere. Part of your strategy should include a clear roadmap of where your audience personas congregate online. For example, Snapchat or Instagram may not be the best route if you’re in the B2B space, but LinkedIn may be ideal.
Mix Up Your Content
Establishing your company, business, brand, product, etc. on social media is more than just getting your awesome content out there in front of your audience. It’s also about establishing yourself as a thought leader in your industry. One way to do this is to mix up the content that you post, and that includes sharing content that isn’t yours. Three days a week post your own content and two days a week post a relevant industry piece. By doing this, not only do you show your customers that you are up-to-date on current events in your industry which leads to higher levels of trust, you’re also not the guy at the party who is always talking about themselves.
We all know that guy. Nobody likes that guy.
Be Consistent in Posting
Everyone has their own definition of consistency, by typically the best practice is to post at least once a day. It may feel like a lot starting out but once you get into a rhythm and establish a habit, it will feel like second nature. Moreover, you’ll establish your online brand as a steady resource for actionable insights and information.
Post More Than Once
Posting content multiple times might be the most important thing you do when promoting on social media. Yes, social media is an amazing tool that has many uses – but it also has many users who see a mind-boggling number of posts per day. By varying the time of your posts and posting more than once, you increase the likelihood of a potential customers engaging in your content.
Final Thought
Much like many other strategies pertaining to inbound marketing, the tricky thing about social media is that in order to see results and measure it’s efficiency, you’ll have to keep at it. There is no “set it and forget it” shortcut. So take these six approaches into consideration and give it a try.
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