Want to gain traction with your social posts online? Make it easy for your followers to find and share.
Shouting into a void is just that – sharing a message which no one will hear. If your organization wants to capture attention and engage followers, creating for and sharing content on relevant platforms is a must. An idea for a post, video, or message is step one. But even the brightest idea will burn out without the next steps lined up. Creating unique content is meaningless if it is inaccessible and, in a way, placed in its own void.
In order to attract audience members, turn followers into dedicated fans, and convert leads into sales, it is crucial to understand how content spreads for your audience. Additionally, when your organization understands how to get noticed, your content will begin to take on a life of its own. In other words, once you learn to actively promote and share your content, your content will start to spread organically.
If you have ever spent time and energy crafting what you think will be a pitch-perfect post, only to see it fizzle online, it’s time to create your content checklist. Social shares, page views, and engaging comments are not de rigueur online. With so much content to be found, it’s even more important to do your homework in order to stand out. So, before pushing “publish,” take a step back and consider our go-to list of “dos” that will help your content turn heads.
- Identify strategic social media platforms
- Take cautious and calculated risks
- Lead with eye-grabbing classics
- Make use of your website and newsletters
- Consider additional marketing helpers
Where Is Your Audience?
Imagine you are in a rock band. You know you have the talent to deliver a hit, but you lack the listeners. You book a gig to rock out in front of hundreds. Surely, this will help you share your music and gain fans. Does anyone come? The outlook doesn’t look good. No one knows your music or recognizes the name of your band. Your would-be fans aren’t willing to make a purchase. There are too many barriers to entry, and folks aren’t stepping up to spend time and money on an unknown.
What if, instead of making people come to you, you came to them?
To understand how content spreads for your audience, your organization must first know where your people are. This does not mean your organization needs to be on every single social media platform. On the contrary, being selective can deliver better results. Identifying strategic social media platforms means you find where your people are and consider what platforms make sense for you. Where is the overlap? That is where you will see the most results. One way to work on clearly identifying and better understanding your audience members is to create marketing personas.
Want to Try Something New?
Content that quickly catches on and spreads often elicits a powerful response from people. It surprises them, delights them. It could also make them laugh, cry, or become angry. While you may not want to disgust or upset people, what is important to acknowledge is the connection between emotion and action.
Taking cautious and calculated risks to surprise and delight your audience can result in highly shareable and engaging content. However, your organization must do so carefully. Trying something new does not mean starting from zero. In fact, a successful surprise depends on understanding your audience’s behavior and needs. Check your analytics and spend time brainstorming. What posts have done well for you in the past? What could you have done differently to make them perform even better?
Don’t Forget What Works
How content spreads for your audience does depend on key nuances. Does it speak to their interests? Is it relevant to them? However, it also depends on some standby reasons. For example, what motivates you to share content? It could be beautiful, newsworthy, or simply useful information.
No matter your organization’s niche, make your headlines specific, unique, and urgent. Make your visuals engaging, appealing, and on brand. Classics stay classic for a reason. And that’s why strong visuals, clean text, and clear calls-to-action never go out of style.
It’s Okay to Double Dip
There are so many tools in your digital marketing tool box! It’s worth repeating that easily shareable content, well, shares easily. How can you remove barriers to make your content shine on multiple platforms and get in multiple inboxes? Think about cross promotion. Appropriately repackaging content for another social media platform ensures it looks its best.
Additionally, your email newsletters, blog, and website are all venues for content to appear and shine. While keeping these platforms current and updated is step one, adding bells and whistles can also help. Adding tags to your blog posts will help your followers discover multiple articles. And adding “share” buttons to your website will help your followers then organically share your content on their feeds.
What Else Is There To Do?
Sometimes, your content may spread because you put it out there. Other times, your content may spread because someone else sought it out. Search engines are marketing your content each time someone looks up a certain topic and sees your result. But there are ways you can optimize your content, like SEO, to improve traffic and brand awareness. Understanding how content spreads for your audience means considering all the ways your content may cross newsfeeds.
