35 Ways to Market Content with Social Media: Share Articles, Blogs, Videos and More to Grow Your Business Online
By: Stephanie Chandler
There is no denying that the popularity of social media is increasing by the day. For sites like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter (herein known as "The Big Three"), the fastest growing demographic consists of users 35 years and older. Though social media was once considered a fad for kids, it has evolved into a viable marketing opportunity for business.
For the casual user, social media is a way to connect with friends and family. For the business user, social media works by sharing compelling content to capture the attention of your target audience. When you do this well, you can count on generating website traffic, client leads and even media attention.
"The Big Three" revolve around the concept of a status update. When you update your status, everyone in your network can view what you have to say. This is where the real opportunity lies. Instead of updating your status to report what you're having for dinner or that it's time to pick up your kids, share interesting content and watch the magic of social media unfold.
Type of Content to Share on Social Media Channels
Your new blog posts
Someone else's blog post
An article you've written
An article from somewhere else
A video demonstration
A funny or controversial video
Before and after photos of work you've done
Humorous or inspiring photos
Client success stories/case studies
Free ebook
Special report
White paper
Upcoming event announcement
Live reports from an event you are currently attending
Book reviews/recommendations
Recommended products
Recommended services
Tips for doing something better
How-to suggestions
A series of related posts
Recent media coverage you have received
Inspirational advice (preferably your own, motivational quotes are over-used online)
Requests for participation (guest posts on your blog, speaker for an event you're hosting, etc.)
Interesting photo from a recent event
Teleseminar/Webinar invitation
Contest announcements
Special sales, offers and discounts (delivered sparingly)
Request for audience feedback
A compelling question you want answered
Anything offered for free
Insider tips that people won't find anywhere else
Your opinion on just about anything with target audience appeal
Secrets to Success
1. Content should appeal to your target audience and provide value.
Also, it doesn't always have to be directly related to what you do. For example, a mortgage broker might share community resources, local event announcements and family-related tips. This type of information would likely be more appealing to the broker's target audience than current interest rates and articles about mortgage insurance (though you can occasionally include those too). The point is to become a valued resource.
2. Follow the 90/10 rule.
Avoid selling online and you will achieve more sales. That's right; we're all tired of being sold to. When you provide value, you build loyalty and trust. It's fine to include sales offers up to 10% of the time, but make sure you are primarily serving up useful content.
3. Use compelling titles and descriptions.
You only have a limited amount of space to share information, which means that a good title can make the difference between a reader who clicks through or completely ignores your post.
4. Track your results.
Pay attention to user response. If you're receiving comments and your content is being forwarded to others (for example, retweeting on Twitter), which is evidence that your efforts are working. Also, your network should be growing steadily as a result of the value you're providing.
5. Use links wisely.
When you share compelling content, it provides an opportunity to link back to your website or blog. This is great for building website traffic. However, not every post needs to have a link. Mix up your posts so that some simply offer something short and sweet. You can also shorten links and track the number of click-throughs with a service like http://bit.ly.
6. Be consistent.
You will get the best results from marketing content through social media by participating on a regular basis. Ideally you should share something every day, even multiple times per day, to stay visible. You can automate some of your updates with services like http://ping.fm, http://socialoomph.com and http://hootsuite.com. But don't automate everything! Keep reading…
7. Engage with your audience.
Social media involves a two-way conversation. It's not just about shoving data out into your network and waiting to reap the rewards. Reply to people who comment, forward and share useful content from others and make sure you have a human presence in social media land.
8. Build a social media plan.
You can venture into social media haphazardly or you can form a plan that makes sense for your business. A plan should identify your target audience, include a strategy for ongoing content generation, should identify frequency of updates and indicate the amount of time and resources you are going to allocate to managing your social media strategy.
9. Implement a 30-day challenge.
Use the suggestions outlined here and focus your efforts for 30 days. The results should be obvious. If they aren't, then there is something amiss with your strategy. Ask others for input or solicit the help of a social media expert. There is opportunity for every kind of business to benefit from social media. You simply need to find the strategy that works for you.
About the Author:
Stephanie Chandler is an author of several business and marketing books including "LEAP! 101 Ways to Grow Your Business" and "From Entrepreneur to Infopreneur: Make Money with Books, eBooks and Information Products." She is also founder of http://BusinessInfoGuide.com, a directory of resources for entrepreneurs. For author and speaker details visit http://StephanieChandler.com.
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