Do you think of content marketing as being separate from social media marketing? When you craft your inbound marketing strategy, do these two avenues of marketing fall into different buckets, so to speak?
In reality, both are important for an overall digital marketing strategy. At Connection Model, we believe relevant content marketing receives a significant boost from effective social media marketing and SEO. Combined, there is a significant impact to your overall digital brand. So, it is wise to look at the two, not as separate strategies, but as complementary ones. Forbes has noted that, "Social media is often viewed as a separate strategy from your content marketing, when in truth, it should be one of the primary tools you utilize when deploying your content marketing strategy."
Moreover, perhaps it is time to start viewing Social Media, Content Marketing, and SEO as the 3 most important aspects of your digital marketing strategy. These three factors work together to get your business in front of more eyes, increase your leads and sales, and boost your brand.
Using Social Media to Drive Traffic to Your Content
Ranking high in organic search is always the best way to get quality leads as your audience is usually at the end of their journey and ready to make a purchase. But, paid promotion is likely the foundation of your social media marketing strategy, as it is an incredibly effective way to get your content in front of your readers. Using social media to promote high-quality content before it gets ranked by Google is a solid strategy.
However, an often-overlooked way to use social media involves getting your followers to share your content with others. Ideally, no piece of content should stop simply with a view by one of your followers. Rather, the goal is to create content that is sharable and has the capacity to go viral, thereby extending your marketing range greatly.
Digital Marketing with Sharable Content
So, how do you make that happen? How can you craft content that will not only engage your target audience, but also encourage them to share that content with others? Here are some top tips for promoting your content on social media platforms:
Make it Visual:
Regardless of the social media platform you choose, visual content is a proven way to engage viewers. And now, more than ever, video is the preferred visual format. Here are some stats to consider:
- Video is the type of content most likely to drive conversations on LinkedIn.
- Over 500 million Instagram accounts use Stories every day, and 4 million businesses use Stories ads every month. 58% of people surveyed say they have become more interested in a brand/product after seeing it in Stories.
- YouTube is consumers' leading source of video content, at 83% (Facebook is second, at 67%).
- Photos on Facebook generate 2.3x more engagement than the average post without photos.
- Tweets with images receive 10x more engagement than tweets without images.
There is one word of caution about visual content, however. It is important to ensure that your visual content displays well across all your social media platforms. For instance, what looks great on your blog may not translate well on your Facebook posts or Tweets. So, do not forget to check out how your visual content looks on various social media channels.
Make Your Headlines Stand Out:
Regardless of which social media platform you use to promote your content, the headline you choose is one of the most important pieces of your content. A great headline draws your viewer in, whereas a weak headline causes viewers to discount your content as boring or unimportant.
It is good to remember that you can customize your headline to the media platform you are using. There is no rule that says your content must have the same headline across all social media channels. So, change things up and experiment with different headlines on different social media sites to zero in on the ones that really prompt engagement.
Remember that Timing is Everything:
Pay attention to the metrics for each of your social media channels. When are peak times for sharing content? For instance, a Buffer study reports that Facebook has its highest engagement on weekdays from 1-3 pm on during the week and Saturdays. Twitter, on the other hand, has a higher engagement rate at 11 pm - 5 am. Posting content at the right time helps to ensure that your content is seen by the largest number of potential viewers.
These stats may be accurate today, but weeks or months from now, these times may change. It is always important to review your social analytics to decide when is the best time for your business and what times your audience is most active.
The Bottom Line
Creating great content is the foundation of digital marketing strategy. Use social media to extend the reach of your content and boost your SEO. Prompt social shares by using high quality video content and eye-catching headlines. Time your social media posts well by taking advantage of peak times for each social media platform and your audience.
How are you doing with social media marketing? Are your social media strategies driving traffic to your content? Contact us today to see where improvements can be made in your comprehensive digital marketing strategy.
Written By: David Carpenter
