Just because you create content doesn’t mean anyone will see it. People have to know the content exists in order to consume it.
The digital landscape is increasingly competitive. If you want your content to drive maximum value, finding opportunities to engage audiences is just as critical as the content itself.
Here are five advanced methods that belong in every marketer’s content promotion strategy.
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1. Involve influencers in content promotion early
Most content marketers are familiar with influencer outreach. But if you treat it as something you do after you publish your content, you’re missing an opportunity.
I like to reach out before I start writing. When you reach out at the beginning of content creation, you can:
- Quickly determine whether you’re creating content on topics your industry will find interesting (versus writing for writing’s sake)
- Gauge which influencers are excited enough that they’ll be interested in promoting the content once it’s finished
- Ask for a comment or example to include in the piece
- Invite them to review a final draft before publishing the content (Everyone loves to feel like their opinions are valuable, and doing this will get them excited about the promotion you’re going to do next.)
Two tools I can’t live without for influencer outreach are Mailshake and Voila Norbert. I use Mailshake for my email campaigns and Voila Norbert for finding influencers’ emails.
Once your content is published, reach out to the influencers you partnered with in the creative process. Let them know you appreciated their input and included it in your final content (if they haven’t already seen it).
Ask them to read, share, and link to your content if it’s something they find mutually beneficial. Then, ask if you can reach out again in the future. You’d be surprised at how effective this tactic can be.
If you start #influencer outreach after you publish your #content, you’re missing out, says @SujanPatel. Click To Tweet
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2. Contribute to content sharing communities
Publishing content on your own site may not be enough to get the level of engagement you want. If that’s the case, you’ll have to find a way to get your content in front of a bigger audience.
Content sharing communities are great outlets for amplifying your voice. They give you an opportunity to share your message with an extensive network of like-minded individuals who submit and share similar content pieces.
Some popular communities include:
Some of these sites are free; others are paid. Choose not by price, but by where members of your audience are active. Then, learn the ropes of these and any other communities you choose to be a part of. That way, your content will be seen as a valuable contribution, not self-promotion.
Learn the ropes of #content-sharing communities so you add value rather than just self- promote @SujanPatel. Click To Tweet
3. Create content snippet variants
Content snippets present your work in an easily digestible format that’s easy to share (and, therefore, likely to improve your overall click-throughs). Creating multiple variants of each tweet or social post lets you test the engagement level of each variation and develop your sharing strategies over time.
When generating multiple content snippets, try these tactics:
- Create multiple titles (vary both length and complexity).
- Incorporate relevant questions related to the subject matter.
- Use statistics in your messaging.
- Add a call to action.
Create 20 to 30 variants to test in different places. Track the success of each one, keeping in mind the context of the life cycle on each content-sharing platform (I do this in Google Sheets). For example, after just 2.5 hours, a Facebook post usually hits 75% of its maximum impressions, while Twitter engagements reach their half-life in only 24 minutes.
4. Update and expand existing posts
Marketers who regularly update older content into new formats are 74% more likely to see positive results. Repurposing your content breathes new life into past work through fresh perspectives, updated case studies, or expanded information.
Marketers who update #content into new formats are 74% more likely to see positive results. @orbiteers Click To Tweet
Updating posts gives me an opportunity to promote them again, getting the content in front of people who might not have seen it before. And it doesn’t hurt that it’s a lot less work to create new content from old than to start from scratch.
For even greater benefit, don’t just update your past content (although there’s SEO benefit to doing that). Take the time to transform it into 10X content, providing a deep dive through new infographics, videos, e-books, or other advanced resources for greater impact.
Put a strategy in place to make sure this isn’t something that falls through the cracks:
- Add a monthly review to your calendar so you remember to look through old posts for update or expansion opportunities.
- Keep an eye on news in your industry and quickly update older content when new developments invalidate your assertions or change your recommendations.
- Make a note during content creation if you see easy opportunities to take the piece further in the future.
5. Say yes to opportunities
While the purpose of your content marketing strategy should be to provide highly relevant and useful information for your readers, it can open up marketing benefits in other areas, too.
Producing great quality content can lead to:
- Spots in coveted link roundups on top-tier websites
- Speaking opportunities at conferences in your industry
- Invitations to appear on podcasts
- Guest spots on webinars with other influencers
- Book publishing opportunities
These outcomes may or may not promote your content directly. Regardless, they improve brand awareness and make your future marketing efforts more impactful. I can tell you that with certainty, because it has worked for me.
But it won’t happen by accident. If you produce mediocre content, don’t expect big results.
If you produce mediocre #content, don’t expect big results, says @SujanPatel. Click To Tweet
If you only create content for the marketing impact, your followers and even the influencers you want to partner with will notice. Have a clear purpose for creating content (whether that’s educating readers, breaking down myths and misconceptions, or something else). Use that purpose to build relationships – whether that’s with your own audience or the audiences you’ve been invited to address – that go beyond content promotion.
The real value of this approach isn’t necessarily the value of the content itself. It’s what these opportunities can lead to – if you leverage them wisely.
Content promotion: Beyond the basics
Content promotion has to be dynamic. Adapt your strategies over time as you exhaust the potential of common tactics. When you put the emphasis not just on content creation but also on how content can be used to grow your business, opportunities for more advanced forms of promotion will become obvious.
What other advanced content promotion methods would you add to this list? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Please note: All tools included in our blog posts are suggested by authors, not the CMI editorial team. No one post can provide all relevant tools in the space. Feel free to include additional tools in the comments (from your company or ones that you have used).
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Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute