There’s no doubt that content marketing is a powerful strategy. But what happens when the content you create doesn’t get the attention you want? That’s where content promotion strategies can help.
Content promotion is the use of additional strategies, both paid and unpaid, that get your content more exposure.
Think of it this way. Your content is like a flame. On its own, it will remain the same size or dwindle. But if you want to ignite that flame into a blazing fire, you need to feed and nurture it. So too with you content. Without promotion, your content may ignite but then quickly die out.
Why Your Brand Needs to Promote Content
Google any topic within your industry and see how many results appear. I’d bet that you’re confronted with a slew of content from nearly every brand in the industry.
That is what we call content shock — so much content has flooded the annals of the internet, that it’s often overwhelming.
How can your content breakthrough?
Enter content promotion. With a combination of free and paid promotion options, you can put the spotlight on your content, making it easier for your audience to find you and engage.
In one study, it was found that 47% of buyers engage with 3-5 pieces of content before engaging with a sales rep. So having content that your audience can find and engage with can be crucial to your overall B2B marketing strategy.
Promoting your content ensures that it reaches the right audience and moves them towards purchasing.
What strategies and tactics should you use to promote your content? Let’s examine the best ways — both paid and unpaid — to accomplish this.
8 Content Promotion Strategies You Can Use to Boost Your Content Engagement
1. Research Topics with Quora
Quora is an online platform where people post questions. Many times these questions ask about industry subjects. As an expert in your industry, you can use your knowledge to answer questions, while also exposing people to your brand.
Quora is also an excellent tool for content ideas.
People often ask questions there because they’ve failed to find answers elsewhere on the internet. This leaves a space that your brand can fill. Research what questions people ask on Quora and then create a blog post or other content that provides a satisfying answer. You can then link to your content in your Quora answer.
2. Leverage Newsjacking
What is newsjacking? The practice of using a popular news story to amplify your B2B marketing and content strategy.
Let’s take a page from Market Watch’s book. Back in 2014, at the height of the fame of the hit TV series The Walking Dead, Market Watch published a post entitled 7 management lessons from “The Walking Dead”. This took a normally dry subject and infused life into it by relating it to a popular subject of everyday conversation.
Newsjacking can take many forms. As you create content, take the time to look at major events happening in the news. For example, this could include holidays, national events, or international news.
A word of caution is in order: When the story you newsjack is of a sobering nature (such as a natural disaster), treat it with the levity and delicacy it deserves. Otherwise, this strategy could backfire in a major way. If you have any reservations, don’t newsjack.
3. Create Content with an Influencer
Influencers are noted individuals who have become authorities within an industry — and who have a social following that matches. Is it effective? Very — as evidenced by the 94% of marketers who have used influencer marketing and believe it works.
Working together to create content gives each of you the opportunity to add your individual insights and benefit from sharing the content.
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This kind of partnership gives you access to an influencer’s audience’s base and them to yours. Be aware that when you work with influencers, it has to be beneficial for both sides. This could mean monetary compensation for the partnership or some other arrangement. You’ll need to work out those details with each influencer.
4. Engage on Social Media
Social media has become an essential part of any B2B marketing strategy. Social media promotion can be done one of two ways — organically and through paid ads. At the moment, let’s focus on organically promoting your content on social media — and address paid promotion later in this post.
Promoting your content on social media is not without its challenges. Between complex network algorithms and human nature, it can be difficult to reach and capture the interest of your audience. But it’s not hopeless.
First, pay attention to the quality of your content. Don’t create content for content’s sake — take your time and make sure that your audience will find it valuable. Studies show that long-form content performs the best on social media, so put in extra work to make it as comprehensive as possible.
Another aspect of social media success is your profile. It’s no sense having amazing content if your profile doesn’t support it. An ideal social media profile includes high-quality images, all your information in the right place, and a company bio that showcases your company culture.
5. Plan an Event
Nothing excites audiences like an industry event. Whether it’s a conference, trade show, or an online event like a webinar, such an event gives you the chance to connect with your audience and amplify your content.
Your presence and participation at such an event leaves a major impression on your audience. It brings your brand to the top of attendees’ minds. Use this to your advantage by referencing key pieces of content throughout the event.
There are a number of avenues at such events where you would be in a position to promote your content. For example, you could…
- Volunteer for a public speaking engagement
- Incorporate event-related hashtags in your social posts
- Participate in a podcast interview
- Create and publish event-related content
- Publish key takeaways from the event
6. Repurpose Your Content
Think of repurposing content like doing a home renovation. It involves taking what you love and making it even better.
Take a piece of content that you and your audience savor — perhaps it’s a blog post that people have devoured or an infographic that has gotten a lot of shares on social media. Then take steps to improve on it.
Improving your content could be as simple as adding more information and changing the title to reach new audiences. You could also transform it completely into another asset, such as a checklist or a video.
Such repurposing bolsters your content marketing strategy and helps that content to pique the interest of new audiences.
7. Pay to Promote on Social
While organic social media is a valuable strategy — especially if you have the audience to back it up — paying to promote your content can give it the extra boost it needs to reach new audiences.
Social ads aren’t just for gated content campaigns, such as an ebook you’re promoting. It can also be used to promote your blog posts, infographics, and videos. Learn all you can about your audience and use that data to target audiences likely to be the most interested in your content.
Social media promotion isn’t an exact science. A lot will depend on your specific industry and target audience. You may need to go back to the drawing board a few times before you get the right combination that resonates with your audience. But it’s definitely worth the effort.
As an added bonus, research shows that paid promotion on social networks like Facebook also boosts your content’s search engine ranking.
8. Use Search Engine Marketing
Who of us doesn’t use search engines like Google to find what we need? Our audiences do the exact same thing. While there are SEO strategies to help you land on Google organically, paid ads on Google Adwords can also give you an advantage.
Do your research to find out which keywords would be the most helpful for your brand. Choose a keyword that gets large search volume but also has fairly low competition. Those two factors will ensure that it’s the most effective but also won’t strain your wallet.
In review…
Competition for content is fierce — but content promotion strategies like these can help your great content really hit the mark with your audience.
What strategies do you use to promote your content? Let us know in the comments below.
