Most marketers would agree that content marketing and social media complement each other perfectly.
It’s like the precision of a jigsaw puzzle.
They fit together and work collectively, hand-in-hand. Social media is the platform that drives your content. It’s equivalent to the fuel in your car. If you want to move forward and get somewhere – you need it. And without one, the other just doesn’t work as good, or at all.
Despite the two being very different, social media channels are key to extending your content reach. Content marketing isn’t just about what’s being created. It’s the entire process that matters. From developing relevant, engaging and valuable content, to sharing it with your target market with a goal to increase business and brand awareness. Developing and sharing. Content marketing and social media. The differences between the two lie within the formats of the content and the platforms. That’s why it’s important to create engaging posts that people can (and will) interact with.
Social platforms like Facebook have become an essential part of modern day marketing. Are you taking advantage and driving your content marketing with it? Here’s how to make the relationship work between the two:
Discover and Build Online Traffic: Aligning Objectives
If you want more people to see your brand, then social media and content marketing are the way to do it. Social media gets more eyeballs on what you have to offer. And if what you’re sharing is useful, exciting and shareable, people will distribute it for more to see. To discover and build online traffic effectively, you need to make sure all objectives are closely aligned for things to operate smoothly. The content you create to share on social media should serve one or more of these objectives:
- Educate your audience on trends they will benefit from or the latest best practices.
- Challenge the existing status of your subject.
- Help your target market understand what you specialise in.
- Entertain readers with content that’s specific to them.
- Convince your audience to buy your product or use your services.
Increase Daily Updates on Social Media with Exciting Content
Once your objectives are aligned and they fit within your overall business strategy, focus on increasing social media sharing. Content planning and scheduling is an integral part of your content marketing strategy. The frequency of how often you post and the timing is essential to boosting your social click rates, and ultimately driving more people to your content and website. Leo Widrich has 3 great tactics to follow:
- Frequency: Post around 5-10 times a day on Twitter and 1-4 times a day on Facebook for optimal outcome. Make sure this content is still relevant, useful, valuable and engaging though! Don’t just post for the sake of it – this is where content planning and scheduling will assist. Meet Edgar is a good one to get started with.
- Timing: Research suggests the best time to tweet and post is during main work hours – 8am-8pm. You should always check through research and analytics about what your best time to post is too.
- Post on multiple reputable sites: We all know how important content outreach (guest posting) is to boosting your content and gaining a strong portfolio of backlinks. Don’t just write great content on your own blog or website, reach out to other relevant sites with a high domain authority to get your brand out there. And then share the published pieces on social media.
Don’t forget to monitor your social media engagement against your competitors too. Chances are, many of us aren’t investing enough time and resources into our social media efforts.
Stay on Top of Google and Social Media Changes
Keeping your finger on the pulse with algorithm changes and social media rules is a must. If you’re not following the latest guidelines, your hard work of creating amazing content to share is going to go down the drain pretty damn quick.
Google and Facebook change their best practices for creating and sharing content almost as much as we change our underwear. Just Google ‘Facebook changes’ and prepare to be bombarded by the number of results that show up in the SERPs. From cover photo policies, mobile layouts, timeline changes and more. Whichever social media platforms you’re utilising, it’s imperative to stay in the loop to ensure you’re abiding by the rules.
What Type of Content Should I be Posting on Social Media?
FANTASTIC content, of course! No matter what industry you’re in, some of the most successful content to share on social media for brand awareness, reach and engagement includes:
- Blog content: News and blog pages are extremely valuable for attracting relevant traffic to your website. They can be used to educate and help readers better understand your industry, and positions you as an industry expert or go-to source for industry knowledge over time. Take White Chalk Road’s blog, for example, it’s a solid source for valuable information on how to get the most out of your online marketing. An effective blog should have fresh content published on a regular basis. Think industry news, tips, ultimate guides and information that will benefit your readers.
- Images and Infographics: Visual content is a great way to communicate your story in an eye catching way. They provide a great tool for promoting new products too. Pair quality images and/or infographics with your blog content articles to increase your click through rate.
- Videos: Short and sweet videos are great for giving your content an identity. Host Q&A’s, show your readers ‘behind the scenes’ of your business, live stream events and promote your products and/or services. Whilst this content on social media doesn’t link back to your site like a blog post would, it’s great for creating engagement and boosting user value.
Get on Board with Google Analytics
GA is your best friend when it comes to collecting data to craft the perfect content and see how it’s responding. Both on your website and social media. This tool is amazing (and free), and offers oodles of valuable information to take advantage of. Use the social tab (under traffic sources) to track your traffic from social. Here, you can dig deeper from the initial overview too. Check your click rate on social shares and use GA’s social reports to develop your content marketing strategy.
Social Media and Your Content Marketing Strategy
According to the Content Marketing Institute, 86% of content marketers use LinkedIn to distribute content. Runner ups are Twitter and Facebook (79%), YouTube (74%), Google+ (47%, Instagram (30%) and Pinterest (29%). So, if you’re not making the most of these social media channels, your content isn’t going to spread as fast.
Although active social media doesn’t have a direct influence on rankings, a healthy social media following and platforms loaded with relevant and engaging content will effectively increase brand awareness and authority, boost your SEO and drive customer value through traffic and leads. Bringing the two together seamlessly ensures both content and social media marketing goals are met. And your great content gets in the eyes of the right people!
