You could write the most helpful, educational, and entertaining piece of content ever created, and it will mean very little without the proper distribution and promotion plan. In order to promote your content online, you need to have a clear understanding of your target audience. Once you know who you're promoting your content to, you can start tailoring your marketing efforts accordingly. However, some channels show consistent success and should be a part of any content distribution plan. Here are a few ways to effectively promote content online.
Advertise On Social Media
For most B2B organizations, LinkedIn will be the best social media platform to spend your social media advertising budget. Facebook can be effective for those targeting smaller, locally owned businesses, but for the most part, your focus should be on LinkedIn. Their ad platform offers various ways to narrow your audience to ensure you're targeting the correct contacts. Some best practices include using at least four unique ads per campaign, narrowly targeting your audience, and allocating a budget that allows you to reach your entire audience multiple times throughout your campaign.
Be Active In Social Media Discussion Groups
Discussion groups on both Facebook and LinkedIn can be great places to network and promote your content. The key is to make sure you're interacting with other people's posts and being an active participant in the group discussions. Simply posting your material and waiting for others to engage will not yield results. Post relevant content that will provide value to the group members and be helpful by commenting and sharing their posts to increase reach. You want to follow the group's rules and avoid posting so often that your content comes across as spam. Avoid being overly promotional and focus on being a valuable group member.
Use Search Engine Advertising
As it becomes tougher to gain page-one rankings organically, investing in search engine advertising products like Google Ads can be an effective way to draw in prospects looking for a solution like yours. Your ad copy and target audience will ultimately play the most significant role in your success, or lack thereof. As with any advertising, you need a well-developed plan to avoid wasting money. And while there are other search engines, remember that Google controls nearly three-quarters of the search market.
Leverage Organic Social Media Posts
Simply posting organically to your company pages and leaving it at that will not give you the results you're looking for. Thankfully, there are many ways to get your content in front of your target audience without paying for advertising. Company participation is essential, and getting everyone in your organization to like, share and comment on your social media posts is a must to build your audience and credibility. Tagging industry leaders in posts that fit their expertise will encourage their engagement, which can open up your audience significantly. Organic social media is still a viable means for distributing content; it just takes a little more work than in the past.
Send Monthly Email Newsletters
Email has long been an effective way to get content out on a large scale. As email boxes continue to overflow, you need to find creative ways to garner opens and clicks. The idea is to make these newsletters as fun and informative as possible without them being overly self-promotional. This is where knowing your audience thoroughly comes in. It's great to know the pain points of their organization, but knowing a bit about their personal interests will help you create newsletters that people actually read.
These are just some of the many effective ways to promote your content online. Experiment with different methods to see what works best for your business, your content, and your target audience. And remember, don't be afraid to try something new – you never know where your next great idea might come from!
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