So, you’ve got a big event coming up. You’re brimming with excitement as you mull over the perfect cover photo to use in your Facebook event. We don’t blame you; we’ve been there before. After all, this is a big deal! People should want to come to this event. Why wouldn’t they want to come.
Well, as anyone who’s ever planned a wedding can tell you, getting people to RSVP with social media can be easier said than done. Thanks to the dawn of social media marketing, a killer photo for your Facebook event is just the tip of the iceberg.
Marketing these days is all about content. More specifically, it’s about quality content. Even if you’re pushing out a blog post per day, it won’t amount to much if your writing isn’t up to snuff. After all, your audience has standards and the best way to meet them is to up your game at the keyboard.
For some, becoming a better writer is easier said than done. Then again, by no means is it impossible. Follow these five steps and, before long, you’ll be cranking out quality content without breaking a sweat.
There’s good reason why just about everyone on Earth loves The Shawshank Redemption and most would rather forget Howard the Duck ever happened. It’s not easy to tell a great story, especially one that resonates with people from one generation to the next. So when those great stories come along, it’s no surprise why those stories get shared.
Even if your content is of the highest quality, even if your ideas are changing the marketing game as we know it, creating quality content is only half the battle. After all, the real challenge is getting people to read, engage with, and share what you’re making.
Unless you fell backwards into a Twitter base the size of Ashton Kutcher’s, getting the masses to spread the word takes smarts, strategy, and a whole lot of outreach. So, if you want your content to start spreading like wildfire, follow these steps to start results.
1. Ask People to Share your Content
Granted, there’s a fine line between asking people to do you a solid and coming off as a shameless self-promoter. Figuring out how to walk that line is a matter of tact and experience. Unsurprisingly, the numbers show that asking people pays off. Not only are you 51% more likely to get a post retweeted if you ask people to retweet it, but Pinterest pins with a call to action get 80% more shares than those that don’t. As they say, it never hurts to ask.
2. Use Images
Speaking of numbers, tweets that contain images are 92% more likely to be shared and Facebook posts with photos get 53% percent more likes than those without. It’s no mystery why Instagram got over 25,000 users on the day it launched, folks. People love pictures, so give them what they want and start reaping the benefits with social media photography.
3. Don’t be Afraid of the Long Form
In the age of TL;DR (“too long; didn’t read”) and rapidly-declining attention spans, one would think long-form posts are going the way of Pets.com. Lo and behold, studies show that posts with more than 2,500 words get shared nearly twice the amount on social media than posts with less than 2,500 words. Since less than 5% of bloggers write posts longer than 1,500 words, there’s also a great deal of potential to be tapped.
4. Target Influencers
When it comes to social media, who are the big dogs in your field? Reach out to them and ask if they’ll plug your work, because why not? Incorporate them into your content, because everyone loves free advertising. See if they’d like to join forces and write something with you, because teamwork makes the dream work. Most importantly, create quality content that they can’t ignore.
Rallying the troops and recruiting more followers rarely makes for an overnight success story, but if you put in the work and put yourself out there, your audience is bound to share your content, as long as it resonates.
The wait is finally over! As you’ve no doubt heard by now, season three of House of Cards is streaming on Netflix. Needless to say, some serious binge-watching is in order this weekend.
Variety is the spice of life, folks. Whether you’re running your own blog or writing content for one of the big dogs, if you want to grow your audience and keep them coming back, it never hurts to mix things up along the way. While it can be easy to get stuck in a routine and push out the same kind of content from one post to the next, stepping outside your comfort zone is a surefire way to start opening new doors.
With that being said, here are five different content types that can help you branch out.
Whether you’re looking for love, looking for work, or just looking for a distraction, you can rest assured that there’s a social network looking to meet your needs. Now that there’s officially a dating site for Farmers Only, we suppose it was only a matter of time before we marketing professionals got our due. Thanks to the recent debut of Shocase, that time has finally come.
Businesses should always be looking for new and innovative ways to engage their audience and convert its market. With today’s short attention spans, it’s more important than ever to be able to grab the attention of a reader or viewer immediately, which is why visual platforms like Vine, Instagram, and YouTube have become so popular.
However, there are also plenty of other options for visual content that brands should be leveraging to increase their engagement on social media, like infographics. Infographics can serve as an effective and digestible means of visual storytelling that can engage your reader, increase shareability and help to increase conversion rates. (more…)
For retail businesses, the coming holiday shopping season is the busiest time of year. For businesses that provide products or services to other businesses, though, this is often the best time to step back and plan for the future. Year-end reports provide the data needed to draft a strategy, and there is a little lull before annual taxes must be filed in the spring. As other companies are focused on making their sales goals this November and December, you can position your company for success in 2015. Here are some b2b marketing trends to keep in mind as you prepare for next year. (more…)
Social media is a marketing tool that every company can benefit from if they understand how to use each platform correctly. Research shows that 97% of all consumers search for local businesses online. Within social media, you can strengthen relationships with customers, build your brand, and promote your business. Since social media is constantly changing and information is overloading consumers, it might seem impossible to stand out. Find your niche within social media and consider these five tips to help increase your presence. (more…)