Is Your Marketing Content Leaving Footprints In The Sand?
You just created the best blog, case study, or ebook ever and want people to know it. So how do you get your information out into the industry? What can you do to differentiate yourself and get more views for your content? Instant access to information has never been easier thanks to the internet and social networking sites, so how do you get your content out to the public to be surfed on the world wide web? Here are a few things you can do to help get your content more publicity and out into the social world.
Twitter- Tweet you post in your own words, don’t just take the title and copy it into TweetDeck or Hootsuite and add the shortened URL. Use your Twitter post as your opportunity to comment on the content or use a line that will entice readers to open your tweet. It is ok to retweet the same content, just make sure you have an appropriate amount of time in between the posts and your are using different language in your tweets. Remember that Twitter is not suppose to be a one way street so make sure you are also sharing other content to avoid being solely self-promotional. A recent HubSpot webinar recommended sharing 15 pieces of content a week that are not from your company or website.
Blog Syndication- If you are blogging regularly (minimum of 2 times per week) and have not syndicated your blog, you need to do so. There are some great platforms for sharing that would be relevant to your industry and will help in distributing your content and increasing viewers. Do a key word search on blog syndication and insert your industry. You will find at least one or two sites that will syndicate your content and hit your target audience. If you are a single author, most syndication sites give you the option of manually submitting your post. For multiple authors, sites will require a RSS Feed to your blog page and will be able to automatically upload any new post, as long as the author has an author page/bio set up. The key to syndication is to not only talk about you or your company, but share industry trends, news, and ideas. Use the bio for links to your company website, your social network accounts, or your blog page to increase referrals to your site and grow your network.
Linkedin- Join groups that are relevant to your industry or topic and make sure you review the group rules. There are many groups designed as a sharing platform and you can use the Discussion threads to post your content. Again, review the group rules because there are some groups where this is not appropriate and you will be removed from the group for inappropriate conduct. In the case where your group uses Discussions for asking questions and not posts, look under the Promotions thread and you can post your content there.
Share, Share, Share- Don’t just rely on the main social networking sites to post your content. There are many different bookmarking sites and other sharing platforms that can be utilized. Remember that the idea is to create as many backlinks to your site as possible. I relate this to leaving “footprints in the sand”, meaning the more footprints you have left behind the easier for people to find their way back to your site. The more links you have on the web will increase the opportunity for traffic back to your content. Use sites like Reddit, Digg, and StumbleUpon to increase your number of footprints on the web and make sure to stay engaged and reciprocate on interactions. 
Be Creative- This ties into sharing on other sites, but there are so many different platforms available in which your content would be a welcomed addition. Take a look at what resources your organization utilizes on a daily basis and investigate further into any forums or discussion threads that may be used by industry professionals on these sites. Monitor what is being said and if there is a question that relates to content you have created, answer the question with an appropriate response and invite the person to read more through a link you provide in your response. You may need to think outside of the box and come up with some sites you would have never thought relevant. Experiment and see what produces the best results.
These are a few simple ideas or steps that don’t require a huge time commitment from you and will result in more viewers for your content. By creating more links to your website, you are creating more opportunities for your content to be read. The key, as always, is going to be moderation, interaction, and engagement. Don’t be so repetitive that your posts lose their value, make sure you are sharing appropriate content for the forum you are involved with as well as other people’s content, and stay engaged with the groups and comment accordingly.
Enjoy the holiday and I can’t wait to read your stuff!