As internet powerhouses like Facebook and Twitter continue to grow, more brands are starting to realize that social media can no longer be ignored. That is the good part. The bad part is that so many of them are approaching it all wrong. An alarming number of brands are rushing to tally up the most friends, likes and conversions when they should be focusing on creating the type of content that automatically drives that action.
Whether we are dealing with social media, search or email, when it comes to content, quality always reigns supreme over quantity. On that note, the following suggestions can go a long way in helping brands churn out content that gets results.
Optimize Existing Material
In order to survive in your market, you’re going to need to come up with some new content every now and then. However, your old stuff can be just as powerful when repurposed the right way. This is especially the case when you are dealing with evergreen content that despite growing older, never loses its value.
So how do your optimize your existing material? Here are some ideas that might work:
- Link to it from updated content
- Encourage relevant third-party sites to link to it
- Use it in email campaigns and newsletters
- Share it on the social networks
- Use it to create eBooks, white papers or user guides
You get the picture, right? The point is that there are plenty of things you can do to strengthen your existing content, things that will make it stand out in the eyes of your target audience, and the search engines as well.
Monitor Social Buzz
Having trouble cranking out dynamite content? Why not turn to your audience for the motivation? After all, you’re creating it for them, and if you listen closely, you may hear them telling you what they actually want. This tactic can be extremely effective when mining the social networks for intelligence. How are fans responding to your posts? What are they saying about them? Who are they sharing them with? The answers you get to questions like these can turn out to be the inspiration you need to deliver content that actually delivers.
Be Diverse
Today’s web is more visual than ever. Just look at the popularity of services like YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram. Even Facebook, Twitter and Google+ have implemented significantly stronger visual elements in their services. It all follows the trend of catering to internet users who prefer to do much more than read copy when digesting a piece of content. As a brand, this should be your incentive to think beyond text with your approach, and add a visual component to your content marketing strategy. Whether it is images, video or Flash animation, giving people something they can visualize can instantly enhance the information you share with your audience.
Work Multiple Platforms
Several brands have their favorite platform, but why limit yourself to one, when there are so many to go around? For example, you may be doing fine with email marketing, but you could probably do even better by integrating that strategy with social media. On a similar note, you might be thriving on popular social networks like Facebook and Twitter, but missing out on opportunities by overlooking emerging newcomers such as Pinterest and Google+. The point is, the more platforms you are able to work effectively, the more weight your content will carry as it makes its rounds throughout the digital landscape.
Brands operating in the digital era must take their traditional content marketing strategies and combine them with tactics that take new age media into consideration. It is no longer a matter of if. Consumers have grabbed the trends by the horns and made it a matter of when.
