When you see a large crowd forming around a stage, you know the show must be good. Even if you can’t hear the music to judge for yourself, you can’t help but wander over and check out all the fuss. Social media sharing is the same. If a company has many followers or a blog post has a large number of shares, readers are far more likely to take note.
You know how important it is to have updated, relevant content on your website. But you won’t see the benefits of having that content if you are letting it sit stagnant in a “dark corner.” Search engine optimization (SEO) can only do so much, so pair your quality blog content and SEO with a social media strategy.
With a good social media sharing plan, your blog can create a community, repeat exposure and boost website traffic for your brand.
To get started with sharing blog content, follow these four tips:
- Really make your content sharable. Short, sweet and to-the-point posts are best. For example, with Twitter, you only have 140 characters to grab someone’s attention. You should pick an intriguing fact, statistic or quote that will make readers want to dig deeper into the topic and follow the link to the content. Each mention you receive is like a public endorsement; it’s invaluable.
- Start the trend. If you want others to share your content, lead by example. Don’t wait for readers to share your content with their followers; create your own followers and share your new content as it comes out. You can even share the same articles a couple times as long as you choose a different aspect of the article to pull from for each social post.
- Use multiple platforms. With so many social media outlets these days, your options are endless. If you have a captivating photograph, use Instagram and Facebook. Or if you have a great short video, use Vine and Instagram video. It’s best to find an element of your content that will work on each platform and share a unique angle for each. This will attract readers and viewers from multiple areas.
- Don’t force a fit. If you don’t have an engaging, high-quality video, then don’t try to push your content onto YouTube or Vine. Using an inappropriate medium can do more harm than good. Don’t force content across multiple platforms; do it right.
Once you have created a social media strategy for your blog, you will begin to see more sharing. If you have relevant information, readers need to be able to find it. Giving them multiple opportunities to come across your content boosts the chances of them organically choosing to read the content, and also gives them an effortless way to pass the content along to their friends and colleagues. End result? You broaden your reach even more.
