Research has shown that 70% of content marketers are actively investing in content marketing, yet 54% of these companies are finding it very hard to create content that engages their readers. As more companies continue to move online, there is a need to stand out above the crowd. Writing engaging content can be the answer.
However, writing content is just one piece of the puzzle. A lot of interesting content has been written but very little of it makes it above the noise on the internet. The secret is to market your content and ensure as many people as possible see it. That leads to shares and higher rankings in search engines.
This article should help you figure out how to market your content using the following proven tips from experts around the blogosphere:
1. Social media advertising
Advertising is one of the most rewarding ways to market your content. Moreover, social media has become the primary source of news and articles.
To move your content faster to people, advertising on social media is definitely worth considering. Spending $5 a day to push your content to readers on Facebook can go a long way towards spreading the article to the people who deserve or need to see it.
Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest have also joined Facebook in the social ads business. For startups operating in the niches of fashion, food, and jewelry, visual-based social media networks like Instagram and Pinterest have taken over the market base for related content and products.
2. Guest blogging
One huge tip for startups is to think of guest blogging as a way of generating traffic to your startup’s content.
When you have an idea for killer content, instead of publishing it on your website, offer it to a more popular website in your niche as a guest blog.
Some companies will allow you to link a post from within the content, or link your startup from your contributors’ profile at the end of the article. When you produce killer content that goes viral or gets shared a lot, your startup’s rankings increase and more people get exposed to the content on your blog.
3. Short, clear headlines
Readers get turned off by very long headlines written in huge letters. It is such a nightmare. Headlines that are short and straight to the point have a higher ability to get clicked and read.
The more the people that read, the higher the chances your content will get a share or two. More shares translate to more traffic.
4. Email marketing
Email is a crucial aspect of marketing online. That is why it is advised for startups to collect customer emails from the beginning. Customers who willingly submit their emails will want to hear from you later on.
Every time you publish new content, it is important to send the contacts an update and let them know that you have published a new post. When your headlines and introductions are top-notch, the emails will get opened and readers will visit your content, read and share it.
5. Write long-form content
There are several reasons why long-form content is usually the way to go when producing blog posts for your startup. The first and major reason is that long-form content is detailed and most times receives more attention from people who see that as a stamp of authority in the niche or topic of discussion.
Google usually ranks content that people have enjoyed reading. Long-form content is exactly the kind of content. In fact, in almost every subject today, the highest-ranked content has more than 1000 words. Today, writing long-form quality posts has become an important content marketing consideration in itself. This is due to the rankings and increased traffic that it brings.
6. Sharing buttons
Add sharing buttons to your content. Floating social bars are in plenty. These are most preferred for several blogs out there. Startups can leverage these buttons to increase the chances of readers sharing their content.
7. Repurposing old content
Do you have an interesting blog post that your startup published when you didn’t have any respectable traffic? Now that your traffic has grown, this is the right time to update that piece and republish it.
That happens a lot. When you are just starting your company’s blog, you have very exciting ideas of content you will write. When you publish the content, it doesn’t get as much attention as you had expected because your traffic isn’t anything to die for at the time.
Fast-forward months later – your traffic has improved immensely and that article is still as interesting now as it was when you put it out. Update it and add something new, post it and share it again. You will be surprised how much focus it will get.
Alternatively, you could turn your blog post into a different content format, such as a video or infographic. By using a variety of content formats, you can reach a wider audience.
8. Consistent blogging
Blogging is all about consistency. Decide how often you will publish an article and on which days of the week. Do it consistently every time. Your readers will get used to the schedule and will visit the site to check for new content on the day of publishing.
To be very honest, you don’t have to write an article every day. One article per week isn’t a bad schedule at all. 2 per week is even better. For startups, publishing long-form content every day can be very time-consuming and resource-hogging. However, statistics show that startups that blog consistently increase their leads and sales.
9. Content syndication
There are several content syndication websites where you can submit your post after publishing it. This amounts to referral traffic. There are many people who visit these syndication websites looking for interesting content and news to read. To see examples of nice Content Syndication Networks for your content marketing campaigns, check out Neil Patel’s Infographic.
10. Invest in quality videos
More and more people appreciate a good video these days. In fact, brands that create quality videos and a powerful video marketing strategy get a massive boost in engagement.In order to create an engaging video, it’s important to include elements that your target audience can relate to and include a call to action at the end.
11. Content promotion strategy
It’s important to have a strategy for how you intend to promote your content after publishing it. You have to come up with a list of all the social media networks where you will share your content. Moreover, make sure you generate a list of the syndication networks and other promotion strategies you will use.
Startups that have a strategy for promoting their content perform well overall in terms of traffic and content marketing.
12. Pay attention to analytics and data
The only way you get to improve your content visibility is if you can pay attention to what the analytics are saying. Analytics and data from social media networks and time-saving tools like Buffer and Hootsuite are an integral part of your growth in content marketing.
These tools provide data that shows you how your content marketing campaigns are doing and what you can do to improve them.
13. Improve visual aspects of your content
We live in the world of Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, Google Plus, Twitter, and Pinterest. The most common thing about these networks is that they have a humongous number of users. What’s more common than that is the users love visual content such as images and videos. That should tell you how visual-oriented the world is becoming.
The best way to use this fact to improve your content’s visibility is to work on the visual parts of your content. Let your website have a fantastic design, and then do this for your content too. Aside from design, add fascinating images and videos to your content. People love this and they are more likely to share the images anyway.
14. Create infographics
Infographics have not lost their charm, at least not the high-quality ones. In recent years, infographics have been the most commonly shared type of content.
However, it’s not enough to just churn out infographic after infographic. You must pay attention to the content you’re creating and make sure you’re maintaining a high content quality so that your work isn’t in vain. You can leverage this and push out informative infographics for your readers.
15. Testing, testing, testing
There is no standard formula to achieve success with your content. Testing is the only way to find out what works and what doesn’t.
Never grow tired of testing until you get something that works better for you in the niche you are in. The more you test, the more data you get to analyze. After the analysis, you will be more informed about your market.
Do you need help creating content that’ll help your brand stand out? The PR experts at Pressfarm can help you do that! The PR specialists, expert writers, and certified designers at Pressfarm can develop professional press releases, compelling guest posts, and creative media kits that will help your brand to make a splash in its industry.
In addition to creating quality content for your brand, Pressfarm also has what it takes to distribute this content widely. By submitting your content to the right media outlets and startup directories, the team at Pressfarm can boost your online visibility and ensure that you feature in relevant search results across different search engines.
With a media database populated by over 1 million media contacts across industries, the Pressfarm team also ensures that you can continue doing media outreach for your brand long after they’ve wrapped up your campaign. With Pressfarm, you can not only get quality content but also win more clients over.