Reading Time: 4 minutesPart of the challenge of content marketing is getting the content you develop in front of the people who will find it most valuable. This typically involves generating content for use on multiple channels and platforms, and encouraging your target market to spread the word about your brand. Shareable content is crucial in the modern marketing world, so we’ve compiled some tips to help you get your content in front of more people.
Make it Useful
One of the best ways to demonstrate value to your audience is by providing them with something useful. Whether you create tips and tricks, how-to guides, little-known-but-useful bits of trivia, or something else, make sure your content is useful in some way. People are far more likely to share content if they believe someone they know may find it helpful or useful.
Solve a Problem
A big part of marketing is showing your target audience how they will benefit from using your products or services. When you narrow this target audience, one of the best ways to hone your message is to identify that audience’s pain points or issues and provide a solution. If you cater to a specific niche market, chances are high that individuals interested in that market are going to have some common issues. When you address those issues, they will be far more likely to spread the word about your brand.
Make it Memorable
If you think about it for a moment, there are probably a few advertisements you may have not seen in years but still perfectly recall. Those ads resonated with you in some way or stood out from the pack. When you create something memorable, you leave a lasting impression on viewers. A bit of tasteful humor or something offbeat and out of the ordinary is great to make your content stand out to your audience. If they find your content funny or clever, they’re going to want to share the experience with others.
Use High-Quality Media
Technology has advanced to a remarkable level, so that means you’re going to have to keep pace with the latest tech. When consumers see low-quality images, poorly crafted website aesthetics, or low-resolution videos, they automatically associate that low quality with your brand. Taking the time and resources to go the extra mile and investing in high-quality photography, design, and video content is going to pay off big in the long run. When you use high-quality multimedia, you convey an image of success and professionalism.
Enter Social Conversations
Social media completely reshaped the marketing world. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, and many other platforms provide unique ways to interact with others and connect in a meaningful fashion. When you create a social media profile for your brand, don’t simply think of it as a marketing tool – consider it a means of generating more memorable, meaningful interactions with your audience. Stay in touch with popular culture and recent events and let your consumers know where you stand on some issues.
This bit of advice comes with a caveat: Be careful not to place your brand in an awkward situation by engaging in controversial or polarizing subjects. You could wind up unintentionally turning off large swaths of your audience. This tactic can help you position your brand as connected to the modern world and that pays attention to the issues that affect consumers.
Optimize for Mobile
Mobile has taken off in a huge way, and more people than ever before prefer smartphones to desktop PCs for browsing content and shopping online. Make sure to optimize your content for mobile viewing. If your content doesn’t translate well to a small touchscreen, customers on mobile devices aren’t going to get as much out of it, or simply may tune out. You can also explore content that is specialized for mobile platforms that takes advantage of touchscreen technology.
Incentivize
Offer your customers something tangible for sharing your content. This may sound a bit like bribery, but you can spread your content quickly if viewers have a concrete reason to share it with others. For example, lots of brands have giveaways and other contests on social media, and ask followers to “Like and Share” a piece of content to enter. You could also offer coupons, discounts, or other promotions for sharing content. Get creative and you can turn a seasonal offer or promotion into a massive boost to your customer engagement.
Be Entertaining
People like to laugh, and they like sharing entertaining content with their friends and relatives. When your content is engaging and entertaining, the viewers who enjoy it are going to want to show it to others in their social circles. Capitalize on this and delight your audience with valuable, entertaining content that they’ll want to share with others.
Use Enticing Headlines
Collectively, the average human attention span has been dwindling for years. This means you need to capture your audience’s attention right away. A good rule of thumb is to assume that if a viewer isn’t interested in a piece of content within the first few seconds of viewing it, they’re going to ignore it, skip it, and move on. When you craft enticing headlines, you immediately convey a sense of urgency and value to your audience. Make the extra effort to write attention-grabbing headlines and preview information for your content, and your audience will be far more likely to investigate.
Make Sharing Easy
People don’t like overly complex tasks, especially if they’re spending their free time browsing content. Make sharing simple. Most people stay logged in to their social media accounts, so having a sidebar or slider that allows them to share content quickly is going to boost your signal. If a customer can simply tap an icon to share a piece of content with their social media network, they’re far more likely to do so.
Customer advocacy means turning your customers into a viable marketing avenue that generates brand interest by word of mouth. If you want greater customer advocacy, provide your audience with the tools necessary for spreading your content, and make sure you are offering valuable, relevant high-quality content.
