We all know the effort that goes into creating content right?
Wouldn’t it be great to create that piece of content and KNOW that you’re going to get LOADS of social media shares on the SAME piece of content?
Here are some easy tips to ensure you increase the amount people share, comment and use your content!
Remember to follow the basics first:
- Create Great Content
- Use a Variety of Media – Text, Infographics, Video, Podcasts etc…
- Store Your Content on Your Website – So You Control It
- Use a Link Shortening Tool – Bitly/Tiny etc
- Use a Scheduling Software (for free) Hootsuite/Buffer etc
- Have Your “Standard Operating Procedures” (yawn) in place! More later…
- Know Your Keywords
- Know Your Audience
- Know Your Message!
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SHARE CONTENT MORE THAN ONCE
One of the best ways to get more social media “Shares” and engagement is to share your content more than once. You have one great piece of content, you put it up on Facebook and then you’re done? Seriously? After all that work? No Way!
Get your shortened link, a couple of good quality relevant photos, several keyword rich sound bites and you’re good to go! I’d even suggest you put all this into an excel spreadsheet to make it clear at a glance! Using Hootsuite (for example) you can then choose which platforms you want to use for this content and plan when you want to publish and with what keyword rich message. Don’t forget, publish several times on EACH platform with a different message at different times of the day. Very effective for very little extra effort… Lovin’ this!
Getting into the Habit (Standard Operating Procedures – more on this later) of sharing content more than once also lets you get to know what kind of images, messaging and hashtags work with your audience, and can help you to determine when your audience is the most active and what they are most likely to ENGAGE with.
2. CREATE CONTENT THAT ADDS VALUE TO YOUR CUSTOMER
You REALLY need to know your audience. Know what they value, know what is relevant to them, know what experience you bring that removes their worries, solves their niggles. Notice I’m using the word “Know”. This is not guess work on your side. You need to know it For A Fact. So, go ask them.
People are much more likely to share content that they perceive as highly valuable to them. If you can consistently create that type of content – they will share it.
3. CREATE “SNACKABLE” CONTENT
Snackable content is generally short, quick and easily digestible. Snackable content can include quotes, infographics, and stats. Get creative in the way you present your information and find additional ways to frame and present your ideas in shorter forms. You still need the longer version (like this post) as Google loves 1500+ words but to drive sharing and engagement people often share the quick bites. It’s all good brand building for you. And easier to create.
4. SHARE POSTS WHEN FOLLOWERS ARE ACTIVE
Figuring out when your followers are online and active is essential to getting the most impact out of each of your social media posts. Social Media platforms are so immediate that its easy to be missed in the 6000 tweets sent every second!
Use in-network analytics tools (like the new Twitter Dashboard) to help you determine when your audience is online and ready to be engaged.
5. PROVIDE CONTEXT IN HEADLINES/MESSAGING
Your headline can make or break your content – research has shown that up to 80% of readers will decide whether or not to click through on a link based on your title.
Make sure headlines, sound bites and messaging offer clear context for your content and what the reader will get out of it. Good keyword research and knowing your audience well will pay hugely here. Be sure to use Active and Descriptive words to encourage your readers to interact with your content.
6. MAKE SOCIAL MEDIA SHARE BUTTONS EASY TO FIND
This sounds SO simple but seriously, I don’t know how often I find great content that I know my readers would love but can I find anyway of sharing it? I don’t have time to go searching, make it easy!
Be careful how and where these buttons appear. There are the coolest sharing buttons that are “Sticky”, they stay in place when you scroll through content and appear at the side of your blog post. BUT when you read the post on a mobile device you can’t read the content it disappears behind these lovely sharing buttons!
Make sure that its clear which buttons do what – does the big F at the end of your blog post mean I can share your content on my Facebook page or does it mean that I will now follow you on Facebook. There’s a Big Difference!
7. IMAGES MATTER
Always include an image in your post as it increases shares and engagement by over 80%. Even better, include an image showing people, better again show those people being Active.
Some platforms, like Pinterest and Facebook will automatically pull the post’s featured image so make sure it’s a good one. Using software such as canva.com makes it easy to get the correct sized image for each platform as it does it automatically for you. No more excuses for dodgy imagery. Just don’t lose your entire day designing!
8. TRY “CLICK TO TWEET” OPTIONS
It’s the little things in life! “Click to Tweet” plugins let you choose parts of your post that your reader can simply click on to tweet out to all their followers. Firstly, this makes it super easy for your readers to share key notes of your content. They’ll like that. They look good, there adding value to their followers. And secondly it lets you highlight the critical take away points from your article.
I use a plugin, but if your site isn’t on WordPress you can try ClickToTweet.com or run Google search for click to tweet services.
9. USE CALLS TO ACTION
Take it back to the old fashioned Call to Action (CTA). Have a think about what exactly it is you want your readers to do. For example ask them (nicely) to share your post if they’ve found it of value. Include this messaging in all your landing/sales pages too. Be clear in your Calls to Action, leave no room for doubt and incentivise readers to follow your CTAs!
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