The biggest challenge for B2B marketers is building awareness about the brand. Companies that invest time and resources in content marketing add value to their business by building reputations as reliable sources of information.
To build a loyal following of readers, brands distribute their own content across social media. Sharing content across social networks expands the brand’s reach with potential for significant return. Data compiled by Marketo indicates that the majority of small businesses acquire up to 25% of new customers through social media.
However, building the most appropriate social media strategy is challenging, particularly due to the number of available platforms to distribute content. Here are some tips to keep in mind when preparing your own social media plan to distribute your brand’s content.
- 1. Know How Your Audience Consumes Content
How you present the information will affect how you distribute your content across social media. Audiences respond to content based on how it is presented and how it appears in a stream on social media.
For many years, the go-to distribution strategy was to share a new piece of content on Facebook and engage with a tightly-knit audience. This was particularly effective in the pre-mobile marketing days when desktop internet consumption was unrivaled. But readers’ attention spans are shortening as mobile screens become the preferred option to absorb content. This means advertisers must find alternative methods to distribute information and engage with readers.
According to Marketing Land’s Aaron Strout, there are 1.68 billion active mobile social accounts in the world, which is contributing to the rapid growth in global internet consumption. This unprecedented growth means consumers are distributing more content on channels like Snapchat, Meerkat, Periscope, and especially Twitter. To increase the virality of your own content, create something for those channels that will attract the attention of active users.
- 2. Look at the Numbers on Newer Platforms
Most marketers automatically turn to Facebook and Twitter to distribute their content while many brands, especially those competing in B2B industries, are also utilizing LinkedIn. However, don’t overlook channels that are not considered as “professional” as other platforms.
Pinterest is one of the world’s most popular social media platforms, expanding into a network of over 72 million active users since the channel’s launch in 2010. Pinterest reportedly generates 300% more referral traffic to a website than Facebook and the majority of Pinterest users interact with the platform using their smartphones.
The channel also rivals Snapchat as one of the most popular social media platforms among Millennials, a highly sought demographic. Companies that build a visually entertaining Pinterest board can engage with their readers by posting images or videos that are directly or indirectly related to their core industry. Remember to ensure that the Pinterest board is responsive and mobile friendly as most users will arrive through their smartphones.
- 3. Follow the Popular Search Trends
Top search topics in a given week, compiled by Google on the search engine’s official blog, can impact or completely change a content distribution strategy. For example, Warner Bros. chose to take down a video ad for the alternative metal band Disturbed during the week of August 24, 2015 in response to the tragic shooting of two reporters in Virginia.
According to statements provided to USA Today, the ad contained footage from the band’s music video that showed a violent creature shooting employees at a TV station. Due to the tragedy and the sheer volume of search traffic about the incident, the label wisely chose to adjust their promotional strategy and remove the ad.
Ironically the interest in the Virginia shooting and the band’s controversial music video helped the album top the charts during its debut weekend. Over 5.8 million people have searched for the video on YouTube, though many searchers hit the thumbs down button – likely a result of the viral real-life shooting.
- 4. Incorporate the Right Tools
Brands that are registered for content marketing software can use many features to improve the quality of content and improve share results. Software allows brands to integrate visuals or data from top sources like Instagram or Wikipedia and include those assets within promotional material.
Software can also help track your brand’s share of voice across social media channels and compare the numbers to those of your closest competitors. Focus on the amount of earned engagement on your own channels and optimize the best ways to increase that interaction.
The more likes, shares, comments, and mentions you can earn with new updates means your readers like what you post. If you can increase the rate at which you post fresh content, you can earn even more media.
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