There’s a world of difference between having content and actually getting good use out of your content.
Maybe you’re in a position where your small business has invested in content production and distribution, but you feel like you’re not getting as much out of it as you’re putting in. Maybe you’re getting frustrated, and desperately need to see things amped up and taken to the next level.
Not only is that possible, but it’s attainable without breaking the bank or devoting all your time to content marketing. Consider some of these fairly simple steps:
- Get your audience involved. Want to get more out of your content without having to produce a lot more content? Get your readers, customers, followers, and fans involved. Solicit their input. Open the floor to comments, stories, and shared experiences. Make your social media and content channels true dialogues and open platforms. Learn to relinquish control—and yeah, you may have some unwanted comments from time to time. However, you’ll also have increased engagement and more dynamic, multi-faceted content.
- Make your content flow seamlessly. When a user finishes with a piece of content, he or she should find it easy to navigate to other relevant content. Your blog posts should connect to Facebook, your videos should have links to your website, and so on. Those who want to learn more about your company or your niche should be able to do so effortlessly—and really, all that this requires of you is consistent linking.
- Hone your focus. Are you marketing on Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest? Do you feel like all of these platforms are providing you with something worthwhile? If you’re having mixed results, it may be time to do some real soul-searching about where your audience is; abandon the platforms that feel like ghost towns and go where your customers are.
- Pare it down. Did you know that the ideal length for a Facebook post is 40 characters? That shared links tend to perform better than images? We have a tendency to overthink social media, and to assume that we need to be long-winded, sophisticated, and overly complex when, in reality, simple and direct posts usually work best.