A few weeks ago, we used the new Star Wars sequel to illustrate the power of knowing your audience.
For this post, we’ll use the example of a different kind of film: the sleeper. That’s show business jargon for a movie that gets no promotion – Slumdog Millionaire, Napoleon Dynamite, My Big Fat Greek Wedding – and appears out of nowhere to become a huge hit.
Those kind of success stories are pretty rare, which is why they make the news when they happen.
When you launch your new website, it’s not enough to simply hope visitors will discover you slowly, over time. (Although good content can still lead to conversions long after you’ve published it.)
So instead of hoping for eventual success, let’s look at how to find it right out of the gate with a few tips for promoting your content from day one.
1. Create Great Content
Your site should include a blog where you can discuss topics related to your field. These posts should be timely, and focused on the problems your audience wants to solve.
That means knowing your audience. (If you’re wondering how to do that, now’s a good time to read up on buyer personas.) When you know you’re audience, you’ll know what they’re looking for online. The blog topics you create should include those phrases. When the audience finds content that’s useful or interesting, they’re more likely to link to it or share it on social media.
As you write posts, you’ll get feedback from readers, which will help you better understand what your audience is after.
And you should plan on posting several times a month. Companies that update their blog more than 11 times a month can see four times the number of leads as those who only update four or five times.
2. Head To Social Media
There’s no rule that you need to promote your content on every social platform, but it’s a good idea to use more than one. There are advantages to each site:
Facebook – When your site is newly launched, Facebook gives you the opportunity to invite people to your business/fan page, which can in turn get them back to your site. Granted, the people you’re inviting will be your friends and family, and therefore not necessarily your target market.
Still, those people can share with people in their networks who are interested in what you sell or what you do.
Twitter – This site will allow you to build relationships by following and interacting with people in your field. It may not bring a lot of people to your site, but as the marketing website Kissmetrics puts it, you’ll be “bringing a handful of the right people.”
Instagram – As we’ve said before in discussions about social media, Instagram is a great service if what you do is particularly visual. And we don’t just mean photogenic, like an elaborate wedding cake or jewelry or something like that. If you can take photos of something interesting related to your business, share it!
3. What Not To Do
Before you start promoting your content, make sure you’re adhering to a few more rules:
- Don’t spam people. They’ve trusted you with their contact info and have shown they’re willing to give you their time. Don’t abuse that trust.
- Don’t mislead people. If people don’t trust your brand, that’s the end of your brand.
- Think before you post. Don’t share content that’s going to upset people.
Above all, be professional, and don’t try to do too much too soon. It’s better to start off strong with a solid website that focuses on the basics of your business than one with a lot of bells and whistles.
Creating great content is only one piece of your marketing campaign. Without a robust strategy to promote, you can’t expect it to reach your target audience. That’s where IQnection can help. We use tools such as search engine optimization, email campaigns and social media marketing to get your content where it needs to be.
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