The best way to get your message out in front of a wider audience is through blogging and content marketing….when done well it drives traffic back to your website which is the hub of your online efforts.
Conversion rates are important but focusing on social shares and traffic is the best way to tell if there is interest in what we offer and whether our content has done well. You’ve got to have surefire system to creating content that is easily shared.
Now I don’t want to be a downer but here’s the facts…
Did you know that it is in fact difficult to get those social shares you’re after?
BuzzSumo and Moz report that approximately 50% get an average of 8 shares or less. At CoSchedule they reported that 77% in their survey said they share content 3 times or less.
Whaaaat?!
I’ll bet that if you’re a seasoned blogger, you probably already know this and if you are a new blogger, then you’re probably asking yourself then why bother?
Don’t throw in the towel, here’s some help to get your content shared more than those averages:
1. Create content that is worth sharing
If you aren’t creating content that your audience is interested in, then all of your great promotion efforts aren’t going to help you out.
In this case chose quality over quantity, even if it means you publish fewer articles a month – – Please make it good!
- Do your research
- Make sure it has a beginning, middle and end – just like you were taught in school
- Format your content for readability
2. Always use Images
Here’s why… Facebook posts with images get 2.3 times more engagement than posts without images.
Just do it!
Add at least one image to your content that’s designed to look good for social media.
Here’s my top 3 tips for selecting an image that will stand out and get noticed:
- Pick a relevant image
- High contrast Images
- Add copy to your image
3. Make it Easy to Share Your Content
You’ll want to make it easy for readers to share your content by adding social sharing buttons to every page on your site.
I recommend the Shareaholic plugin for WordPress. I also like Tweet this plugin which gives you the ability create CTA’s for your readers. You can embed your most engaging quotes as Click to Tweet links in your articles.
4. Ask For Shares
I am a believer that you have to ask for what you want…so ask your readers to share your content.
Just try it and see what happens!
5. Always Write Great Headlines
The number 2 thing people see when looking at your content on social media and other platforms in your headline.
Whether they read it and or share it is most often decided by how good your headline is.
Bottom line:
- Great headlines get shared.
- Boring or vague headlines don’t.
Start noticing headlines that capture your interest and ones with a lot of share and create a swipe file of great headlines you can use for your content.
To Recap
If you want to get noticed, shared and more traffic to your blog here’s what you gotta do:
- Create content that is worth sharing
- Always use Images
- Make it Easy to Share Your Content
- Ask For Shares
- Write Great Headlines
Like what you’ve read here? Please leave us a comment and be sure to share with your friends!
