Make the Most of Your Content
When you create content, you want to get the most out of it.
You don't just write a blog then let it sit on your site, hoping someone will happen upon it and read it. If you're making the most of your content, you're writing a blog, then posting it to Facebook, then sharing it on Twitter, adding it to your LinkedIn feed and publications, and maybe even pinning it to Pinterest. And if you're really making the most of your content, you're posting to those different platforms at the most opportune times.
Let's Get Meta
Let's say I posted this blog about how to make the most of your content. It's an awesome blog, but the chances of someone just stumbling across my website and reading it are small. Not impossible (because I optimize my blogs for search engine visibility and use key words when I can), but not super probable either.
The Content Chop Shop has several social media platforms that it uses to connect with our customers, colleagues, potential clients and friends. Each platform has a slightly different audience. I want them all to know about this amazing blog, but I don't tell my friend something the same way I tell my biggest client something or the same way I tell a potential client something. Here's a basic run down of the kinds of audience members each of our social media platforms have:
- Facebook: customers, potential customers, fans, friends, colleagues.
- Twitter: mostly colleagues and others in our field.
- LinkedIn: professional acquaintances, clients and potential clients.
- Pinterest: fans and friends, but probably not customers. Maybe a few colleagues.
After I write my blog, I want to post it across all of our platforms, but I know that my Facebook followers are not looking at Facebook at the same exact time my Pinterest followers are online pinning and so on. This is where scheduling tools, such as Hootsuite, can really help.
In addition to time differences, I also know that each platform's audience is different and therefore needs to be addressed uniquely. Here's what I do:
- Facebook: I post on Facebook near the end of the work week during the lunch hour, when most people are sort of over work and looking for something to entertain them. Let's say Thursdays at 11:30am. I also know that Facebook has a wide audience for me, so I keep the post general.
"Everyone wants to make the most of the content they write, but if you're not posting at the right times, people might be missing out on your awesome information. Learn how to optimize your next piece of content in our latest blog!"
- Twitter: I take the same blog post and share it on Twitter on Friday afternoon. Studies show this is when Twitter activity peaks. My goal here is to capture hashtags and get retweets. My audience is mostly colleagues in my field.
"If your content isn't getting the response you want, change how and when you share it. #contentmarketing #writing http://bit.ly/smalllink"
- LinkedIn: Since LinkedIn is mostly professionals trying to create business connections, I'm going to talk very differently to them. I'm also going to post between 10am and 11am on Tuesdays, when folks are making the most of their virtual business network.
"Are you making the most of the content you create for your business or clients? Just because you're sharing information on social media doesn't mean your followers are seeing it. Find out more about how and when to speak to your ideal audience in our latest blog."
- Pinterest: Pinners seem to be pinning away the most in the afternoons during the mid-week. I want to make sure whatever content I'm sharing on Pinterest has a great image (see below) and that my caption for the image is brief, but informative and always refers to the content creator. My pinterest followers are fans and friends, but they're also interested in learning more about something - anything! Speak to that.
" Learn how to make the most of the content you create by creating pitch-perfect, on-time social posts. Via @The Content Chop Shop"
All of these posts will have links directly to the blog and images whenever possible. I will make these posts within the week of posting the blog, but that doesn't mean I can't ever post about this blog again. Your content can be used and reused, provided you don't over do it or spam your followers. Maybe in a month or two when things are slow and your content creation has waned, go back into your archives, pull out that old blog that is still totally relevant and re-share. There's no law against that. Mix up the language of your posts a little bit or relate the post to an ongoing project or recent study or news story. Just remember - it's your content - USE IT!
Also, you may notice that posting at these times and days do not work for your particular audience. Although these times frames are recognized as generally true across all users, if you have a niche market that seems to be more active in the evenings or on the weekends, then by all means - post at those times! The key is to look over the analytics and responses on each of your platforms and cater the content to those peak times.
