It’s easy to draw an audience for your content if you have already established a name for yourself and produce content that is attractive, eye-catching and recognisable. However, what do you do if you’re only starting out in content production or content marketing?
Different Ways of Content Distribution
Firstly, let’s have a look at the three well-established ways that could help you get your content out there:
Owned - this includes all the content that you have developed yourself, for example on blogs, websites and newsletters.
Earned - this is where your readers give you feedback and help spread your content organically. For example, sharing, liking your content or leaving reviews and comments.
Paid - This is where you pay for your content to be seen. This means that you create ads for your content and pay for those clicks and impressions.
Gaining Traction: How to Start if You Don’t Have a Name Yet
Today, the popularity of your content very much depends on how many followers you have. Different social media platforms offer different possibilities and benefits. So before you start choosing which platform to go for, it might be a good idea to read common social media strategies to avoid.
Starting on Social Media
Email
You can start by gathering returning followers, this is usually done via an e-mail list. E-mail Marketing is a great way to create new relationships and build on existing ones. Here’s how you can get started. For new relationships, you’ll have to get primary contacts to share your content. This is where social media comes into play.Facebook
People on Facebook are used to being invited to like and share pages. Your friends, family and acquaintances are a good starting point for getting your content out there. If you’re interested in finding out what benefits Facebook can offer you and your business, read here. In the last year, Facebook introduced new ways for content promotion, such as post boosts, 8 different reactions and other paid social tools.Twitter
Twitter is another good way to get your name out there and perhaps meet some new people who share the same ideas. Recently, Twitter has been following in Facebook’s footsteps, when it comes to the promotion of content. The best one for getting your content out there is the ‘Promoted Tweets’ option.Pinterest and Instagram
The only two requirements for these platforms are that you create eye-catching content and get people to like it. This will help you gain followers. Both of these platforms are more focused on visually attractive content, so if you’re working in this sector, make sure to check them out.LinkedIn
LinkedIn works in a similar way to Facebook when it comes to content. It will show the content that you might like, what your followers like and paid content that matches your profile. The trick is to connect to as many people as you potentially can. These are only the main steps that you should consider when trying to get your content out there. You could also try commenting on other people’s content to gain recognition and followers, but most importantly make sure that your social profiles are smart and polished, especially in relation to grammar and photos.TikTok
Create engaging content and you will have your audience wanting more. The short-form video app has proven to be one of the most effective ways to reach large audiences the world over. Whether or not you become a TikTok star here are a few handy tips to help get more TikTok views. Adding hashtags to your videos will make them more easily seen; keep your videos short, 30 seconds or under; and be clear and concise in writing your caption making sure to explain why audiences should watch your video.
Other Tricks of the Trade
Test everything related to content technology. This includes making sure that your site works for major browsers and on different devices, fully integrating your social media, making sure all the links and buttons work and, finally, making it easy for the user to connect and follow you in terms of social media, newsletter and contact information.
Also, if you’re someone who believes in colour psychology and it’s relevant for your content, read this post on how colour influences our decisions when it comes to content.
Keep a content calendar containing a list of all the posts to be scheduled. This will help you to be better organised. You could help yourself by creating a schedule, and writing articles that are related to your sector.
Finally, do not spam, mislead, or post content that could potentially anger people. Remember, you have to keep your audience happy!