1. Announce every post on your top social media networks.
Every single blog post you write is an asset. You spent the time and energy (or money, if you've hired a blogger) to produce that content, so you should do everything possible to get as much mileage as you can out of every post.
Every single blog post you write is an asset. You spent the time and energy (or money, if you've hired a blogger) to produce that content, so you should do everything possible to get as much mileage as you can out of every post.
Social media marketing is all about sharing content. That's why you want to be sure you "announce" every post you write on your most important social media networks. If you're a B2B company, for example, you'll probably want to stick with Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. If you're in a more visual space (especially retail, e-commerce, and travel businesses) then consider a Facebook + Pinterest approach. Google Plus has proven SEO benefits, so regardless of your business type you'll want to promote just about every post there as well.
2. Create unique headlines for every announcement.
Here's the key -- make every "announcement" interesting and compelling. Put your copywriting skills to work crafting unique headlines for every social post. You don't want to simply throw up the title of the blog post and a link. Be clever. Think about your audience. Try multiple approaches, using something unique for each social network.
Here's the key -- make every "announcement" interesting and compelling. Put your copywriting skills to work crafting unique headlines for every social post. You don't want to simply throw up the title of the blog post and a link. Be clever. Think about your audience. Try multiple approaches, using something unique for each social network.
3. Share every blog post multiple times.
If you're using software like HootSuite, this is super easy. Let's say your publishing your new blog post today. You'll also want to get some juice out of that same blog post a few weeks and even a few months down the road. So this is the perfect opportunity to schedule additional announcements of this same post well into the future.
If you're using software like HootSuite, this is super easy. Let's say your publishing your new blog post today. You'll also want to get some juice out of that same blog post a few weeks and even a few months down the road. So this is the perfect opportunity to schedule additional announcements of this same post well into the future.
Remember: much of social media is about what's happening right NOW. Regardless of how large of a social following you might have, you're still only going to capture so many people with each social post. Don't be afraid to promote posts multiple times. If you've never done this, now is a good time to start digging through your blog archive.
I'd also recommend featuring those uber popular blog posts even more. Once you begin to identify your "top 10" most popular or most converting posts, you can continue to share them on your social networks. Just be careful not to inundate your social audiences too much with repetitive content.
4. Build a comment network.
I remember the good ol' days of blogging. You know, back when it was sort of "rare" and almost "strange" to have a blog about anything (let alone for your business!). Blogging really pre-dates all social networks. It truly was the first form of online social networking.
I remember the good ol' days of blogging. You know, back when it was sort of "rare" and almost "strange" to have a blog about anything (let alone for your business!). Blogging really pre-dates all social networks. It truly was the first form of online social networking.
Think about it -- in those days, you would publish a new blog post, then go out and leave comments on other bloggers posts, and they would reciprocate. I made many contacts and uncovered many new prospects using that simple system.
It baffles me how so few bloggers are doing this today -- especially business blogs. Do it! Start commenting on related blogs in your marketplace and begin building connections. It takes time, but soon you'll see the results rolling in.
5. Include blog posts in weekly or monthly email newsletters.
Don't forget to promote your blog posts to your existing list of email subscribers. Many of these folks are probably not reading your blog every day, so don't hesitate to share 2 or 3 of your "top posts" each month by email.
Don't forget to promote your blog posts to your existing list of email subscribers. Many of these folks are probably not reading your blog every day, so don't hesitate to share 2 or 3 of your "top posts" each month by email.
There are a number of ways to pull this off, but I recommend a monthly dispatch email that includes a wide range of content in one email. For many of your email subscribers, a lot of this content will be very valuable to them. Remember: just because they're not clicking through to your blog each week doesn't mean they're not interested in the content you're publishing.
