CONTENT MARKETING PT. 2

Content Marketing: How can your business benefit from it?
Last month, we began to discuss the ins and outs of what makes your content so important to your web presence by focusing on traffic and engagement. This week, we’ll delve deeper into three additional mediums we use to reach every corner of the web, and the tools that help us get there.
Social Shares
Your presence and splash on social media sites is a huge component of bringing traction to your website content. The popularity of social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and more (we could go on and on) is good news for web marketers because it provides a medium for their content to spread like wildfire. Social sharing allows your content to be seen by a potentially massive amount of people, depending on how big of a splash your content makes. The bigger the splash, the bigger the ripple effect.
The size of your splashes and ripples on social media depend largely on the number of followers you have on your social media sites.  They’re the ones who are reading and (if you’re doing it right) sharing your content, and they’re the ones you’re trying to engage. A good way to start measuring a particular piece of content’s social media impact is by taking a look at the number of likes, retweets, shares, etc. that it has. The more engaged your audience is, the higher those numbers will be and the bigger the ripple effect becomes. If you wish to delve deeper into analyzing your social media presence, social analytical tools like Simply Measured and Sysomos  will help you get a more well-rounded perspective of how your content holds up on these sites.
All in all, the best thing you can do to get eyes on your content is to maximize the number of social media followers you have. If your content is truly engaging, the shares and backlinks will take care of themselves. But what exactly makes your audience share your content?
Backlinks
The number of backlinks your content has really displays how well it will withstand the test of time. People link back to content they find for several reasons. If your reader finds it applicable to their lives now or in the future, they are likely to hold on to it or share it with their friends. Content that includes thoughts from a credible source holds authority and drives up links as well, and posting about a controversial topic that encourages people to think and discuss the topic will also increase your traffic. Anything that’s really funny is worth posting as well. This is because funny links will, forever and always, rule the internet.
Furthermore, any content that tickles the ego of your readers is sure to gain traction. We all love to read something that makes us feel proud of ourselves, and will share it to bask in that fleeting but self-actualizing glory. The main concept to keep in mind for your content, though, is to keep it relevant and keep it interesting. Know your audience and play to their strengths and interests, and you should have an engaged audience to write to.
Conversion Rates
At the end of the day, the only way your content will be truly successful is if it leads to money in your pocket. Be sure to present a clear and concise call to action that your readers can take to heart and implement into their lives. A good call to action should be relevant to the content you are posting, and allow your readers to delve deeper into your content in order to carry out that action. Set conversion goals for yourself and see how the results of your content match up with your goals. Tweak things as you need to, and always seek the perfect words to inspire your readers.
Can you see now how important your content actually is? If this has inspired you, I challenge you to get writing and get people reading! Put out the best content you can and it will go a long way. Share this post (and last week’s) with anyone who could improve their content marketing game and, as always, contact us if you want to talk content marketing strategies with the experts here at Different Perspective.