Today's Mission: Influencers & Partners.
We talked yesterday about building a content marketing funnel. I hope you got a pretty good idea of how content can help you build a loyal audience.
One thing that's important to understand though is how to get your content out there for people to see. We've gone into syndication briefly in this challenge, as well as finding different channels to publish on.
But today we're going to talk about how to promote your content, so once you post it, you can get it out there for people to see. This is something that some business owners struggle with at the start.
You should be proud to promote your content; after all, you're creating it to add value to the lives of your patients. And we're so lucky today in that there are so many ways to promote our work online.
So what are some ways you can get your content noticed?
· Facebook Ads
By posting a snippet of your content on Facebook, you'll get more eyes on your work. You can boost the post, or you can post a Facebook ad.
What's the difference?
Boosted posts are great for brand awareness and getting more engagement on your page. With Facebook Ads, you've got more control over ad placement, audience and more.
Facebook has a good article called The Difference Between Boosted Posts and Facebook Ads. It's definitely worth checking out, because you should understand this.
Another advantage to Facebook is that you can also post to Instagram at the same time. It saves time and gets you exposure to different potential audiences.
Other Social Media Platforms
Along with Facebook and Instagram, there are other social media platforms to consider. Twitter is a popular one, and definitely worth experimenting with.
Pinterest is also huge these days. And as an image-oriented platform, it offers some great creative opportunities. You can post product photos, staff photos, printables and patient resources. Pinterest lets you have some serious fun with how you present your brand.
Way back at the start of our challenge, I mentioned our article: How to Promote Your Pharmacy on Social Media.
If you didn't get a chance to look into it then, I would recommend doing it now. It's a good place to start if you find you need to learn a bit more about choosing a platform.
And I included some interesting information from marketing giants like Hubspot and MarketingSherpa. It's a good thing to get a better grasp on if you want to be successful at promoting content.
· Ask Your Readers for Shares
When you share content with your readers, don't be afraid to ask for shares. You can make this personal by writing a quick note on why you created the content and why you think people need to see it.
People love the chance to help; if they think they're passing on a heartfelt message, they'll be happy to share. And, when they're passing on important information that'll improve someone's life, even better!
Once you get a reputation for sharing valuable stuff, your audience will get in the habit of sharing. But at the start, don't be afraid to ask for shares.
· Share with Your Email List
Your email list is a beautiful way to share content; which is why it's such an asset! On Day 21, we talked about Using Content to Build Your Email List.
And sharing your content is another situation where a mailing list will come in handy. You can do this one of two ways, depending on how often you post.
You can create a short email for different segments of your list each time you post content. We haven't covered segments in this series, but here's a great article on the subject by Neil Patel.
Segmentation means dividing your email list to personalize your message for different readers. By segmenting your email list, you're alerting only targeted readers to your posts. Assuming you're writing for all your personas, this avoids emailing any one segment too often.
Another great way to share via email is to send out a weekly digest or bi-weekly newsletter. Newsletters are easy to put together and they let you highlight any content you'd like to share. Either way, sharing with your email list is an important way to get your content seen.
· Using SEO
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization is also important for sharing content. We covered a bit about SEO on Day 7: Where to Publish Your Content.
By making good use of your headers, subheaders & headlines, you'll be easy for Google to find. And once the search engines have indexed your content, your target audience will be able to find it too.
Now SEO can sound a bit intimidating to some, but don't worry.
These days, it's all about the user experience, so you can keep things simple. Sure, you should still be using keywords, but the spotlight is on relevance. Post valuable content, be sure your readers are getting value from your site, and SEO will fall into place.
· Hire an Influencer
Have an influencer in your town that would be a great fit? Perhaps a podcast host with a focus on health, or an anti-aging guru who loves supplements? An influencer whose audience overlaps with yours without competing would be perfect.
If you're working with an influencer, be sure to set up special landing pages for their audience.
· Partner Up
Partnering with another reputable venture is also a good way to promote your content. If you can find a service that offers complementary services, you may share an audience.
Think clinics around town, wellness centres, doctors; there are endless possibilities. Then get to work sharing each other's content with affiliate links.
Okay, maybe not quite so quickly.
When you're approaching someone for this type of relationship, it needs to be well thought out. You need to take care to find someone you're proud to associate your brand with, but it's never too early to start thinking about potential partnerships.
· Break Up Your Content
Each article you write can provide between 5 and 10 snippets that you can share. These might be blurbs about a specific point in the content. They could be short videos, captions for intriguing images, you know where this is going.
Be sure to divvy up your content to make things interesting!
There are so many ways to promote your content, all it takes is a little imagination! Also, don't forget syndication and repurposing- both will help get your brand out there.
And one more important tip is to link to internal content on your blog or site when you post. This makes it easy for readers to find other relevant content on your website, and they'll love that!
As more people see your content, you'll get more likes and shares.
Your mission for today is to review social media platforms and come up with one or two to experiment with. If you're already a social media whiz, that's great, try as many as you like. But if your'e new to the game, take it slow; remember, this is about having fun with your patients.
And if you're new and you haven't already, check out our article on using social media to promote your pharmacy. Once you've done that, make a list of some local influencers or professionals you may want to reach out to. As always, don't forget staff input.
Write these potential partnerships down in your content management plan and spend a couple of days thinking about what these connections could look like. As we go through the rest of the month, keep this in the back of your mind; at the end of the month, we'll look at how to reach out to potential connections.
Have a great day and we'll see you back here tomorrow for Day 24! Can you believe we're almost done the challenge already?