Amplifying the content is, as we say, half the work. Unfortunately, it is rare that one’s content gets shared by itself, and even rarer that it is spread to our desired audience.
Therefore, we have collected six specific tips for amplifying your content on social media.
1. Know your audience
An important step in the process of getting your content shared is to think carefully about your target group – who are they and which media do they use? In some cases, Facebook or Instagram might be a better option than LinkedIn. In other cases the opposite is true. Most of us also have specific audiences, which we know are extremely difficult to reach and to make engaged in our content. Thus, we need to know our audiences well, know their patterns, and have an understanding of where we can reach them.
2. Use your existing channels
Once the initial considerations of the target groups are in place, it is important to think about where we already have the attention of the desired group. Are we already reaching them through existing channels such as:
- The newsletter?
- The telephone?
- The website?
- At conferences/conventions?
- On social media?
- Colleagues’ networks?
- Other?
If they already receive your newsletter, that goes without saying. But if, for example, they’re attending a meeting or conference you’re holding, it can be a good idea to post a link to the relevant content in your correspondence with the attendees. If they are following your company on social media, you can use those channels to reach them and so on. One thing is certain – content amplification rarely happens by itself. It must start somewhere, and the content should preferably be available where the users are. It is much easier to get a user to click “Like” on LinkedIn, and thereby, share your content with their entire network than it is to get them to actively share content from your website (if they even visit it).
3. Involvement of colleagues
Once the content is made available on relevant social media, you should involve colleagues who may be connected with the relevant target groups. If just one LinkedIn-connection like, share or comment on LinkedIn, he/she share the content with his/her entire network. Thus, the involvement of colleagues has a great impact on the amplification. Get tips to involve colleagues here.
It could be that your colleagues don’t feel that their personal networks are relevant for a particular piece of content. However, they might have 5 or 10 relevant persons, they want to share it with. In this case, private messages on LinkedIn can be a good solution.
4. Find the relevant LinkedIn groups
Sometimes it can be the case that your audiences are already gathered in one place – namely, in a LinkedIn group. For many, it can be a good exercise to search among existing groups to see if it makes sense to join a few of them and then share your content therein.
Know your visiting hours
It is important to remember that many groups have a set of rules, which should be respected. These rules can be about anything from prohibiting the sharing of commercial content to limiting shared content to specific subjects. So, always use a little time to “get a feeling for the tone” of the group before you just start sharing away.
FYI –LinkedIn is currently rolling out a number of changes to groups. Get an overview here.
5. Boost and sponsor your content
If you are not able to reach your desired audience through your existing channels, it may be a solution to simply buy the right visibility. On most social media you can purchase impressions or clicks based on a wide range of criteria.
Did you, for example, know that:
- Facebook can segment on behavior and interests, as well as display ads to people with particular mail addresses?
- LinkedIn can sponsor updates to people with special skills and membership in certain groups?
- You can target people who work in named companies or in specific industries on LinkedIn?
- Instagram already sell ads?
- On Twitter, you can purchase different types of ads?
6. It’s all about great content
Basically, it’s largely about great content. With respect to sharing of content, we see the best results, beyond comparison, when we have written something the target group finds highly relevant and useful. And granted – it is certainly rewarding to write about social media and share it on social media. However, it still requires good relevant content, a self-initiated effort, as well as a well-known reputation for creating good and appropriate amplification of content.
What’s your best tip for content amplification?
Please share your tips and experiences below.