We’ve often heard the phrase, “Content is king”, coined by Bill Gates in 1996. Whether this is true or not does not negate the fact that content marketing strategy plays an important role in increasing social conversion. At the Dreamforce 2012 conference, Scott Monty, who heads up social media at Ford Motor Company, said, “Content is the currency of social.” Social media uses both text and visual content. Its very nature is to encourage a response from the user, be it a share, like, or comment. When user engagement occurs through content posted by a brand, it can lead to brand traffic, loyalty and ultimately revenue.
Here are five content strategies that brands can take advantage of to increase social conversions:
1. Create a content calendar: plan and schedule posts.
Using a spreadsheet or calendar template to write in your content topics for the days you post, will keep you focused and help you determine what you want to concentrate on. You can use an application such as HootSuite, Sprout Social or any of the others you can find online to schedule your posts on the days you choose.
2. Research and analyze your target audience and their engagement.
Once you determine your target audience you can research competitor sites and social networks to gain an understanding of who they are and what they like. You should also identify which keywords will generate the most traffic and engagement. You can use tools such as Google Analytics to do this. These measurements will help you determine which social media platforms your brand should be present on.
3. Decide on the focus of your content.
When you understand your audience you can tailor your content to their interests, which will lead to more engagement. You want to provide them with a learning experience, while keeping their interest and heightening their engagement. Mix it up by including posts that are entertaining, motivational, and talk about your brand. You want your brand to stand out above the others in your industry by producing content that shows your authority and draws your audience in.
4. Strengthen your content’s reach with SEO.
The content you create should utilize the keywords and phrases that will drive traffic to your website and lead to conversions. If you did the research you will have identified what these are. Use them in your title, throughout your content, and in your categories and tags. Make sure they are popular keywords in your industry and ones that searchers commonly use.
5. Engage with readers and encourage interaction around your content.
Encouraging interaction and feedback centered around your purposeful and valuable content will lead to increased user engagement, which in turn brings in more traffic. When you engage readers with your content and interaction, they feel like their opinion is valuable to you, especially if you’re careful to include them in the conversation and respond to them.
When you combine exceptional content with smart SEO strategies you will experience results. Followers will trust and share your content, you will see improved search rankings, and the increased traffic to your website will result in revenue.
At ICUC we are experienced with helping brands develop content and SEO strategies that will improve brand experience, traffic and revenue. We can provide the analytics and reports your brand needs and we can manage and monitor your online communities. Strong professional management leads to brand loyalty and conversions.
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If you’re interested to learn more about ICUC – check out our website, or please feel free to email us at marketing@icucmoderation.com.
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