Remember when you could write an amazing blog post, paste the link with a featured image, and hit share on social to see your web traffic grow?
The same old content promotion tactics don’t work anymore. With organic reach rapidly declining on social media, you need new ways to effectively promote blog content without paying for it.
In this post, I’ll walk you through four effective and unconventional ways to promote your blog content on social media without paying for it.
Let’s jump right in.
1. Use Facebook Live
It’s no secret reaching people with content (organically) on Facebook is tough. In fact, it’s almost futile.
Reaching people with #content organically on @Facebook is almost futile, says @Nansida.
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Unless you’ve got millions of fans, your organic reach is going to be tiny. Boosting posts is an option but likely not a sustainable plan for all your content.
But what else is there?
Well, one of the most underused forms of content promotion on Facebook is live video.
Daily watch time for Facebook Live content has grown by more than four times since its launch in 2016. On top of that, users comment on Facebook Live videos at 10 times the rate of standard content. Even Facebook has dumped millions into paying influencers to use Facebook Live.
Daily watch time for Facebook Live broadcasts has grown by more than 4x since 2016 via @Facebook.
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How do you use Facebook Live to promote your latest blog post? Go live and announce it. When you do, a notification is sent to all your followers and fans even if the video is only a few minutes long.
Use @Facebook Live to promote your latest #blog post. Notification is sent to all your followers. @Nansida
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Buffer has done a great job of using live broadcasts to share new posts:
To execute the content promotion video through Facebook Live, show a featured image and talk about the key points of the post. Ask viewers to head to your site to finish reading it or to implement the tactics you talked about.
Even if you capture only a small percentage of your audience in the live session, your other audience members can click on the notification to watch the recorded version.
2. Create static Facebook videos
If producing live video content isn’t your cup of tea, don’t fret. Standard Facebook videos are still effective in capturing more organic traffic than a text or text-with-image post. Most content consumed on Facebook is video. That format generates the highest engagement rates of any post type.
Video #content on @Facebook generates the highest engagement rates of any post type via @locowise.
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Brands like HubSpot are taking full advantage of this strategy:
Using short video clips based on the latest blog post has helped drive tons of engagement. The 43-second Facebook video post – How to Write a Killer Email Signature – has over 423,000 views, 2,500 reactions, 1,600 shares, and 273 comments.
Post short video clips based on a latest blog post on @Facebook to drive engagement, says @Nansida.
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That’s massive organic reach even on a dying organic platform.
Take your next blog post and turn it into a short video by outlining your article tips. For example, if your article is “5 Tips for XX,” show each tip in quick succession with a new video clip. Pique viewers’ curiosity then let them know your site has a full tutorial for each tip.
TIP: Don’t give away the entire premise of the post. Use the video only to encourage users to click to your site and read the entire post.
HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT:
3. Create Instagram Stories
Instagram is often thought of as a joke when it comes to blog promotion.
“It’s only meant for photos.”
“People just want to see cool travel pics.”
“Nobody goes on Instagram for blog content.”
Those are a few of the commonly held sentiments among marketers today.
But they’re not true and Instagram’s user base (800 million monthly users, including 500 million daily active users) alone should be enough to convince you the platform is an incredible place to promote your content.
One of the best ways to promote your content on Instagram for maximum engagement is by using its Stories feature. But since Instagram isn’t a link-friendly platform, you’ve got to get creative.
Promote your #blog content on @Instagram using its Stories feature, says @Nansida.
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With the standard Instagram format, you can only include a link in your bio:
But with Stories, you can link within an individual story, bringing people directly to your content without leaving the app.
With your next piece of content, share it on your Instagram feed as a new post first:
Then, turn your post into an Instagram Story and link to your newest blog post with the “See More” feature:
When users swipe up, they land on your latest post without leaving the application, which encourages them to stay rather than bounce:
This natural integration of content is a big win when it comes to promoting on Instagram. Instead of having to tell people to click your link in the bio, they can access it directly from Stories.
TIP: Always promote your latest post as a natural post on Instagram, then follow it up with a Story post that links to your content.
4. Engage with Snapchat
Snapchat? Didn’t Instagram kill Snapchat?
Yes and no. While more users are active on Instagram, Snapchat remains king in terms of daily usage and engagement. Time spent on Snapchat in the last six months has grown almost 20%. Users spend an average of 32.8 minutes per day on the app.
Time spent on @Snapchat in the last six months has grown almost 20% via @recode.
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Even though it only has 300 million monthly active users, Snapchat is five times more effective than Twitter and 10 times more effective than LinkedIn at getting users to engage. Snapchat users also spend equal time browsing content from friends, live stories, and brands.
One of the best ways to promote a new article on Snapchat is by using the story feature where you can tease your latest content.
Use the @Snapchat story feature to give viewers a sneak peek of your latest post, says @Nansida.
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Mashable is perfectly executing this content promotion strategy by creating fun, sneak peeks of its latest posts:
When you swipe to the next slide on the story, it prompts you with a call to action to see the full post:
Using Snapchat to promote your content can help you drive organic traffic directly within the app. If your promotional content gets high engagement, it could even land you on the featured Discover page:
Conclusion
Simply sharing your blog content via a social media blast isn’t going to cut it. You won’t drive the traffic that you need or deserve.
With an ever-expanding tool set on social media, you need to get creative with your sharing strategy. Experiment with Facebook Live, standard videos, Instagram Stories, and Snapchat, and bring those social visits back to your site.
Promotional tactics lose their effectiveness over time. Use these new unconventional yet effective ways to promote your next blog post for maximum engagement.
Get more innovative ways to make your content marketing even more successful at Content Marketing World this September in Cleveland, Ohio. Register today and use code BLOG100 to save $100.
Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute
The post 4 Unconventional Ways to Promote Blog Content on Social Media appeared first on Content Marketing Institute.
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