The amount of information on the Internet grows larger each day as more and more manufacturing firms implement content marketing strategies. By 2020, it is expected that the amount of information on the web will grow by 500% (The Content Code) - meaning that a lot of content will go unread. So how do you ensure that your well thought out content gets seen? Below are 3 content promotion tips for manufacturers.
When it comes to content creation and promotion, influencers are your friends. Co-created content is an extremely powerful tool that can elevate your content strategy. Your prospects want to hear from their peers regarding their pain points, not just your organization.
In order to tap into this market, it is important to not only recruit influencers to write for you, but also give them a reason to share your collaboration. Influencers are busy just like you, so consider providing them with pre-written social messages, etc. It’ll make them more likely to share your content with their vast network if they just have to copy and paste social shares rather than come up with their own promotional material.
Bylined articles or blog posts in trade publications are great for brand awareness. Often times we see that prospects in the industrial space don’t have time to comb social media for the latest industry updates. Instead, they use their limited time to view trade publications or other industry specific media outlets.
The great thing about bylines is that they are free, and once earned, can be an excellent place for citing your own content and driving traffic back to your business. The major time commitment, other than writing the article, deals with pitching your thought leader (usually an executive) to the chosen publication. This can be a time consuming task that might not end with success. Make sure to treat this process like a pipeline; you need to reach out to more than one publication as well as follow-up from time to time in order to have your deal ‘close’.
Yes - social promotion and email promotion are still one of the major avenues for content promotion. However, you should not put all of your eggs in this basket; a common occurrence in the manufacturing space. In order to be successful in social media, you should try to build a community one social channel at a time. For example - LinkedIn is one of the top places for industrial buyers to be spending their time, so create content geared towards that platform and leverage the half-life before moving on to the next channel.
Regardless of how your organization decides to promote and distribute content, you need to develop a written strategy so that everyone is on the same page and can be held accountable. Do you see success with a specific content promotion technique your company is using? Tell us about it in the comments!