PICTURE THIS: You have just written what may be your best blog post ever.
You are certain this article is going to get a ton of shares -- that people will be talking about it for weeks (maybe years) to come.
BIG QUESTION: How do you kickstart the promotion?
It's a tough truth to grasp, but the social media job doesn't end when you publish a post.
In many ways, that's when the real work BEGINS.
Your job now is to make SURE it gets seen.
Don't leave that part to chance. "Wait and see" is generally a poor business strategy.
Going the extra mile is what separates the pros from the wannabees. Just a bit of extra effort can catapult you to a whole different level of achievement.
Consider the Olympics where the difference between no medal and Gold can be measured in fractions of a second.
I know content promotion can be IS tough. That's why I've compiled this list of steps to take when you need better reach and more interaction on your posts.
You can post the most amazing content on the planet, but it's ineffective without viewers. Think about that statement for a bit and you'll see opportunity camouflaged as hard work.
- OUCH: Your job keeps going after most people think the work has ended
- YES: Your extra effort can leapfrog you waaaaaay ahead of the competition!
C'mon, let's jump right in and learn how to promote a post on Facebook... and beyond.
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How to Effectively Promote Your Content on Facebook
1. Add the Facebook Like button to your posts
If you don't have social sharing buttons on your blog's single post template already, now's the time to install them.
In particular, you'll want the Facebook Like button, Twitter Retweet button, LinkedIn Share button (for business content), Pinterest Pin button (for posts with visual content), and Google +1 button.
WordPress users have access to plugins that will get all of these buttons auto-added to blog content. There's an array of looks and options to choose from. Just be sure to check reviews and stick with proven winners.
2. Share the post on your wall in 4 different ways
Facebook allows you to post 4 types of status updates to your wall: link updates, photo updates, video updates and text updates. Use them all to promote your blog post at different times on your Facebook Page.
This strategy will also allow you to EXPERIMENT with different update types and times to see which get the most engagement.
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You can start with a standard link update by sharing the URL to your blog post and adding a short description. And never miss a chance to add an appropriate call to action (CTA). You don't always need to be heavy-handed. CTAs can be soft and seductive.
Next, you can try a photo update. If you're not sure about how to find and choose photos that get plenty of attention, try Post Planner's Viral Photo Finder.
If you have a video that relates to your blog post, be sure to share it. (In case you haven't heard, video for Facebook just got amazing!)
Last, but not least, is a traditional text-only status update where you ask your audience a question and include your link for reference.
The right question can elicit a ton of responses. For ideas, try Post Planner's Status Ideas feature.
The goal of sharing your post multiple times is to capture the attention of different audiences at different points throughout the day or week.
By sharing your post in different status update types, you won't sound like a broken record. If someone sees 2 out of 4 of your updates, maybe the first won't convince that particular reader to click, but the second just might.
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3. Tag others where relevant
Tag all relevant mentions made in your blog post. If you're promoting your post using the 4 different types of status updates (as described above), tag others in only ONE of those types -- preferably in the link update.
The goal with this approach is to get the attention of the people and businesses you've mentioned. Hopefully, they will thank you by sharing your work with their audiences.
What, you're not in the habit of mentioning others in your posts? If so, you're missing out on the best and most powerful part of the internet: Community.
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4. Post to other Facebook Pages
If you want to be a little more bold, you can share your blog post on other relevant Pages.
Because posting to another Page's wall is a more aggressive strategy, you will want to make sure your post is 100% relevant. Otherwise, they'll just delete it (and maybe even ban you from their Page).
5. Share your post on your Facebook personal profile
Take the best share of your blog post from your Facebook Page and share it on your personal profile. Sharing there helps your blog post in two ways:
- It boosts the popularity of the post on your Facebook Page by giving it another share
- It allows you to get your blog post in front of your personal profile followers and friends
PRO TIP: If you want your Page to be mentioned on your personal profile, you'll need to share a photo, video or text status update. When you share the link status update type, your Page info will be omitted.
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6. Boost post engagement through the Facebook ads interface
To reach more of your Facebook Page fans (and a larger audience beyond your fans), you will want to invest in a Facebook ad campaign.
Use the pulldown arrow on the top right of your Page and select "Create Ads."
With Facebook Ads, you have 3 primary options:
1. You can create a Boost campaign to drive engagement to the status update on your Facebook Page
2. You can promote likes on your Page
3. You can increase traffic to your website
Either option 2 or 3 will give you advanced audience targeting. You can target specific audiences using a wide range of criteria.
Another audience targeting strategy you could use is Custom Audiences. You can create a Custom Audience in the ads interface in order to target specific people -- for example, your email subscribers, LinkedIn contacts, Gmail contacts, etc.
All you have to do is export those email lists and create a Custom Audience in Facebook Ad Manager.
You can also create lookalike audiences. Facebook will analyze your contact lists and find people who are similar to those on the list.
7. Use Group search to find relevant discussions
Facebook Groups include a search box that allows you to find particular updates by keyword. Use it to find discussions related to the post you are trying to promote.
When you find a good discussion (in a link-friendly group) where your post will be relevant to answering a question posed in the group... you've hit PAYDIRT!
Share your post!
Share it in a conversational way that includes additional information to make your answer the most valuable response in the thread. Your answer will stand out (since it's the best one it will pull the most attention and likes). That is the essence of promotions: Get the right info to the right people.
If you find multiple results that apply to your blog post, share it with variations on the description. Don't just copy and paste the same answer into every post you find, since some readers might be following several of those threads.
You want to look like you're contributing a valuable answer, not spamming indiscriminately.
Also, be sure to continue following the conversation for a bit after you share your blog post link. People won't necessarily tag you if they respond to you in the thread. Social media is a social activity. That means you must participate in the conversation in order to get maximum recognition.
Interaction fuels promotions!
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8. Use Facebook comments on your website
By using a Facebook comments plugin, visitors can comment on your blog using their Facebook profile or Page. One of the perks of using this system is that people will be encouraged to share the comment on Facebook.
Those who leave the box checked will end up sharing a link to your post with their Facebook audience.
There are numerous WordPress plugins to choose from. As with the social media sharing plugin, though, be sure to choose a tested plugin that has plenty of reviews.
9. Turn your post into an event!
If you have one special blog post to promote – maybe one for a big blogging contest, to launch a product, to make a big announcement, or other date-sensitive information – consider creating an event.
Events can be created using your personal profile (to invite friends), your Facebook Page (to invite fans) or your group (to invite members).
One of the reasons events are effective is that people who join your event will see a notification every time you update it. This will keep your blog post fresh and impressionable.
From the day you create an event to the final day of the promotion make periodic updates about any changes to the post. Maybe start discussions within your event based on the content and the comments on your post.
Don’t go overboard – one update daily should be the max.
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10. Try these bonus promotion tips on other social media sites
Facebook should not be the end-all of your content promotion strategy. Here are a few extra tips to make sure your best content gets the most exposure.
- Tweet your latest content with a couple of headline/title variations, then choose the best performers to use for posts elsewhere
- Setup an IFTTT recipe (Twitter search to email) that will alert you to people asking questions on Twitter related to your post -- then share your post with those people
- Share your latest content with your email list
- Set up alerts on niche forums for more promotion opportunities
- Find influencers who have shared similar content, then contact them to see if they would be interested in sharing yours
In Conclusion - How to Effectively Promote Your Content on Facebook
I hope you've found this post valuable. I've given you my very best tips for how to promote a post on Facebook.
Would you do me a favor?
Would you use the comments below to tell me what strategies you've tried for your blog content promotion?
The more we learn, the better we can do!
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