So you just wrote an amazing blog post and now you’re ready to share it on social media, but before you do, we suggest taking a few minutes to think before you hit that first share or tweet. Take a moment to strategize all the possible ways you can draw attention to your blog post – what are the different ways you can extend the life of the post? Taking the time to strategize your social media strategy before the first tweet or Facebook share, will help you give each of your blog posts nine lives on social media and extend the reach of your content.
1. For each blog post, think about all the different points you’ve made. Each new point, or even paragraph, is a potential new message for social media. Once you publish your blog post, plan and schedule you messages for Facebook, Twitter etc ASAP so 1) you don’t have to think about it again 2) when you piece together your messages they are sequential and tell a story about your blog post 3) you’re not saying the same thing over and over again.
2. Did you feature a moving quote in your blog post? Pull your audience in and leave them wanting more by just sharing one quote and of course, a link to your blog post.
3. “Did you know that…..?” Did you include a powerful statistic to help make your case? Share that statistic and link back to your blog post.
4. If you’re using a fun or an original photo in the blog post, share that photo. Remember photos are an easy easy to stand out on social and media and drive engagement among your audience.
5. Ask a question. If you have already developed a great relationship with your audience, ask them an engaging question that you either answer or address in your blog article. Encourage them to respond on social media or in your comment section. Make sure they know you value their responses by acknowledging each response.
6. Have you tagged another person, company or location in your blog post? For every person, company or location mentioned, create a new message for social media. Also, if they’re active on Facebook share the blog post on their wall.
7. Start a conversation on Google+ or LinkedIn. Use your blog post as a jumping off point and engage your audience on LinkedIn and Google+. Share the blog post on you own page or in a group that will find the post interesting and relatable. Has someone already started a conversation that is similar to your blog post or has someone shared an opposing view? Share your thoughts and link to your blog post.
8. Do you write a weekly wrap up like the one we just started last week. Weekly wrap ups are fun way to reuse content to create a new blog post, and new message for social media. Try to include at least one or two links that you haven’t already shared.
9. During the writing process, think about if your blog post be broken up into a series? Or how about, can your blog post be a start of a new series? If so, take advantage of that. Series are an easy to extend the life of your content on both your blog and social media. If you’re creating a series, make sure to create a special #hashtag to along with your series.
Remember, when thinking about how to give your blog post nine lives on social media, think about your audience and where and how they digest information best. And in order to be the most effective and to ensure you’re providing the most value to your audience, make sure that each new tweet or Facebook message really is breathing “new life” into your blog post. Good luck!