If you want your prospects to find you online, creating compelling content is a must. In fact, quality content lies at the foundation of effective content marketing strategies for thousands of successful companies.
But content doesn't promote itself. Even the most compelling written, visual and multimedia content needs help attracting readers and viewers who will hopefully enter your sales funnel.
This is where organic content promotion comes in. Like paid content promotion, organic promotion is designed to boost the visibility and effectiveness of a content marketing campaign. Unlike paid promotion, it doesn't involve direct payments for ad space, "boosts" or sponsorship.
However, organic promotion does still require a substantial investment of time, effort and creativity.
These six organic content promotion strategies can boost traffic to your content, improve lead generation statistics, drive conversions and enhance key revenue metrics.
1. Learn and Follow SEO Basics
Every organic campaign for written content starts with search engine optimization. Also known as SEO, search engine optimization makes blog, website and even social media content more attractive to search engines such as Google and Bing. Numerous factors influence a given piece of content's SEO value, including:
- Inbound link quality
- Keyword placement
- Headline length and quality
- Technical factors, including website navigation and load time
- Directory submissions
Effective SEO can boost your content's position in search rankings, increasing the likelihood that people searching for relevant keywords will find and click on your result, not a competitor's.
2. Network With Thought Leaders through LinkedIn
You can probably think of some peers and competitors you look up to and emulate. These people are your industry's thought leaders, and they're great people to know.
The most effective way to network with industry thought leaders and become a thought leader yourself is to build a formidable LinkedIn presence by:
- Actively connecting with thought leaders
- Joining or starting relevant LinkedIn groups
- Sending personal messages that tout your capabilities
- Publishing high-value content that establishes your own thought leadership credentials
- Sharing said content with other thought leaders
Of course, your thought leadership content shouldn't be limited to LinkedIn. Every high-quality piece of content that you create should be published in parallel on LinkedIn and your company blog.
3. Perfect the Art of the Press Release
An SEO press release is a great way to tout your company's achievements and capabilities without coming across as overly salesy. Make sure your releases strike the right balance between news and self-promotion. Although distribution is likely to be limited by your budget, make sure to spread your release across as many news wire services as possible. However, optimized press releases are also great organic promotion tools: Simply repost your release on your blog and social media pages to boost your reach!
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4. Invest in Media Outreach
SEO press releases can be powerful, high-ROI tools in your digital marketing campaign. Under the right circumstances, going one step further and investing in media outreach may achieve an even greater payoff.
You don't need to pay a PR firm to network with journalists: Simply build a mailing list of bloggers and reporters who cover your niche and reach out to them directly with press releases and personalized inquiries.
5. Forge Guest Posting and Content Licensing Partnerships
Guest posting and content licensing partnerships aren't always organic. Although the practice isn't as common anymore, many such partnerships involve a financial exchange.
On the other hand, many publishers are only too happy to host your content in exchange for a reciprocal link. Like self-starting media outreach, building a guest posting and content licensing network requires a mailing list and a lot of friendly outreach.
6. Get People Talking
While influencers undoubtedly help raise your profile, they're not the only people capable of giving your content marketing efforts a popular boost. In fact, grassroots organic content promotion is often a far more authentic, positive and appealing approach.
Depending on what you sell and which buyer personas you're targeting, your prospects and customers may prefer to learn about your products' benefits from a friend or neighbor. Hearing from a VIP in a suit doesn't necessarily do it for them.
With this in mind, make sure your content is as engaging as possible and distributed throughout social media. Not every piece of content is going to get a million hits, but highly engaging content is much more likely to be shared and reposted than not-so-engaging content, even if the "boring" content is just as useful.
Remember, every organic share that comes from a random social media user, regardless of whether they're a current customer of yours, is a share that you don't have to pay for or organize on your own. It's also an opportunity to spread awareness of your solutions, generate leads and convert undecided prospects.
Get Started Improving Your Digital Marketing
Thanks to ongoing algorithm tweaks by Google and evolving best practices by leading marketers, the rules of the game are always in flux. What works one month might not necessarily work the next.
That's why we're committed to serving as your guide through the digital marketing wilderness. If your current marketing campaign needs a boost or you're confused about where to start your next one, download the free whitepaper "8 Critical Ingredients of a Digital Marketing Plan."
