If a content marketer publishes a blog post and no 
one is there to read it, does it really affect PageRank?
Content Marketing is all well and good, and by now everyone
understand that without content, you can’t get anywhere.
But they seem to forget the other half of the name: marketing!
Specifically, amplification. It doesn’t matter if you
have the best content in the world if no one’s
loading up your site to read it.
The simple fact is that people already have quite a lot to read!
There’s tons of competition, not to mention that you’re also competing
with your audience’s friends, coworkers, and families for valuable attention space.
Every 24 hours, millions of articles, photos, and other media are shared
on Facebook and Instagram, published on WordPress blogs, retweeted, reblogged—you get the idea.
The takeaway? Though you might think your content is good enough to promote itself, it is not. Chances are your business is not Upworthy or Jennifer Lawrence, nor is it staffed by adorable kittens. This means that, on the internet, you have to fend for yourself. We’ve assembled our best tips for how to effectively amplify your content and make the most of your budget.
Play to your audience
It is tempting to confuse content creation for marketing with the kind of recreational content creation any resident of the digital age already does. When you share content on Facebook, you’re sharing it because you find it interesting. Maybe you think your friends will too, but your goal is to share content that says something about you.
Creating content for marketing purposes is not the same. Your content starts and ends with your audience. When a brand shares content, it’s not to tell something about the brand itself, rather about the audience. Create content that your audience will want to share, not content that you want to share.
Examine where your audience gets their news and other information, what media they prefer, and who they trust. If your audience is a bunch of academics, an article might be the best way to communicate with them. However, if they’re a bunch of 12 year-olds, it might be best to make a funny video.
Locate influencers
In every human community, there exist certain individuals with outside influence on the opinions of their peers. You certainly have friends like this: friends whose opinions you trust, who are vocal and articulate in expressing themselves, experts in their fields. Finding and accessing these influencers is key to organic amplification. There are several tools for this, which all analyze networks of friends and followers to locate key influencers. Followerwonk, Twellow, Allmyplus, and Topsy are all great tools for this.
Influencers can leverage the strength of their connections to spread your content more effectively. The only question is how to get them on your side! You can try to offer them sponsored content or a free sample of your product in exchange for a review. You can also target influential blogs, websites, and magazines. This can be especially effective for small brands.
Remarket to your brand faithfuls
Never forget that you already have access to a whole group of people with a proven interest in your product: your visitors and fans. Remarketing, allows you to access people who have already visited your website and show them relevant content and marketing across the internet and when they search on Google.
Remarketing is an integral part of the modern marketer’s handbook. It can increase conversions 300-400% and expand your reach. Remember, those who have already demonstrated their interest by visiting your website are much more likely to convert. This allows you to target the demographics that give you the most bang for your marketing buck.
Content doesn’t share itself
Your task as a content marketer is not only to create content, but to promote it as effectively as possible. Creating great content is vitally important to this—but effective and strategic amplification of this content is equally important, and often ignored.
Some brands, usually celebrities, popular products, or cute animals, can afford to ignore the rules of content amplification and rely on organic support. But most of us aren’t that lucky. Follow these rules to get the most of your content and expand your natural reach to its maximum.
Nick Rojas is a business journalist and consultant from Los Angeles, CA, although he splits his time between Chicago and LA. He regularly writes about content marketing , social media, and technology, and tries not to sound too overbearing in his work.