Don’t “If This Then That” That!

What are your internet pet peeves?

I’ll tell you one of mine. It’s when I find an account that looks interesting…

… And then I scroll down to find that it’s a feed of links to another social network.

Automated repetition through platforms like If This Then That is killing your social media engagement. Here’s why.

The Problem

This problem of automated repetition is probably most common on Twitter. In recent years, it was most prevalent where Facebook page information was copied to Twitter.

This is usually done through a script like IFTTT (If This Then That), and it’s messy because whenever a Facebook post exceeded the Twitter character limit, the message breaks off with an ellipsis and a link to the Facebook post.

In theory, it’s fine to share the same information across social networking platforms, particularly if you’re serving different audiences in those places.

What isn’t ok is giving your audience the work of clicking through a link to see the second half of an update.

Why it’s poor practice

Here’s the problem:

It’s dead obvious that you didn’t post directly to the platform
It’s sloppy, and
Nobody wants to follow a stream of half-baked updates.

If you’re going to be on different social media platforms, you need to have a reason for being there, and people need a reason to follow you.

While some networks get good click-through rates (YouTube gets most of its referrals from Facebook and Twitter, and people still (generally) click on Instagram links from Twitter) – by having an entire network stream dedicated to regurgitating another, you’re reducing your chances of being seen, heard, and bought.

The Solution

The solution is easy, and it’s:

If…

THIS: The social networking platform makes sense for your audience and your purpose

Then…

THAT: Make the effort to post useful, valuable content.

What are your internet pet peeves?

Revisit: Why You Need Evergreen Content

By Nicola Balkind

After a busy first half of the year – not least my time at Small is Beautiful – I’m taking a holiday.

While I’m away, I thought we’d revisit an important topic: evergreen content. Funnily enough, this post is evergreen in and of itself.

I hope you enjoy this refresher, and I’ll see you next week!

Why go evergreen?

When I talk to clients about the benefits of content marketing and how to get started, they ask a few key questions:

Question 1. What should we blog about?
Question 2. How frequently should we post?

Naturally, the first answer will vary by industry, and the second by availability of time.

To cover both of these bases, though, there are 2 hard-and-fast rules.

Answer 1. Cover timely topics, and evergreen ones.
Answer 2. Short answer: consistently!

Adding evergreen content to your editorial calendar can help immensely in both arenas. First, it vastly increases the amount of content topics you can pursue. Second, it means you’ll always have something to write about to publish on a slow news day.

News goes out of fashion — Evergreen content doesn’t

Evergreen content could be anything from instructional like how-to guides to information rich entries about your industry. These blog posts should be detailed and relevant to your audience.

The key way this helps readers find you is through search. How often have you begun a search query with “How to…”? These are the posts that add the most value to your users, over a long period of time.

When you solve a reader’s problem they are far more likely to share the answer, and by garnering reputation through these shares you’ll be more visible in social and in search.

As an added bonus, curated content can also go a long way. Why write a big post someone else has already covered when you can pick 5 of the best and share those instead? Be a curator as well as a creator for an even spread of the evergreen.

An evergreen checklist

How do you know a piece of content is evergreen? It should be…

High quality – If you’re going to spend a great deal of time on one piece, make it an evergreen one.

Informative or instructive – This is your chance to go big and get detailed.

Relevant to your audience – What does your audience really need from you? What are your frequently asked questions? Start by answering those.

Keyword rich – Especially in the headline. Again, keep your audience in mind. Get in their head. How would you search for the piece of information you are providing?

Shareable – Keep your writing snappy and break up the text with relevant headings, images, and illustrate any important data.

Long-lasting – While a piece on how to tie a winchester tie knot will be around for as long as ties are, a post about how best to update Facebook will not. Aim for topics that will last a year or more to take advantage of the SEO benefits.

Are you ready to invest in a content strategy with evergreen content built in? Get in touch.

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How to Sell in the Off-Season

By Nicola Balkind

How to Sell in the Off-Season, or

Off-Season Content: Why it’s important

We’ve talked about Evergreen Content in the past, but Off-Season Content is a little bit different.

Let’s be clear: selling in the off-season isn’t all about sales. It’s about raising brand awareness, building your community, and getting involved in the conversation. The pay-off? It comes in the next on-season.

Seasonal businesses have a natural on-season where most activity takes place and the majority is revenue is made, offset by an off-season where things get a little quieter. This could apply to events, for example a festival that runs once per year. It could be a store that specialises in seasonal goods like summer clothing, or it could be a ski resort that is only open during winter.

On social media, there are ways to keep the rally going all the way through the off-season. While many of my collaborators can’t always afford to keep me on during the off-season, I always advise keeping an active profile throughout the year.

I hope this seems intuitive – though you or your business may be taking a public break, chances are there’s still loads going on behind the scenes. Things move quickly online, so don’t let your presence get stale and allow people to forget about who you are and the value you offer them.

How to Stay ‘On’ During the Off-season

Know your purpose

SEO – Google’s search algorithm favours recent, relevant content. Honing your off-season content strategy will improve your search engine performance and engage and convert one-time visitors into regular visitors. In this way you can build our existing audience into a community that is connected and engaged year-round and is more likely to participate during high season.

Social Media Engagement – Staying front-of-mind is important. Twitter followers might have an unfollow spree, or simply tune out when they stop seeing your logo daily. The Facebook algorithm favours consistency, making frequent, value-driven posts more important than ever. Keeping visual accounts like Pinterest and Instagram up-to-date are a great way to show behind the scenes and keep you on your customers’ radar.

Goals – There are several goals you could be reaching for with your off-season content strategy. You could be cementing your position as a thought-leader in your field, building buzz for next year, becoming an invaluable resource for your customers – or all of the above! If you want to increase your following and engagement, these are all great goals that will help you to that end.

Plan your content themes

This is where your content calendar will come in handy (and if you don’t have one, it’s time to create one)! I’ve talked about how to approach content planning here. We also talked about the content mix and media mix in our spring cleaning posts, which should give you a leg-up.

Start with a calendar in a spreadsheet and start filling in key dates. Think about some of the following:

1. Events – related events in your field
2. Sponsors/Partners/Ambassadors – are there people or companies in your network who run related events? Or who post really useful content? Make a note to share these in your plan
3. National days of interest – there are loads of days that could apply to you. Cinemas, there’s a national popcorn day. Charitable causes, there are tons of human rights days relevant to you. Find ways to connect with your existing relevant content and join the conversation.
4. #OnThisDay and Famous Birthdays – a celebration, a memory and a quote always do well on these days, and add a little trivia to your offering.

All of these key dates, and any others that come to mind, are relevant and should be interesting to your audience. Make them fun – put in a little time and effort, even if you’re scheduling ahead. Always keep an eye out for trending topics and other interests, too – anything to stay in touch.

Become a member of your own community

There are lots of ways to stay involved in the conversation, so instead of trying to make the conversation revolve around you and your brand, try chipping in where you can add value until it’s time to self-promote again. Do it well, and your community will love your input.

Your Turn

How have you stayed involved in the conversation during the off-season? Share your thoughts in the comments or tweet me @robotnic.

Got a topic you want me to cover in an upcoming blog? Or need a hand with your content strategy? I’m happy to help. Get in touch.