Whether you are just getting started with content marketing, or you are a content guru, the never-ending process of generating and sharing online can be quite overwhelming.
First you have to create high quality blog posts and articles, then you have to find amazing third party content to curate across several social media networks. The entire strategy won’t work unless you get your content in front of the right audience at the right time and find influential social media users to share it. Oh and don’t forget to test, measure and tweak as you go!
To help you save time and streamline your strategy, I’ve rounded up four helpful content marketing tools and applications. Use the recommendations below to enhance your content discovery, promotion, and engagement.
1. Topsy
Topsy can help you conduct competitor research to inform your strategy. Get started by searching for keywords in your industry. Then analyze trends across the most shared content around these keywords. Look at blog topics, headline structure, blog length, blog layout, tone, and more. If there’s a buzz-worthy blog circulating in your industry, you may even want to compose a timely response post and link back to the original. Topsy can help you to identify what’s being talked about and best practices for content marketing success in your niche.
2. Triberr
Triberr links to a Twitter account and helps you build connections with influencers. The platform is made up of groups or “Tribes” who blog about a certain topic. You can start by following a tribe and engaging with that tribe’s content. If you are an active participant in a Tribe, then the chief may choose to promote you to a full member. Full members can submit their own content to be shared by the group. Becoming a full member on Triberr grants you access to a valuable network of influencers who will promote your future content. If you don’t see a tribe that fits your needs, try starting your own.
3. Buffer
If you are logging into each of your social media accounts separately, or jotting down links for content you want to share, then you are wasting valuable time and energy. Streamline your content marketing efforts by scheduling updates across Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google Plus with Buffer. Buffer browser plugins allow you to schedule updates on the fly as you discover new content online. The platform also features robust analytics so you can test different headlines and the best time of day or day of week for sharing on each network. You can measure engagement through clicks, retweets, favorites, mentions and total reach. Buffer also has a slick mobile app and integrates with popular tools such as Followerwonk, Feedly, and WordPress.
4. Outbrain
Outbrain offers two ways for marketers to enhance their content strategies. The first is an “engagement” feature, which recommends personalized links for your website visitors based on their interests and behavior. By showing visitors relevant links to your other content, you can increase time on site and push visitors to higher converting pages. Outbrain also offers an amplification service, which allows marketers to submit original articles and blogs and set a CPC budget (the minimum daily spend is $10). Outbrain then uses the budget to place your posts on high quality news sites like the Wall Street Journal or People.com. Outbrain-sponsored content appears as recommended reading links and the site offers full tracking and reporting.
What are some of your favorite content marketing tools? Please leave your suggestions and tips in the comments below.
Photo Credit: Pete O’Shea
Tags: blogging, content marketing, online marketing, social media
I still don’t really know what this business does and this experience reminded me of how important it is to write simply and clearly. Here’s a blog post on convinceandconvert.com that I really enjoyed. This post gives a few great before and after examples of how to write like a human and achieve greater success with your copywriting, marketing, and even interpersonal communication.
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