The Right and Wrong Way to Promote Your Life Science Marketing Content
2014 is winding down. Think back and congratulate yourself for all the content you created this year.
There was that brochure you thought would never be done. But you dragged it across the finish line. Maybe you made your first infographic. Did you dip your toes into SlideShare yet?Whatever content you chose to make, you worked hard to create and publish it. If it isn't creating the results you expected, it might not be the content itself.Creating and publishing content is not enoughMaybe you left out an essential step.Like any other product (I hope you think of content as a product) it needs to be promoted.Given all the work you put into each piece of content, prodding authors to submit their drafts, multiple rounds of reviews, emails back and forth, and changes in direction, doesn’t it make sense to ensure that your audience finds it when you’re done?
If it's worth the effort to create, it’s worth an equal amount of effort to promote.
Posting it on your website and sending an email with a link won't get the job done. The cheapest and easiest way to promote your content broadly is through social media.Social media offers the chance to build an audience by publishing content they will find valuable and want to share with their colleagues. Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and Facebook can all help you get the word out about your content.Let’s look at some examples I use in my workshop, “Life Science Content Marketing Made Easy” that will help you think about how (and how not) to use social media to promote your content.Start by building an audiencePromega knows its audience and is doing well. They probably have a well-defined target Persona. When I looked at their Facebook page, I found three types of content. Keep these in mind for your own marketing. The three types are Sideways, Engaging, and Helpful.SidewaysSideways content is content that while not related directly to your products or even your customers’ work, your followers would find interesting. Like this:
Because scientists are generally curious, this content isn’t hard to find and may be curated and shared from somewhere else. The value to the reader is a broader knowledge of science and maybe some inspiration about their own work. At the very least, it's something to talk about when the mosquitos invade the department picnic.EngagingThe second type of content is simply engaging. It provokes an emotional reaction. It’s not about products, but it is something that will attract the attention of your audience. Promega shared this post from Lab humor. Scientists instantly recognize themselves as a member of one of the two laboratory “tribes.” I know I did. (I belong to the tribe on the right.)
While not particularly educational, this piece is certainly easy to create (or curate) and highly shareable.HelpfulUsing the first two types of content to draw an audience, Promega is in a position to offer content of immediate practical value to at least some of its followers. The proteomics product guide is intended for a specific segment with the purpose of helping them find Promega products that will help them do their job.
No one would tolerate continuous product promotion on a social media stream, but injecting the occasional product promotion into what is otherwise an entertaining and interesting stream of content is expected and worthwhile. It’s a fair trade.Build a content pathway for your prospectsMalvern Instruments have done something clever. They connect their content through social media so that wherever you find it, it leads to something else of interest.Images are important in Social Media and I found the combination of image and text in this Google+ post intriguing. Maybe because Steve Carrington reminds me of someone.
Regardless, the text also got my attention. “Steve answers your questions about….” This is so much more interesting than “Watch our webinar." It's less corporate, more personal. More importantly, Malvern has thought about repurposing .The Google+ post leads you to the questions gathered at the webinar. They have all been answered thoughtfully in a blog post. That’s much easier than watching the webinar. But of course, there is a link to the recording for anyone who wants more detail.Linking one piece of content to another is a smart strategy for content marketers to keep a prospect interested in learning more about your offerings. It’s important to give the prospect a clear idea of what to do next. My only suggestion for Malvern (as it is for every blog) is to put a subscription box or some other Call-to-Action on the blog.Don't disappoint your audienceFinally, make sure your content delivers on its promise. GenHunter asks a reasonable question in this tweet.
Given the history of blot naming (Southern, Northern….) some scientists might be curious to know who invented the Western Blot.But when you follow the link, you get another tease and a straight up promotion.
You can follow another link to get the answer, but by that point, I felt tricked. This is an example of trying to do too much all at once. Rather than building trust with content marketing, GenHunter has shot themselves in the blot, and done just the opposite. This would be easily fixed by linking directly to the fascinating story. Don't make your audience click twice to get the payoff on a social media teaser.A few basicsHere are some suggestions for promoting your content through social media:
- Keep people engaged with interesting and helpful content. Promote your content or products sparingly. Four helpful: one promotional post is a commonly accepted guideline.
- Always direct prospects to the next step. What related content can you point them toward?
- It’s OK to share more than once. Just because you’ve shared it once, doesn’t mean you can’t do it again.
- Reframe it, recycle it. As your list grows, there are many people who have never seen what you sent out a few months ago, not to mention the majority who missed it the first time. This gets easier and easier as your content library expands.
- If you have a blog, include a call-to-action. Add a subscription form so you can reach readers with new posts by email.
Have you developed a documented content marketing strategy? It takes a lot less time than you might think and will save you a lot of effort in the coming year and beyond. To get started, contact me and let me know two things:
- What do you want to achieve with your marketing next year?
- What is the biggest obstacle to making that happen?
Photo credit: starmanseries by CC2.0Topics: Content Marketing, Social Media