Tired of blogging (or fretting about blogging, but actually never getting around to doing it)? Imagine, for a moment, that it's possible to drive traffic and capture leads using other people's content. That's right, I'm talking about skipping your own content creation, but still do content marketing to grow your business.
In this article, I'm going to share a spin on the traditional content marketing formula, where you create content on your website as a way to gain authority and trust… and then guide people to your offer. Instead of developing your own content, how about legally (and ethically) leveraging proven, popular content to accomplish the same goal.
This isn't anything new. For several years now, platforms like Snip.ly and Back.ly have been providing businesses the ability to overlay custom messages and calls-to-action on top of just about any piece of content online. Using these and other tools like them, hundreds of thousands of marketers have gained millions of leads and gotten huge amounts of traffic without ever writing a page of their own copy.
Now, unless you've been living under a rock, I'm going to assume you know that content is the key to success in any kind of business. As Bill Gates first said, as far back as 1996, “Content Is King.” Content attracts potential customers; it builds trust, authority, and good-will; and content is the main way that you (and your customers) discover new brands, right?
The only problem is, that churning out engaging, original content is hard, time-consuming, and draining. But, as we've already discussed, it is possible to skip that step and simply leverage the hottest content already out there… and make it work for you, and your business.
Here's how the formula works:
Step 1) Find popular content on whatever topic your audience or prospects are interested in.
One of the fastest and easiest ways to do this is using a site like BuzzSumo. In this example, I've typed in the word “arthritis” and found the top articles shared online over the past 12 months.
The first has received over 313k shares across multiple platforms. The second has over 208k, and the third has more than 47k. So, clearly people are interested in these pieces of content.
After you've identified content worth sharing, the next step is to share it.
Step 2) Use your custom message overlay to share the popular posts you've found
This is easily done, thanks to convenience of browser extensions. All you need to do is click your extension while on a page you want to share, and generate a unique URL which you can start posting all over social media, include in emails, and share anywhere else you'd like.
(image from Snip.ly)
Once someone clicks on it, they'll not only see the content you've shared, but they also see you message.
Can you see the power here?
For a couple of years now, I have used these kinds of tools to drive traffic to my offers, affiliate offers, and grow my email list. But I always felt that something was missing – because, while I found these tools to be highly effective, they lacked the ability to integrate fully with all my other platforms (like my email service provider or webinar platform), and I was limited by their design.
So when I was approached with the opportunity to offer my own version of these tools, I jumped at the chance.
And that's how SHARE, the ultimate browser extension, came about. But unlike the examples above, SHARE is capable of overlaying a full range of call-to-actions over web pages, including slide-ins, pop-up, and full page conversion mats which drop down over an entire web page to present your message. Plus, I'm able to include Facebook, Google, and other tracking codes on any of these pages so I can build custom audiences who I can retarget with relevant advertising messages.
In this example, I've superimposed an “exit-intent” pop-up over a page on USA Today.
SHARE part of the GROW suite of online marketing tools.
Share overlays a “Branded Call-to-Action” to every link you share. In seconds. Right from your browser…
For example, you can attach a button to the page that links to your own website, so that people can discover you while they're consuming other people's content.
Plus, you can also use the hottest content on the web to capture email opt-ins, drive traffic to special offers, collect registrations for your event, get more downloads of your app, and so much more.
All you need to do is share links and drive more conversions.
To discover more about adding the full suite of simple-to-use GROW engagement and conversion tools to your online marketing arsenal, visit us here.