The content that you publish online is arguably the most important and valuable asset you have on the internet. When you share your content online you have an opportunity to enhance your company’s brand, broadcast your message to a huge audience across the ‘world wide web’ and show yourself as a true expert in your field.  These are just a few of the many benefits of internet marketing.  In addition however did you also know that you can allow the visitors to your website or blog to share your content with others?

Why should I share my online content?

Proactive sharing your blog or website content is quite different from someone taking your content without your permission, putting their name to it and re publishing it as their own.  By adding the readily available content sharing tools such as social bookmarking buttons on your blog or website, your company’s branding will remain intact with a link back to the original source of the content – your website or blog.

In the past the most popular way of sharing online content was to add an “email this to a friend” function on the content which enabled you to click the email sharing button or link and the content or blog post can be emailed to anyone.

By proactively encouraging your readers to share your content with others you are taking full advantage of  a really powerful way to promote your business brand online and drive targeted traffic to your website or blog.

OK, so how do I share my content online?

Here are a few pointers to get you started:

• Search for and register with content sharing Web 2.0 channels. There are many free ones available. These sharing channels provide an easy way for you to share your content with other members as well as with the search engines.
• If you have your own blog, there are many ‘free’  third-party plug-ins available that you can install which will automatically add content sharing buttons (social bookmarking) to blog posts with little or no modification from you being required. Take a look at Add This and ShareThis – both make it a simple for you to add sharing buttons on your website or blog.
• It probably will not make sense to share all your online content. Content that you prefer not to share should not be published on the internet (public view) which is open to anyone to read and copy.

If you want to restrict access to some of your content then use an intranet or password protected section of your website to protect this content.  Content worth sharing can be defined as anything that others can use which is not proprietary to your company or yourself.  Shared content should have a universal appeal and add value to the reader.

• Create content that others will find useful. Your website analytics will help you to see which  content is being shared the most from your website or blog.  This will also help you identify what your readers find interesting, which can provide you with new ideas and topics for future website or blog content.  Always try to think of ways to build on the content that you have already provided or provide additional information to reinforce earlier content.

• Once you know which content drives more traffic and leads for your business you can work out how to produce more of the same type of content to build on your earlier success.

If you would like to learn more about Content marketing, please visit wsiims.