Measuring “dark social” shares on Calaméo

In MARKETING
1 April 2021
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Do you know the term “dark social”? Although a lot has changed about social media since the idea was first described in 2012, dark social sharing is as important as ever. In fact, this type of sharing might be even more key to understanding your content’s success today. Read on to learn why dark social matters in 2021 and how to track it for your digital publications on Calaméo.

Dark social sharing basics

All the way back in 2012, people were beginning to wonder how much content was being shared to social media networks. Or how much content was being shared in other ways. Because networks like Facebook and Twitter were growing fast, share buttons popped up all around the web to make reposting to your own feed easy—and trackable.

But while the number of shares ticked up, this new behavior couldn’t be the only way users were passing along videos, publications and posts. Despite the buzz around social feeds, research showed that plenty of people were sharing in a simple way: copying and pasting the content’s URL into email and messages. Unlike regular social shares, this kind of social activity wasn’t tracked.

As a result, it was easy to miss dark social sharing’s value. However, over the past several years sharing to social media platforms has declined. There are several reasons to explain this trend, including algorithm changes, rising interest in digital privacy and concerns about how information spreads online. Since more than a third of businesses say that “social shares” are a goal for their content, these harder-to-see forms of social sharing must be taken into account.

💡 TIP: Not sure whether social shares are a priority for your publications? Our quick checklist will help you brush up on your digital publishing strategy in no time.

How to track shares on Calaméo

So, how should you track the “dark social” sharing of your content? When it comes to your digital publications, Calaméo’s advanced statistics are a great place to start. That’s because our publication viewer’s own share button was designed with lots of different uses in mind. Take a closer look and you’ll see some options beyond the usual social networks.

Even better, the Shares section of your Calaméo statistics will show you just how many times your publication was emailed, embedded or its URL copied. And the results might surprise you. For example, we were checking the stats for our most recent issue of CALAMEO Magazine and noticed this breakdown:

  • 30% shares to social media platforms
  • 70% “dark social” shares to email, embed or copying URL

To access your publications’ Shares data, go to the Statistics section of your Calaméo account. Click on the “Shares” tab and scroll down to find the full statistics.

Also, be sure to note that these numbers only reflect “dark social” shares coming from inside the publication viewer. You can almost certainly be sure that other readers have, for instance, copied and pasted the publication URL directly from their browsers to share with their networks. Or to put it another way, public social shares may only be telling you a small part of the story.

💡 TIP: To keep digging deeper into the impact of dark social sharing for your content, consider using tracked links and Google Analytics to reveal more data.

In short, social media metrics don’t give you the whole picture when you want to measure how your content is shared online. If you’d like to start looking at complete Shares statistics for your publications on Calaméo, request your free, two-week PLATINUM demo today.

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How to promote content with Twitter

In MARKETING
11 June 2020

The Content Creator’s Guide to Social Media

Thanks to social media, delivering content to thousands of people at once is as easy as hitting the “Post” button. But it isn’t always easy to achieve the results you have in mind. That’s why we’re bringing you a new series all about making these channels work for your digital publishing needs. Our final entry: how to promote content with Twitter.

Why use Twitter to promote content?

As social media networks have evolved over the last decade, Twitter has taken on an increasingly complicated role. It began in 2006 as a simple “microblogging” platform designed to let users share thoughts of 140 characters or fewer, but tweeting has become especially popular among politicians, journalists and comedians. As a result, Twitter can be tricky territory for businesses in general and digital publishers in particular.

That isn’t to say businesses aren’t successfully using Twitter to communicate. The platform boasts 187 million monetizable daily active users that companies are eager to reach. However, achieving the elusive status of a brand that is “good at Twitter” may not be the most sensible goal for your business. In fact, unless you have a dedicated Tweeter on your social media team, you may find it challenging just to keep up with trending topics.

Instead, focusing on your audience provides a more practical option for digital publishers who want to promote content with Twitter. Customers are comfortable tweeting brands to ask questions, solve problems and offer feedback. Once your business’s account is set up, this kind of interaction makes Twitter a great place to have a conversation about your content. Read on for our best tips for including Twitter in your digital publishing strategy.

Embrace the format

First, consider the tweet. Although the text used to be capped at 140 characters, Twitter doubled the length of a tweet to 280 characters in 2017. But don’t be fooled by the extra room—any links you share in your tweet are included in the character count. In addition to being short, Tweets tend to have a short “lifespan.” Unlike the evergreen content of Pinterest or social posts on Facebook and LinkedIn, Tweets are usually seen by users for 15-20 minutes.  

This brevity might make it seem awkward to promote content with Twitter if your emphasis is on longer, more immersive digital publications. One common strategy to get around this issue involves sharing your content multiple times. Since your tweets probably won’t all surface in the feeds of your followers, it’s a safe way to improve your publication’s chances of getting noticed. (Just be sure to tweet about something different in between!)

But even the savviest Tweeters know that overall, the platform is rarely a strong source of referral traffic. Research estimates that under 20% of social referral traffic to outside articles comes from Twitter. While that doesn’t mean you should abandon plans to promote content with Twitter, it should inform both your expectations and your strategy. To make a bigger impact, invest time in finding the right audience and having a conversation.

Find your niche

Before you can go looking for your ideal audience on Twitter, you’ll need to have a pretty good idea of the target audience for your content. In other words, who is your content created for? For example, a white paper might be aimed at B2B managers in your business’s field. Or a video about new fashion trends could be aimed at young adults. Knowing your target audience is an essential part of any digital publishing strategy.

Next, investigate where your target audience is active on Twitter. Despite the outsized attention that a few high-profile users attract, there are lots of smaller communities having their own conversations. The discussions among start-up founders, entrepreneurs and professionals happening on Business Twitter may be a good match for your B2B digital publications, but with a little research you can find communities for all kinds of interests.

Hashtags are a simple tool to help you promote content with Twitter in the right places. (No surprise there—modern hashtags originated on tweets back in 2009!) Identify a couple of hashtags that appear regularly in your target audience’s Twitter community. Then use them in tweets to share your digital publications. But beware: your tweet’s hashtags and overall tone should always fit your content. In other words, trendy hashtags, jokey messaging and lead generation rarely work together.

Define your goals

In the end, the success of your strategy to promote content with Twitter depends in large part on having a clear idea of what you hope to achieve. Because of their format, tweets may not prove to be a huge source of traffic for your digital publications. However, Twitter is a unique channel for keeping in touch with your audience. You may prefer to prioritize followers, profile visits and interactions over the number of clicks your content receives.

An audience-focused strategy still provides plenty of opportunities to share your content. For instance, you can choose a single tweet to pin to the top of your profile. Simply select a high-performing tweet that links to the digital publication you want to boost. This easy step has big benefits. Any user who stops by your profile is guaranteed to see your promoted content first.

Ultimately, the fast-paced conversation that happens on Twitter makes it a flexible tool for businesses. You may use tweets to broadcast service updates, offer customer support, advertise or strengthen your brand. But for digital publishers looking to promote content with Twitter, establishing your presence and opening up a connection with your audience is the best way to start.

Ready to start?

Now that you’ve got all the details about how to promote content with Twitter, it’s time to turn your online documents into great digital publications. Sign up for your free Calaméo account today and explore what digital publishing can do for you!

MARKETING

How to promote content with Facebook

In MARKETING
30 January 2020

The Content Creator’s Guide to Social Media

Thanks to social media, delivering content to thousands of people at once is as easy as hitting the “Post” button. But it isn’t always easy to achieve the results you have in mind. That’s why we’re bringing you a new series all about making these channels work for your digital publishing needs. First up: how to promote content with Facebook.

Getting the most out of Facebook

For many businesses, the last decade held plenty of ups and downs from Facebook. As the social network grew to more than 2 billion users, promoting content with Facebook became a valuable source of exposure. But changes to the News Feed, privacy scandals and plenty of controversy have made developing an audience more challenging. Should digital publishers still plan to promote content with Facebook?

The short answer is yes. Although reaching your audience may be more difficult now than in the past, Facebook is the world’s largest social media network. It remains an important way for internet users to discover your publications and engage with your business. In other words, don’t let the challenges distract you from the advantages of this channel. Read on to learn how your business can take advantage of visibility, traffic and community on Facebook.

Facebook comments icon

Update your Page

If it’s been a while since you updated your business’s Facebook Page—or if you’re just getting started—set aside some time to review it. The About tab lets you add lots of information that people may be searching for about your business, like contact details and opening hours. Use the “About” text box to include key words, upload your logo as a profile picture and choose an on-brand cover image for your Page.

Because Facebook Pages act like an online directory, users can arrive on your Page directly from search results. A post of yours might never have even made it into their News Feeds! Depending on your SEO, your Page might be the #1 result when people search for you. In short, it’s important to review your Page information regularly no matter how often you post.

Facebook Page icon

Post thoughtfully

Speaking of posting, it’s officially time to re-consider the old rule that “more is better.” While social media best practices used to recommend multiple posts per day, the number of users likely to see them has shrunk. In 2019, the average reach for Pages with more than 10,000 followers was just 2.59%. That means a Page with 100,000 followers could expect any one of their posts to reach 2,590 people.

As a result, it may now be most efficient to post less often and more thoughtfully. For example, take the high-quality, long-format content of your digital publications on Calaméo. If fewer Facebook users will see posts about your publications, you’ll want to make them count.

First, research your Page’s existing audience to determine whether it matches your publication’s target audience. Are you sharing your content with followers who are already fans? Or do you need to introduce your publication to new readers? Knowing this will help you decide what kinds of posts to plan around your publication.

💡 TIP: Don’t forget about different types of posts! In addition to sharing a link, you can use a photo, video or poll to promote content with Facebook.

Next, examine the reach you can expect for your posts and when your followers are most likely to be scrolling their feeds. With these details in mind, you can optimize when and how often to post about your digital publications for best results.

Be realistic about Likes

Once you’ve hit “Post,” it’s time to begin tracking the response to your content. However, don’t worry too much about the number of Likes that your posts receive. While Likes used to be seen as a key measure of success, they are now usually considered a vanity metric. Follow any comments or shares you receive for a better idea of your audience’s reaction.

Because when digital publishers promote content with Facebook, they need to know how many users checked out their magazine. (Or catalog, white paper, brochure or report!) To find out, monitor how many clicks your posts receive. Combine this information with other viewership statistics, such as reading time per hour, to analyze the overall results of traffic from your Facebook posts. Then, use it to adapt your game plan in the future.

Facebook Like icon

That just about covers the basics of how to promote content with Facebook, and why it should be a part of any digital publisher’s social media strategy.

Of course, depending on your resources and the size of your social media team, you may want to make use of some of the other possibilities that Facebook offers. For instance, Pages with highly engaged followers can consider starting a Facebook Group where their community can connect. And businesses struggling with the reach of their Pages’ posts may find that investing in Facebook Ads is worthwhile.

Above all, keep in mind that reviewing your approach to sharing your digital publications can reveal simple solutions for optimizing your results. Whether you have 300 followers or 300,000, a strong posting strategy will help you better benefit from the visibility, traffic and community on Facebook for your publications.

Ready to start?

Now that you’ve got all the details about how to promote content with Facebook, it’s time to turn your online documents into great digital publications. Sign up for your free Calaméo account today and explore what digital publishing can do for you!