An effective content strategy and the creation of quality content are essential steps to your business’s content marketing, yet you also need to make sure you have a content distribution strategy.
You won’t achieve the results you’re after — things like adding to your audience and nurturing people through your buyer’s journey or sales funnel — unless you also develop a plan for distributing your stellar content.
After all, how good your content is doesn’t matter if no one ever lays their eyes upon it (or practically no one). Yet, distribution is not just about creating a piece of content and then spreading that link as far and wide as you can.
Toward that end, let’s consider how to plan and develop your content in the first place so it’s distribution-ready, not just for one channel but for many.
Content Distribution Channel Overview
You can use search engine optimization (SEO) in the hopes that your content will be found by those who are carrying out matching searches. That may work to an extent, but it takes time and there is a lot of competition. You can help the process along through content distribution.
These days, two helpful content promotion methods include:
1. Email
Building an email list filled with people who connect with your brand and are the right demographic for your products or services is an optimal way to distribute your content. Once this group is on your list, you’ll have direct access to their inboxes.
2. Social Media
Sharing content through social media is an ideal way of getting it in front of a new audience and a loyal audience at the same time. You have a long list of social media platforms to choose from, which allows your business to find the right fit for your needs.
Social Media: Can’t You Share the Same Content Everywhere?
The thing is, different platforms call for varying types of content. For example, you’d likely focus on:
- Images and stories on Instagram
- Videos on YouTube
- Written posts, images, and stories on Facebook
- Written content and newsletter layouts through email
And, so on and so forth. The key lessons are this:
- Each distribution channel is mostly designed for certain types of content.
- You’ll find different audiences from place to place, which can help inform your content distribution strategy.
- Beyond content format, the themes and voice of your content may fit certain channels better than others. For example, formal, business-related and valuable content could be a strong fit with channels like LinkedIn and Medium, while you could focus on friendly content that connects with the audience through other channels like Instagram and email.
All of this stresses the need to use multiple distribution channels. Then, rather than creating content and then spreading it across these various channels, it’s best to work backwards and design the right content for the right channel.
Which Content Channels Are the Right Ones?
The answer to this question is unique for every business. It comes down to factors like:
- The type of business you have
- The audience you’re trying to reach
- Your brand and voice
- Your goals
- Your results on different channels
How do you figure it out? Here are three options:
- Hire content professionals who can advise your business on channels that fit your needs.
- Carry out a trial-and-error approach to test out methods and track your results.
- Research distribution channels to gain more information on their audience, the format of content, and whether there is an ideal voice for that channel, such as formal or fun.
How to Create Distribution-Ready Content
For each piece of content, consider the promotion of it within your initial strategy. Let’s say your company wants to develop an informational blog post. You can then distribute that same content across multiple channels. You’ll just need to think about fitting the content to each channel.
For example, you could:
- Write a social media post that links to your blog post through Facebook or LinkedIn.
- Create a social media ad targeted to the right audience that clicks through to your piece of content.
- Develop an email that introduces the concept of the blog post and then directs readers to the post through a link, or include it within a newsletter email that shares a few items of interest at once.
- Develop a script for a podcast or video that covers the same or similar information to what you include within your written blog post.
Whether you’re working with one content creator or a team, you can let them know your various needs. For instance, if you need a blog post written by a freelance writer, consider including social media posts related to the blog post within the project.
Incorporate Content Promotion From the Start
Overall, it’s worthwhile to consider your content distribution strategy as you come up with content ideas. That way, you’re better able to develop distribution-ready content for a variety of channels at once.
For help with the strategy and writing of your content, sign up for a free trial of the WriterAccess platform.
