The creation of high-quality content is a significant focus in the field of digital marketing, and this is entirely justified. Your consumers derive value from exceptional content. It facilitates the development of relationships with your consumers, establishes your brand as a thought leader, and increases conversions, among other benefits. This is the reason why a content marketing strategy is an essential component of the digital marketing equation.
Nevertheless, in order for your content to be effective, it must be viewed by your intended audience. In other words, there is no purpose in creating high-quality content if everyone is unaware of its existence or is unable to locate it. You would be squandering your time, money, and energy. That is why, in addition to content creation, it is crucial to concentrate on content distribution.
Content Distribution Strategy: The What and Whys
The process of publishing and disseminating content in a variety of formats across multiple channels is referred to as “content distribution.” In order to guarantee that a brand’s content is viewed by its intended audience, a variety of methods are employed in content distribution.
Simply stated, it is insufficient to compose articles and publish them on your website or social media platforms. Your target audience’s attention and eyes are simply overwhelmed by the abundance of online competition. Please take into account the following figures:
- The internet contains a minimum of 600 million journals. (2022, GrowthBadger)
- The number of videos on YouTube is approximately 800 million.
- Every day, users share one billion Stories across Meta’s (previously Facebook’s) family of applications.
In order to maximize the impact of your content, it must be delivered to the appropriate audience at the appropriate moment and through the appropriate channels. This is precisely the objective that a content distribution marketing strategy assists brands in accomplishing.
The following are the reasons why a content distribution strategy is essential for your digital marketing endeavors with more detail:
It Dramatically Increases Your Reach
A content distribution marketing strategy that is meticulously devised and executed can significantly increase the reach of your content. This implies that your target audience can access your blogs, videos, posts, and other content through a variety of platforms and websites. A content distribution marketing strategy provides your target audience with additional opportunities to discover, appreciate, and share your content.
It Lets You Set Measurable Content Marketing Goals
Content distribution involves providing a purpose and direction to your content creation and publishing endeavors. Subsequently, it assists in the creation of pertinent and timely content that is tailored to your intended audience. Content marketing objectives yield superior outcomes, while concurrently providing benchmarks and key performance indicators (KPIs) for content performance evaluation.
Types of Media To Use in Your Content Distribution Plan
Content distribution encompasses all platforms and methods through which your content can be published. These are categorized as Owned, Earned, and Paid.
A balanced content distribution plan will not rely on a single type of channel, but rather on a healthy blend of all three kinds, as an experienced content marketing strategist or content distribution company will inform you.
Paid Channels
Payment is necessary for the distribution of content on or through a paid channel. The following are a few examples:
- Pay-per-click (PPC) advertisements
- Display ads
- Social media ads and sponsored posts
- Paid influencer posts
- Native ads
- Google Display Network (GDN)
- Programmatic advertising
Paid channels enable brands to target specific audiences according to their demographics, locations, interests, and other targeting options. Ad targeting is a valuable tool for businesses to expand their market presence and increase brand recognition. In addition, paid media solutions generally yield more rapid outcomes than organic content marketing offerings.
Owned Media
Owned media encompasses the media, platforms, and properties that you have developed as a brand and possess. The messaging, content, and distribution of owned media are under your direct and complete control. Examples of owned media include:
- Company websites
- Blogs
- Social media profiles
- Mobile applications
- Email lists
Brands are subject to the regulations of the social media platforms on which they publish content. Nevertheless, these brands “own” the profiles, posts, and other multimedia they generate and distribute on these platforms. Because of this, social media brand properties are regarded as “owned.”
The most evident advantage of owned media is its cost-effectiveness. You are not required to pay to employ content marketing solutions through channels that you control unless you choose to engage in paid options such as sponsored posts and social ads. Additional benefits include:
- Full control over your media, including its content, the timing of its publication, and the optimization process.
- The capacity to exhibit the characteristics of your brand on your social media profiles and owned channels.
- Features and options, such as forums and groups, that enable the development of brand communities that increase brand loyalty and engagement.
Earned Media
This category of media pertains to the visibility and reach that your brand has acquired through third-party sources, as opposed to channels that you have either purchased or controlled. Generating and utilizing positive earned media is a top priority for brands.
These mentions, recommendations, suggestions, shares, and discussions that are focused on your brand are exceptional content marketing solutions. They can contribute to the enhancement of your brand’s reputation, the expansion of your audience, and the enhancement of your credibility.
Examples of earned media include:
- Word-of-mouth recommendations
- Social media mentions and shares
- Reviews and testimonials
- Industry awards
- Media coverage
- Influencer endorsements (not paid)
A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Content Distribution Strategy
It may be difficult to determine where to begin when content distribution encompasses numerous channels, processes, and variables. Although a content marketing consultant or full-service digital marketing agency can simplify this process, you can initiate it independently by adhering to the steps outlined below.
Identify Your Target Audience
It is important to bear in mind that it is not necessary or advisable to post on all available channels as part of your content distribution plan.
“The identification of your target audience is the most critical factor to consider when developing a content distribution strategy,” stated Brandon George, Director of Content at SVBY Agency.
“In order to ascertain the location and manner in which your target audience consumes information, it is imperative that you possess a comprehensive understanding of them.”
Brandon George offered an additional suggestion: “In addition, it will be necessary to develop an editorial calendar for your content that is comprehensive and concentrates on the KPIs you have established for the campaign.” Throughout the process, it is important to monitor and evaluate the performance of your content in order to make necessary adjustments.
Focus on Your Main Owned Channel
The initial phase is to determine your primary channel. The following factors should be taken into account when determining which of your content distribution channels should be your principal one:
- On which social media platform do you publish the most frequently?
- Which type of content do you generate the most?
- What sort of content do you excel at producing?
For example, it may be advantageous to concentrate on your YouTube or TikTok channels if your organization is recognized for its captivating videos. Conversely, if your content marketing objectives involve the development of your thought leadership through long-form content, it is advisable to prioritize your blog.
It is important to bear in mind that optimizing your website or blog as your primary content distribution channel is essential. Search engine optimization (SEO) is a method that enhances the visibility of your website or blog on search engine results pages (SERPs). Consequently, this contributes to the increase in your organic traffic.
Distribute to Your Secondary Owned Channels
Your secondary owned channels consist of your pages and profiles on social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Two benefits are offered by these content distribution channels:
- They enable you to directly share your visuals and messaging with the individuals who are following your social media accounts.
- They assist in sending traffic to your primary owned channel.
Your blog, for example, is your principal-owned channel. You submit an extended article regarding the advantages of content marketing services. You may utilize your secondary channels to advertise your article to your subscribers.
Another advantage of employing your secondary owned channels in this manner is that it provides additional information to individuals who require it to make a purchase decision.
For instance, you may be inclined to utilize your social media platforms to distribute short-form videos due to their popularity among Internet users. Nevertheless, by simultaneously promoting your primary blog or landing page, you can provide additional information and encourage conversions.
George suggested that the appropriate approach is to provide deeper, enhanced content to your target audience, rather than videos that feature brief content that consumes only a few minutes of their time. This is because it is possible that your audience requires additional information to make a confident purchasing decision. Additionally, it is advantageous to incorporate both. A more comprehensive approach can be achieved by incorporating a video alongside an in-depth blog post or landing page and disseminating it through social media posts.
For optimal outcomes, select the social media platforms that your target audience has indicated as their preferred choice, as indicated by your research. For instance, Meta (formerly known as Facebook) may be an appropriate option for targeting young adults. The age group of 25 to 34 comprises approximately 29.9% of the 2.963 billion monthly active consumers. In the interim, LinkedIn is an appropriate platform for B2B companies, as it caters to a mature demographic of B2B professionals (SproutSocial).
Increase Your Earned Media Generation Efforts
Acquiring earned media can be a difficult process; however, the effort is well worth it. As previously indicated, earned media is highly effective. This is due to the fact that it is perceived as impartial and genuine information regarding a brand and its products or services. It enhances a company’s credibility, expands its scope, and builds its thought leadership by increasing brand awareness.
Given the aforementioned benefits, it would be prudent to allocate time and resources to the production of earned media. There are numerous approaches to be taken in order to achieve this, including:
- Contributing content that adds value to Meta (previously Facebook) groups and forum websites such as Reddit.
- Contributing to other blogs in your field as a guest.
- Enhancing your efforts to generate reviews.
- Utilizing promotions and contests to motivate your followers to generate user-generated content (UGC).
- Collaborating with a comprehensive digital marketing agency to create content that is both sharable and has the potential to go viral.
Invest in Paid Content Distribution Channels
Paid content distribution channels are the optimal solution for achieving rapid results. Twitter, Google, Meta, Facebook, and native ads are examples of paid distribution channels that can assist in generating a greater number of visits, interactions, engagement, and conversions in a shorter period of time than earned and owned channels.
Nevertheless, it is advisable to collaborate with a content marketing consultant or a reputable content distribution company if you are opting for paid content distribution. Consultants and content distribution companies can assist in guaranteeing that your content marketing and distribution strategies generate the highest possible return on investment.
Furthermore, the development and execution of a content distribution strategy that integrates paid media is a time-consuming and complex endeavor. If you are unable to complete the task independently due to a lack of time or expertise, content distribution companies can assist you in completing the task.
Track Your Progress and Measure Your Results
In order to evaluate the efficacy of their strategies, content distribution companies monitor their progress. The same should be done by you. Here are a few tools that a content distribution corporation or content marketing strategist may employ to achieve this:
- Ahrefs
- SEMrush
- Hootsuite Insights
- Sprout Social
- Adobe Analytics
All of these tools offer valuable insights into your content distribution efforts, such as the most effective channels, the origin of your visitors, and the extent to which a specific channel is converting more individuals.
It is important to note that a subscription is required to fully utilize the capabilities of these instruments.
- Conduct thorough research on each instrument to determine which one is most suitable for your requirements.
- Acquire the skills necessary to optimize the utilization of these tools in order to oversee your content distribution strategy. It is probable that there will be a slight learning curve.
- Prior to establishing and monitoring your strategy’s key performance indicators (KPIs), it is imperative that you review the guides and tutorials.
