There’s a whole lot of amazing content being generated each minute on different platforms.
Here are some mind-boggling facts:
- Instagram users publish 46,740 posts per minute.
- Google conducts 3,607,080 searches per minute.
- Twitter users send 456,000 tweets per minute.
Yes, content is essential. Google loves quality content. Your visitors love content. But it simply makes no sense to write content for the sake of writing.
Not only do you have to produce quality content but you also need to adopt methods to distribute it.
Producing content is one side – marketing it is another.
Content marketing is an absolute requirement for brand survival and it focuses on respecting your customers. I’ve grown a big part of ProofHub through content marketing by offering our potential customers information that is relevant to educate them about project management problems they face. And thereby, turn them into customers who are ready to use the tool.
Perhaps, a more accurate explanation of content marketing is provided by Content Marketing Institute:
“Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach to attract and retain customers by consistently creating and distributing relevant and valuable content and drive profitable customer action.”
If you are currently creating and producing content, and not getting it right, in this article I’ve put together a few tips to build a successful content distribution strategy. But before that, to get started, answer these questions:
Why do you want to make your content get noticed?
Is your content actually understood? No comments? No sharing? Make sure you identify your content marketing goals. Do you want to drive leads or increase user engagement through your content? Do you want people to visit your website? Or do you want them to subscribe to your newsletter?
Whom do you want to target?
What kind of leads are you expecting from your content? Define who you’re trying to reach. Are you targeting millennials? Or do you want to reach powerful executives?
How do people consume content?
Are you talking to your audience in their style? Find how, when, and where they connect with content. How many of them are in-app users and web users?
Once you’ve identified the answers to the questions, start building a content distribution strategy that best suits your brand. Here, below, I’ve got some amazing ideas that work for me and for big brands.
Here are 5 tips for successful content distribution:
#1. Social media
Organic social media is a great way to grow your brand awareness and engage in a two-way dialogue with consumers. You get a clear path to inform people about how your brand or product works and respond to any inquiries of customers. Not just this, but you gain valuable insights about how they feel about you.
Tips for social media content distribution:
- Keep your audience front and center. Know your audience better than they know themselves.
- Optimize your social media profiles. Your social media profiles can be tweaked for better visibility.
- Post during slow hours. To not let your content be lost in the noise, post your content in the non-peak hours.
- Get familiar with your social media metrics. Know your numbers and get a feel for your brand’s benchmark.
- Interact with your followers. Engage with your followers and reply to their comments to build a reputation.
#2. Crowdsourcing
Crowdsourcing is a way to put tasks or questions out to a large group for their input.
Crowdsourcing content can help you:
- Save money
- Get your potential customers involved
- Provide a unique perspective
- Provide higher quality content that you just can’t outsource and that your own dedicated content development team may not be able to deliver.
For example, on multiple occasions, PepsiCo has asked for input from customers on new potato chip flavors for their Lay’s brand. Their first “Do Us a Flavor” campaign was launched in 2012. Over 14 million results were received, from which “Cheesy Garlic Bread” was the winner. And with these submissions, the new flavor contributed to an 8% increase in sales in the three months following its launch.
Tips for Crowdsourcing:
- Define your goals
- Identify problems
- Find the right crowd to work with
- Share information
- Launch a challenge
- Encourage social sharing
#3. Free content promotion platforms
Platforms, where you can sign up for free and upload content for free, can greatly help you engage with your audience. These platforms will help you reach out to influencers and a target audience that will be interested in your content. The content you share on these platforms will be shown in the search and will give people ways to reach you.
Here are some of the platforms you should try:
- Slideshare
- Youtube
- Quora
#4. Create an SEO foundation
SEO is a strategy that enables your business to show up at the top of search engines like Google when customers are actively searching for you.
How to get started:
- Research your target market
- Do keyword research
- Create good content
- Update your content over time
#5. Paid content distribution
Paid distribution channels are useful when you need a reliable traffic source. 71% of content marketers are using paid advertisement tactics for their content distribution.
When should you use paid channels as part of your content distribution strategy?
- To build a critical mass on the launch of a new campaign
- To target potential leads when hosting an event
- To make high-performing content reach a larger audience
But once you adopt paid distribution, remember that the traffic is not sustainable – your numbers will change after you stop the funding. So you must implement this form of distribution strategically.
Here’s a look at the different types of paid distribution networks:
- Sponsored content
- Ad Networks
- Influencer marketplaces and networks
- Sponsorships
- Remarketing
- Paid search
- Native advertising
What is your content distribution strategy?
Getting eyes on your content is quite a difficult task. Use the above tips to optimize your paid and organic content distribution strategy for the ultimate success of your brand.
What strategies do you follow for content distribution? We would love to know in the comments below.
Guest author: Vartika Kashyap is the Marketing Manager at ProofHub and has been one of the LinkedIn Top Voices in 2018. Her articles are inspired by office situations and work-related events. She likes to write about productivity, team building, work culture, leadership, entrepreneurship among others and contributing to a better workplace is what makes her click.