Maximizing Reach: Optimal Content Distribution Strategies [Video]

Content distribution is how you provide content to your audience using various channels and media formats. You should do the research and document a plan for where and how you will publish and promote your content before you start producing said content.

There is a tendency for brands to assume they need to post content everywhere. This approach does not consider whether or not the right people are being reached, whether anybody being reached is receptive to your particular messages, or whether having relationships with these audiences will make any meaningful impact on your business.

Following is a list of what's involved in determining your brand's best content distribution plan and factors to be considered as you document that plan.

On a given day, there is no certainty that any list is comprehensive, but this represents current practices and concepts encompassed by the phrase "content distribution."

Consider Media Platform Options

There are three media platform categories for content distribution; owned, shared, and paid media.

• Owned media is distribution channels that your brand owns and controls. This includes your websites, email, newsletters, and social media accounts. It can be challenging to motivate your audience to visit your content regularly.

• Shared channels are those where a third party promotes or shares your content. These include customers, journalists, bloggers, and anyone who shares your content for free. This includes public relations, social shares and mentions, guest articles, roundups, product reviews, and forums like Reddit or Quora. The content on these sites is owned by third parties, so the policies and procedures, or even the actual existence, of a shared channel can change without notice.

• Paid media presents opportunities for your brand to share any message and control the environment where the messages appear, albeit at a cost. Your company pays to distribute content through these channels, including pay-per-click (PPC), paid social advertisements, and paid influencer content.

Eventually, you will likely need to distribute your content across various platforms to be competitive and grow. When you start out or launch a new initiative, starting with something like a company blog or a podcast on your business website is helpful. It establishes a home base for the traffic your content generates, and you can control the flow of information.

Choose the Most Appropriate Platforms for your Content 

You need to understand each channel's unique value proposition clearly and if those benefits align with your audience, brand voice, and goals. How do you do that?

• Determine what audience you will reach with each particular channel. Be sure the audience aligns with your content personas. And be sure that the audience finds value in your content.

• Satisfy yourself that your brand's tone, voice, and style fit this audience well.

• Research how often this audience wants to hear from you. Identify what topics are off-limits. Determine if photos, videos, or long text-based content fits best.

• Identify the resources that allow you to engage consistently on this channel. Be sure you can listen to, respond to, and participate in conversations and start conversations yourself.

Things to Consider as you Develop a Plan for Each Channel 

• Define the audience most engaged on this channel.

• Articulate what goals this channel will help you accomplish. Determine if this is an opportunity to achieve something you can't achieve on a different channel.

• Specify which specific subjects will resonate with this community.

• Use metrics to decide how often and when (days and times of day) you should post on this channel.

• Apportion your time between contributing to conversations and listening to the conversations.

• Evaluate what types of content and formats are best on this channel.

• Compose a list of the specific criteria and considerations determining each channel's voice and conversational style.

• Identify the team member to be specifically in charge of communicating on this channel, as well as any others to be authorized to post. Also, identify the team member/s who will take care of questions that are asked or issues that may escalate.

• Decide what will be your calls to action. Identify what owned media and conversion points you will drive traffic to.

• Specify the metrics you will use to test content performance against stated goals.

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Create and Promote your Content 

As you produce your content, consider how these factors will aid in achieving greater search success and stronger performance:

Metadata enables search engines to rank and display your content effectively. You want to maximize the usefulness of categories, page titles, URLs, and tags. You are covering the various ways to provide context and meaning to your content.

Keywords are metadata tags that tell the search engines what your content is about. This way, they can tell your audience you have the information they seek. Be sure you choose keywords that are clear and descriptive.

Use calls to action to put users on the path you've designated to take them toward conversion—the CTAs signal users you want them to take action after engaging with your content.

To create successful SEO results, you want to earn referral traffic using backlinks to your content from respected publications, relevant social media influencers, and industry thought leaders. Do you want to know more about backlinks?

Beyond Paid and Organic, there's Evergreen Content 

Extend the impact of high-performing content by reusing and resurfacing it. By amplifying these content pieces, you're reinforcing your brand's value and increasing the odds that it will be discovered by audiences that may have missed it previously. Try these techniques, either on their own or in combination:

1. Republish. Assuming the value is still there, just update anything that's outdated and get it back into readers' feeds.

2. Repackage. Deconstruct long-form content like white papers and ebooks into smaller, modular pieces. Then recombine with relevant information on a topic to form a new piece.

3. Repurpose. Deconstruct the original piece and create new conversations. Leave the original message intact. Be sure you've tailored it to suit a new platform.

Read more about evergreen content.