Content Distribution Strategy: 5 Steps to Creating a Killer Plan

In the world of marketing, content distribution is everything. It doesn't matter how much content you're producing, how great of a quality your content is, or how much time and money you're investing in it. If your content distribution strategy is off, you can as well sit down and stop marketing. 

 

And don't get me wrong; producing quality content consistently is very important because it all starts there (I'll expound on this later). But it's not enough to reach your goals. You need a distribution strategy capable of showing your content to the world and bringing in substantial traffic to your business. 

 

One of the main goals of content distribution strategy is creating visibility for your business which then builds brand reputation, increased engagement, lead generation, and eventually sales. To be able to follow through with this pattern successfully, there got to be a plan because: 

 

  1. The amount of content being produced online each minute is mind-blowing. It's quite noisy. You need to know how to sail through the clutter with your head high. 
  2. You need eyes on your content every day, any day. If nobody is looking at your content, that means zero business. Actually, according to Ahref, nearly 90% of all web pages get no traffic from google. Very sad statistic, but that's what happens when the marketing team doesn't prioritize a content distribution strategy. 

 

Let me now take you through a solid content distribution strategy to help you cut through the noise and grab your audience's attention. But first... 

 

What Exactly Is Content Distribution Strategy? 

 

A content distribution strategy is a framework or process that a business uses to guide its marketing efforts in promoting its content. The content can be blog posts, eBooks, videos, etc.

 

A great content distribution strategy helps create structure. It kills the randomness of the promoting process. It also helps you reach your desired goals much faster and smoother. 

 

5 Steps to Creating a Killer Content Distribution Strategy

 

About to create your content distribution strategy? Follow these 5 steps:

 

1. Understand Your Target Audience 



 



 

What does understanding your target audience have to do with content distribution? You may ask. Well, when you have a solid understanding of your audience's behaviors and needs, you're more likely to distribute content wisely. 

 

You'll share your content via the right channels at the right time, and it'll be the right amount needed by the people who want to buy from you.

 

It will save you from investing your time and money in the wrong audience.  

 

For example, maybe most of your audience only visit your blog if and only if you share your posts on your social media pages. This means you'll need to consistently post any new topic you write about on social media.

 

To help you understand your target audience, you'll need to create a buyer's persona. Ask yourself questions such as:

 

  • What's their age bracket? 
  • What's their demographic? 
  • How will they benefit from your content? 
  • How can you connect them to your brand? 
  •  

2. Know the Platforms Where Your Audience is Active 



 



 

After understanding your target audience, you need to know where they spend time online and try to reach them via those platforms. You don't want to spend your time and energy on Instagram when your audience doesn't hang out there.  

 

So ask yourself…”is my audience the type that prefers reading emails?” If so, then email marketing should be your top distribution strategy. If they enjoy reading social media posts, then social media marketing should be your number one strategy. And if they prefer going on the search engines to look for answers, then optimize your website to attract organic traffic. 

 

Now how do you know where to find your target audience online? One easy way is to look at your google analytics dashboard and see where most of your visitors come from. And hey- don't stop there; always check the quality of those clicks by looking at the session duration.  

 

Another way is to have a pop-up survey menu on your site that asks readers questions that can help you with your content distribution plan. You can ask questions such as: 

 

  • How did you find this site? 
  • What other publications do you use to help with (your content topic) 
  • What online communities or groups do you follow to help with (your content topic)

 

To make the survey easy for your audience, list several platforms for them to choose from in every question you ask. 

  

If a significant number of visitors come from LinkedIn and spend quite some time on your website, you may want to focus on sharing more content on LinkedIn. These types of readers are more likely to take key actions such as sign up for your email list or even buy from you once they get enough information to make a purchase decision. 

 

Here are the top content distribution platforms to consider for your strategy. 

 

 

3. Customize Your Content for the Platform 

 

One way to get your audience to engage with you on the platforms they hang out on is by providing valuable content. 

 

Don't just drop links and run away. You'll be seen as a spammer, and that's one way of ruining your brand reputation.

  

Instead, if your audiences are asking a question on an online community and you have the right information to help them out, go right in and answer them with a helpful response, then link your content relevant to that question. 

 

Again, even if you're just posting on your page on these platforms, you need to have a valuable and insightful introduction to your content. You need to use content formats that are familiar to your audience. You need to incorporate visual content and embrace the language and the trend that your audience on these platforms uses. 

 

If you just link your content and cross your fingers that people will click and read what you have to say, you may wait for quite some time. Actually, did you know, there are: 

 

46,740 Instagram posts published per minute? 

 

456,000 tweets sent per minute? 

 

Yeah... that just tells you how much content is being shared and how unique your content needs to be customized to rise above the noise.  

 

4. Craft Quality Content 



 



 

Quality content is key for marketing your products or services. If the quality of your content is average or maybe below average, that's exactly what your audience will assume your products or services are. And you know what that does to your sales. 

 

A distribution strategy can never make up for poor-quality content. And even if you use paid distribution methods such as ads, at the end of the day, your content is what will make or break your sales. Why? Because online readers these days are much aware of the abundant choices they have, they won't hesitate to ditch you the minute they get another brand that puts in more effort.  

 

So, quality content matters a lot, and it's what will make all your distribution efforts count.  

 

Now you may ask, what does quality content mean? Well, it means content that speaks to your target audience. It means answering your audience's questions in an informative and insightful way. It means constructing well-structured sentences that are grammatically correct. It means getting into your audience's shoes, understanding their needs, and providing the value they want- not what you want, but at the same time conveying the brand message.  

 

To make your distribution effort count:

 

  • Have evergreen content that can be shared by your audience any day, every day.
  • Write original content with unique views and suggestions on the subject matter.
  • Aim to have a number of high-quality content pieces on your website that have been optimized for search engine optimization.
  • Always craft relevant content. If your content is irrelevant to the people you're targeting, you'll attract the wrong audience who, to be honest, won't help you reach your business goals. 
  • Make use of content creators who have in-depth knowledge of your subject matter.
  •  Don't shy away from guest posts from experts in your field.   

 

5. Be Consistent 



 



 

By now, you know your audience, know the platforms they use, and you'll promote your amazing content on these channels. Soon enough, people will come looking for content on your site, and now you can relax. Right? 


 

Haha wrong. 


 

Sorry to burst your bubble, but content distribution is a continual process. It never ends so long as you're in the business. You need to be consistent.  


 

Every day, your audience grows, meaning new people get interested in what you offer, and it's your responsibility to help them find you. And having in mind that different content distribution platforms have different content lifespans.

 

For example, social media content has a very short lifespan means you need to keep sharing your content on your target social networks now and then to get great visibility. 


 

You know what they say- out of sight, out of mind. It's true when it comes to shared content. The more your audience sees your content, the more they become aware of what your business has to offer. And vice versa is also true. 


 

Again, as your audience evolves through the sales funnel, say when they move from TOFU to MOFU, you may need to change how you distribute content.


 

For instance, new people may find you through a paid influencer, and as they become aware of their needs and how your products can solve their problems, they may want to consume more content from you before making a purchase decision. They'll follow your social media profiles and blog, where they can read more frequent posts from you. This type of audience will, in most cases, look for you on your FB page or your website and not on the influencer page anymore; the MOFU. 


 

As a brand in this scenario, you need to consistently distribute awareness content to paid influencers and "consider our products" on FB and blog posts. 


 

Now What? 

 

Having a content distribution strategy is the only way to get the brand visibility your business deserves. Your marketing efforts may never pay off if you don't have a framework to guide you. You need to be strategic and intentional with your content. This way, reaching your target audience, turning them into leads, and eventually paying customers won't be a daunting task. 

 

However, all this starts with great content. Content is what will sell you. It's what will establish you as an authority in your field and separate you from your competitors. And this is why you need Zoeywriters.  

 

ZoeyWriters breathes life into content. We understand how great content can serve you and your brand; therefore, we mean business when crafting it. Say yes to our content writing services and see your distribution process ease.  

 

Before you go, check out these two handly guides on making the most of your content:

 

 

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