So you have read our whitepaper and already started your content marketing efforts. You have created a great video, planned 2 webinars and cranking out blog posts every week and are tracking the analytics on each. So far though, you haven’t been getting much traction on any of them. This is where the old adage “build it and they will come” falls flat on its face.
In the fast paced world of the Internet, you can build the most amazing content, but if you don’t build a bridge for your audience to easily cross to get to your content, it will be as undiscovered as the island in Lost.
Getting your content out isn’t hard, but getting it out to the RIGHT audience can be trickier.
Every platform for distribution has different goals and analytics, and before deciding where to push your content out you have to understand the different platforms.
Social Media
Platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google Plus, Tumblr, YouTube, Slideshare
With a wide variety of potential platforms to share, social media allows for the widest potential reach of your content. But, just because you put it out does not mean you will get the content in front of a large number of people – instead you need to have a strategy for each platform. Using hashtags, correct timing or posts to relevant niche communities within each platform you can reach the correct audience.
Paid
Platforms: Google, Bing, Yahoo, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Website Media Buys, Ad Networks, Content Distributors
Using advertisements is the most guaranteed way to get eyeballs on your content, but it of course incurs a cost. When using advertising, whether on social (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or others), PPC or mobile you will achieve the largest consistent reach and impressions, but the watch the traffic closely to make sure it is targeted.
There are also companies, like Outbrain, who can help put your content in front of targeted audiences around the web.
SEO
Optimizing your content or the landing page it lives on to be found in organic search results is an important part of content distribution. If correctly optimized this can drive significant, and often very highly targeted, traffic to the page. When people search for a specific question or term and your content shows up at the top of a Google search result, the person is likely to click and already is looking specifically for what you are offering.
The most tried and true method of distribution. If you already have an email list, you have a captive audience. Sending out emails specifically for larger pieces of content (webinar, white paper, new video) is a great way to get clicks and engagement if the email is headlines properly. You can also do daily/weekly/monthly roundups of all of your best new content to get the list engaged as well.
PR/Influencer Relations
With certain types of content, it can be pushed out through other existing outlets, such a blogs, news sites and press releases. Not all content is useful to ask for others to publish, but the more powerful the information the more likely it will be. For example, with a infographic that was created with 1st party research, industry vertical sites may be interest in publishing it and linking back to you.
Not all content is meant for each distribution method, which is why understanding the goals and best practices for each platform are important. In the next post in this series we will discuss how to identify the correct channel as well as how to set goals for each.
