Most marketers view content marketing as the key to gaining more traffic to a website. (If you’re new to content distribution and marketing, here’s a guide to help you get started.)
Although effective content marketing is the key to web traffic, that doesn’t mean it’s easy.
Are you producing high-quality content that for some reason isn’t getting results? Have you been pulling your hair out trying to discover what’s wrong with your content?
If you feel your content truly is valuable to your audience, perhaps you don’t have a content problem. Instead, you might have a distribution or a viewability problem.
Many marketers don’t think about the importance of effective content distribution. The reality is that good distribution is just as important as the quality and value of your content. After all, if no one discovers your award-worthy content, few people will visit your website, become leads, or convert to paying customers.
Content Distribution Methods to Invest In
Here are a few content distribution methods and platforms that have been proven effective.
1. Content Distribution Platforms
If you’ve never used a content distribution platform, your content might not be getting the attention it deserves. How do these platforms distribute your content? They partner with large media outlets such as Time and CNN, and then place your content on such sites in the form of native ads.
You’ve probably visited highly-trafficked sites and stumbled upon content sections titled “Recommended for You,” or “From Around the Web,” or “You May Also Like.” The articles and videos in these sections look like editorial features, but they’re actually promoted content from a content distribution platform.
And the best part? The readers who come across your promoted content are already interested in what you’re offering. It’s all thanks to sophisticated algorithms used by the content distribution platform.
The rise of content discovery is significantly impacting the online-search industry, and its growth will most likely continue well into the future.
2. Facebook Ads
Facebook has over 1.4 billion monthly users. And of the 50 million small-business Facebook Pages, 2.5 million of them are Facebook advertisers. Is your business one of them?
Facebook advertising is a highly-effective way to distribute your content to a large audience who will find your offerings relevant. The pay-per-click format offered by Facebook is very controllable. Even low amounts like $100 or even $50 can attract attention to your content.
Facebook’s Ad Manager offers some of the best targeting on the planet. With the ability to target almost any kind of audience, you’re able to focus on those who are most likely to view and share your content.
Tips to consider:
- Besides creating Facebook Ads, another cost-effective way to reach more people is to boost Facebook posts that contain your content.
- Join relevant Facebook Groups, and share any content you’ve published and advertised.
- For extra momentum, create Instant Articles on Facebook to promote your content.
- Pin your best content to the top of your brand’s Page.
3. Twitter Ads
With 320 million monthly active users, Twitter offers marketers significant content-distribution opportunities. And like Facebook ads, Twitter advertising can be effective without spending an exorbitant amount of money. Several Twitter ad campaign types are available, including:
- Website clicks campaigns
- Followers campaigns
- Engagement campaigns
- App campaigns
In your Twitter campaigns, shoot for running five or six promoted tweets simultaneously. And to keep your campaign relevant and fresh, add some new tweets to the campaign every week.
Other tips to consider:
- In your content, encourage your audience to follow you on Twitter.
- As with other platforms, adding images and video makes your content more engaging on Twitter.
- When your audience shares your content on Twitter, retweet them!
- If your content included names or thoughts from any influencers, mention them on Twitter. With any luck, they’ll retweet the content.
- Keep your tweeted content pinned to the top of your tweets.
4. Email Marketing
Yes, this traditional method of content distribution is still effective and dependable. When done right, email marketing (such as newsletters) delivers excellent ROI and helps you maintain a strong connection with your audience. It’s also an effective way to regularly spotlight your brand, products and services. And as an important bonus, email marketing is known for being highly shareable.
When using email marketing to distribute your content, remember that traditional methods like “batching and blasting” aren’t effect today. (This is the tactic of blasting your entire email list with the same content regardless of your audience’s past web-browsing behavior or purchase history.) Instead, it’s far more effective to incorporate tactics like email segmentation, and geo-targeting.
Other tips to consider:
- In your emails’ signature line, add a link to more content you’d like to promote that week. Include a message like (“Check out my recent article on…”)
- Try to sponsor an email newsletter within your industry so you can feature some of your content in it.
- Ask an influencer with a large email audience if they’d share a piece of your valuable content with their audience. Their audience will benefit, and it could lead to more traffic to your website.
5. LinkedIn Direct Sponsored Content
According to a report from the Content Marketing Institute and Marketing Profs, 94% of B2B marketers use LinkedIn to distribute content. While LinkedIn’s popularity for marketers is well known, many people don’t realize that only around 20 percent of your followers see your LinkedIn posts. Direct Sponsored Content is a good solution.
Direct Sponsored Content allows a brand to distribute content to larger audiences on LinkedIn, while also targeting audiences by LinkedIn groups, skills, location, age and gender.
Also, unlike regular Sponsored Content, “Direct” Sponsored Content does not show up on a company’s LinkedIn Page. This allows brands to distribute as much content as they want without cluttering their Company Page.
Other tips to consider:
- Create status updates about your content.
- If you included the names or ideas of any influencers in your content, tag them in your LinkedIn status updates.
- Share your content in your LinkedIn groups who’d find the content valuable.
- Write a post on LinkedIn Pulse with a link to your content.
6. SlideShare
Smart content marketers convert their content into SlideShare presentations. Why? With millions of content-hungry users on SlideShare, it’s the most well-known slide presentation platform in the world. Consider these staggering facts:
- 70 million people around the globe are active on SlideShare.
- It’s a trusted source. Users know that many respected authorities and influencers, in several industries worldwide, are found on SlideShare.
- SlideShare can be used for lead generation.
- With a domain authority of 95 and page authority of 79, SlideShare offers excellent SEO.
Tips to consider:
- When re-purposing your content, create a single slide to feature your content’s main point. Use subsequent slides to further develop the main point.
- Make sure your images are attractive.
- Don’t be afraid to use as many slides as needed to make your presentation valuable.
- Add calls to action at the presentation’s close.
7. Quora
Your brand creates knowledgeable content that addresses many questions people in your industry have. If only there were a platform that enables you to find these questions! Of course, such a platform exists.
Quora is a popular question-and-answer platform with 1.3 million visitors each month in the U.S. When users type questions into Quora, they see search results for their questions that have already been asked by others – as well as answers from experts. If their question has never been asked on Quora, they can submit the question themselves.
One excellent way to use Quora for content distribution is to search for questions that your content answers. When you find the right question, you can then repurpose your content into a clear answer and provide a link to it in your response.
Other tips to consider:
- For effective branding, write a Quora bio that conveys your knowledge and experience. Your readers will see your bio every time they read your answers.
- Follow any Quora topic you have expertise in. You’ll receive email updates when new questions have been asked within those topics.
- Perhaps this should go without saying, but make sure your answers are always useful and never spammy.
Although this is not an exhaustive list, it covers many of the proven distribution methods that get results. If other platforms have worked for you, don’t stop using them! The more distribution methods you use, the better. The goal, of course, is getting your content into the hands of as many relevant audiences as possible.
If all these distribution methods seem like a lot of work, that’s because content distribution is a lot of work! But its importance can’t be overstated. In fact, it has been said that content is no longer king. Distribution is.
Like everything else in business, there are no shortcuts in content marketing or distribution. It takes consistent effort, research, and creativity. But the good news is that those who make content and distribution a priority will be rewarded with a loyal audience and a healthy ROI.
If it all starts to feel exhausting, think of the end results. When your hard work has earned you an audience and high web traffic, you’ll be thankful you put in the time and effort.
