Why Your Distribution Strategy Is Just As Important As The Content You Produce

The content is done. In fact, it’s great. But you know what? So is everyone else’s.

Your audience might be there and engaged, but without a solid distribution strategy, your hard work will never be seen by the masses.

Here’s how to get the most out of your content distribution efforts.

Great content isn’t enough. You need an audience to see it.

You can have the best content in the world, but without an audience, it’s not going to do you any good. That’s why distribution is just just as important as content creation.

Not sure what we’re talking about? Distribution channels are how people find and consume your content. They include things like social media platforms (TikTok, Instagram, Twitter), websites, landing pages and blogs, as well as search engines like Google or Bing.

In order for your content – articles, e-books and case studies, images, gifs and videos, podcasts and interviews – to be seen or heard by others online, they need to be shared on these types of networks, which mean you need a distribution plan in place or else they will never get off the ground.

Different content requires different distribution strategies

The type of audience you have, the goals you’re trying to achieve and the kind of content you produce should all play into how you distribute it.

The best way to think about it is like this: If you have a very niche market and are trying to build an audience around that niche, then sharing on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook might be the right approach. But if your content is more general and you want people to consume it in its entirety, rather than just clicking a link, then posting it on your own blog or website would be a better strategy.

Cover your bases with Owned, Earned and Paid channels

Content distribution channels are split into 3 main categories: Owned, earned and paid.?Owned channels are the ones you control, and they include your website, social media accounts and email newsletter. Earned channels are those that come about because other people like what you have to say (reviews, shares, mentions etc), and paid channels involve spending money on ads or influencer campaigns.

Owned channels are usually the most reliable and effective because they’re yours, but you need to put in the time and effort to make them work. Earned channels can be more hit-and-miss, but if your content is good enough it will spread like wildfire. Paid channels are great if you have a large budget available, but they aren’t always necessary.

It’s important to know which channels are best for your business and content, and focus on them. Don’t spread yourself too thin by trying to do everything at once.

Ok, so what are the best content distribution techniques?

The first thing to note is that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. You need to find what works for you and your brand.

The good news? There are plenty of different ways to promote your content, including social media, email marketing, paid ads on Facebook or Google, marketing platforms (like Flaunter’s digital press center) and even landing pages that serve up only the most relevant information for potential contacts.

Here’s how to get started:

1. Identify and understand your target audience.

2. Work out what existing content you have ready to distribute…?Do you have any data or stats on previous content results? See what performed well and what didn’t.

3. Pick your distribution channels; owned, earned, paid or a combination.

4. Define what success looks like. What metrics are you going to track?

Is it working? Analyse, learn and optimise for next time

You know by now, just how much we love data here at Flaunter.

It’s time to start measuring your content distribution strategy and understanding how it works. This is the only way you can truly know whether or not it’s successful.

You should be looking at a number of metrics and tracking them over time to understand if you’re making progress…Is your audience engaging with your content? Who is engaging with your brand and content??How long are they staying on each page??How many times are they clicking through from one piece of content to another??Flaunter gives brands access to these insights?so you can see how your brand is performing, which media and influencers are looking at your brand/content and where they’re going to share or talk about it.?Not on Flaunter? Sign up now for a free 14-day trial.

Once you have this data, you can begin analysing what works and what doesn’t work for the audience that cares about your brand most (your customers, potential customers, partners, fans and followers). Then test different strategies until one sticks!

Hopefully, you now have a better understanding of how to distribute your content and grow your audience. From social media to search engines and paid advertising platforms, there are many ways to get the word out about what you have to offer. If you can’t afford ads right now, don’t worry – there are plenty of free options that still yield great results. Plus, we’ve covered some of our favourite tricks for tracking whether or not these strategies are working so that next time around they can be even more effective!

Images via?Black Milk Clothing

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