Are you a small business owner looking to leverage content distribution channels for your marketing strategy? In today’s digital landscape, it’s crucial to understand how content distribution can benefit your small business. According to a survey by uSERP, 67.5% of marketers believe that having links to their content is essential for improving search engine rankings.
However, the reality is that only 2.2% of published content actually receives unique links. This disparity exists because many small business content marketers tend to focus solely on content creation, neglecting the equally important task of distribution.
By adopting a comprehensive content distribution strategy integrated into your overall marketing plan, you can increase your chances of success.
So, why is content distribution important for small businesses? Firstly, it plays a pivotal role in your digital marketing strategy by increasing brand awareness, building trust with your target audience, and fostering a loyal community of followers.
By reaching a wider audience, you have a greater opportunity to obtain more links, mentions, and shares on social media platforms, which ultimately drives more traffic to your website.
Implementing a well-planned content distribution strategy is essential as it amplifies brand visibility and maximizes the return on investment for your content marketing efforts.
Now, let’s delve into how content distribution works and how you can utilize various channels as a small business owner. Content marketers employ diverse formats such as articles, case studies, infographics, and videos to promote their content through different channels and platforms like websites, blogs, and social media.
These channels and platforms can be categorized into three types: owned, earned, and paid media. As a small business, you can select the most effective distribution plan based on your business model and goals, ensuring optimal brand visibility.
Before determining the distribution channels and platforms to utilize, it’s crucial to consider the types of content you want to distribute. These can include blog posts, white papers, research studies, infographics, videos, and more.
Once you’ve identified the content types, carefully select the platforms that align with your target audience’s behavior and preferences.
Defining your marketing goals and key performance indicators (KPIs) is vital as they will guide your content distribution strategy. For example, if your objective is to increase brand awareness, focus on social media shares, organic traffic, keyword rankings, and backlinks.
Let’s explore the three main types of distribution channels that are particularly relevant for small businesses. First, owned channels are those you have direct control over, such as your blog, landing pages, and email newsletters. These provide you with the opportunity to engage your audience and drive traffic back to your website. Second, earned channels involve third parties promoting and sharing your content.
This includes social media shares, brand mentions, and guest posts on other platforms. Leveraging earned channels expands your reach and enhances brand credibility. Finally, paid channels are those that require a financial investment, such as pay-per-click (PPC) ads, sponsored media, and sponsored influencer content.
PPC ads, for instance, can help generate high-quality leads through targeted advertising, while sponsored content and influencer collaborations can boost brand visibility and credibility.
To construct an effective content distribution strategy for your small business, follow these six fundamental steps:
- Thoroughly research your target audience by collecting demographic data using tools like Google Analytics. This will enable you to tailor your content to their preferences and interests.
- Conduct an audit of your existing content to identify gaps or areas for improvement. This ensures that your content aligns with your target audience’s needs.
- Choose the most appropriate distribution channels based on your audience’s behavior and preferences.
- Determine the types of content you want to create and distribute, considering your resources and capabilities.
- Define clear KPIs to measure the success of your content distribution efforts. This will help you track your progress and make data-driven decisions.
- Create a content calendar to organize and schedule your distribution activities, ensuring consistency and alignment with your marketing goals.
Fortunately, there are several content distribution tools and platforms available to assist you. Social media platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook offer significant growth opportunities for small businesses.
Video platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, Vimeo, Instagram, and Facebook allow for immersive content distribution. Article platforms like Medium and LinkedIn’s article feature can also be utilized to distribute your content.
Additionally, tools like HubSpot, CoSchedule, Taboola, MeetCortex, and Zapier can assist with content management, scheduling, content discovery, and automation, streamlining your distribution efforts.
Let’s take a look at Salesforce, a popular cloud-based software company, as an example of a comprehensive content distribution strategy. They allocate a significant budget to content marketing, enabling them to produce various types of content and distribute them across different channels.
For instance, they share industry-specific news and videos on Facebook, while their website blog focuses on reports and case studies.
As a small business, you can draw inspiration from Salesforce’s approach and adapt it to suit your resources and target audience.