There is exactly zero return on investment for content that is never seen. Distributing content effectively is essential for a business that wants to bring on new customers. Effective content distribution results in lots of social network shares and high search engine rankings. There are six proven methods of distributing content so that it can be used and shared by the public.
Method 1: Photography and Video
YouTube and Instagram are the most popular of the many channels for sharing videos and photos. Signing up for the sites and posting content is completely free. Concise videos that contain clean graphics and titles that encourage sharing are one of the absolute best ways to convey messages and emotions about a business’s products and services.
Featuring high-quality photography on a your website is a definitive method of engaging prospective customers. Well-composed and edited images convey professionalism and high standards. Look at what recent studies have to say about photography and video:
- 100 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute. According to Nielsen, YouTube reaches more US adults ages 18-34 than any cable network. (YouTube)
- Articles with relevant images have 94% more total views than articles without images, on average. (MDGadvertising)
Method 2: Social Media
Companies have learned that social networks are content distribution avenues that cannot be ignored. Content shared on social networks is crafted to be shared easily consumed quickly. Contrary to popular opinion, not all social networks are the same. Experienced marketers know that each network profile requires a unique form of posting and user engagement. Consider the numbers of three dominant social networks:
- With 864 million daily active users (as of September 2014), facebook dominates the social media landscape. (facebook)
- At 284 million monthly active users, Twitter is a proven method for distribution. More than 500 million tweets are sent out each day (Twitter)
- Weighing in with 300 million worldwide members, LinkedIn is becoming a social sharing platform for professional content. (LinkedIn)
Method 3: Sales Team
The sales team is one of the most overlooked methods of distributing content. These professionals are constantly interacting with businesses and entrepreneurs out in the field. They know what their clients are looking for and they want to provide them with the most quality information.
Putting content into the hands of a sales team means that clients and potential customers will receive polished content when and where they need it most. Companies that provide the sales team with content that describes services or industry trends are able to create more sales by educating clients.
Method 4: Emails
Marketing through email is an essential part of any content distribution plan. Using regular e-newsletters is an effective way to get your content to potential customers who may not always visit a company’s website.
Newsletters sent by email keep customers updated on a company’s latest projects and recently posted content. Emails can convey longer, more thoughtful messages than social media or videos, and subscribers feel like company insiders. Take a look at these statistics on email use:
- 92% of adult internet users maintain at least one email account. (icontact)
- It’s predicted that the number of email accounts will reach 4.09 billion in 2015. (icontact)
Method 5: Paid Advertising
Paying to have content distributed to specific markets can be money very well spent. Advertising targeted to specific geographic regions or to people who share a particular interest ensures that no money is wasted. Distributing content through advertising requires mastery of multiple platforms, including pay-per-click, mobile friendly, and site specific campaigns.
Social networks have developed very perceptive ways to feature advertisements so that the maximum number of viewers sees each ad. Based on the sheer number of users, advertising on websites and social networks is now the leading way to engage new customers.
Method 6: Posting to 3rd Party Websites
Writing content for other websites or popular blogs in your industry is called Guest Posting, and it is a proven method of expanding your audience and demonstrating your expertise in the field. Introduce local, national, and even international audiences to what you’ve created. Post content to other local and national blogs, news websites, and editorial online magazines
In the end, the more avenues you use to distribute your content, the more potential customers you’ll discover. Keep these six methods in mind and you’ll introduce your content to the world.
Discover even more content tips from the pros, new strategies for 2015, and get our 5-Step Content Creation plan. Download our free Content Creation and Distribution guide.
