Too many channels, too little time. Content production isn’t just about researching, writing, and publishing. You also need to make sure your content gets in front of the right people, through the right platforms.
In this guide, we’ll share everything you need to know to develop an effective content distribution strategy. As always, we’ll particularly focus on B2B startups.
We’ll share:
- A brief analysis of the impact of content distribution
- Some B2B content distribution basics
- How to refine your content distribution strategy through 4 best practices
- A content repurposing & distribution example
Ready? Let’s dive in!
Why Content Distribution Matters
It’s easy to see why proper content distribution makes an impact: it’s how you get your content in front of potential customers and establish yourself as an everyday presence on their social media feeds or inbox.
And marketers see this value clearly. According to recent research from Semrush:
- 73% of marketers use social media as their main platform for content amplification
- 53% use email marketing
- 51% invest in social media ads
- 25% leverage influencer marketing
- 11% use guest posting as a content distribution strategy
- 16% of marketers optimize their content to be shared on content aggregators like Reddit
Without proper content distribution, your users will only find you through one platform. And paradoxically, your reach on this single platform could be significantly reduced if you don’t diversify your distribution.
For instance, it’s a well-known fact that social signals can boost your SEO positioning. Additionally, time-on-page affects your SEO positioning too. Content that gets shared across social media is perceived by Google as a valuable source of information. And content that users spend time actually reading is perceived by Google as valuable.
So, putting your content in front of interested users through social media could have a positive impact on your SERP rankings.
Additionally, if you use content syndication or guest posting as a means of distribution, your efforts will also generate quality backlinks, which will help you boost your organic visibility too.
In short, content distribution makes it possible for users to find your content through various platforms, increasing your potential outreach
Have you been creating content for some time and seeing little results? Try investing in better content distribution.
What B2B Content Distribution Basics Should You Know?
Content distribution is all about understanding:
- What platforms are relevant to your target audience
- How your target audience uses those platforms
- What formats your target audience responds to the best
- The strengths and limitations of each marketing channel
When exploring the 4 pillars of our content distribution framework, we'll tackle the latter 3 factors. In the section, we'll get the first one out of the way.
What Are The Best Content Distribution Platforms for B2B SaaS?
When trying to engage B2B audiences, some channels seem more relevant than others. For instance, it may seem reasonable to invest most of your social media resources on LinkedIn rather than Instagram.
But even if you’ll continue to prioritize LinkedIn, diversifying beyond it can pay dividends. You only need the right strategy.
For example, it’s well-known that B2C brands get an incredible ROI from Instagram ads. At this point, you may contend: “Well, but B2C ads that succeed on Instagram rely on a short, one-person decision-making process and don’t require large investments.”
Well, some B2B products don’t do either. If you’re selling an enterprise-level finance toll, Meta platforms may not be your most cost-effective choice. But if you’re selling a simple content creation app for solopreneurs, they’re channels worth considering.
Aside from social media, you may want to explore:
- Content syndication & guest posting
- Turning your written content into videos, or the other way around
Our Content Distribution Framework: How to Win at Content Distribution with 4 Best Practices
In this section, we’ll dive into four best practices that will help you level up your content distribution. We recommend:
- Repurposing your content instead of just sharing links
- Keeping an eye on old content
- Segmenting your audience and using segmentation to stay relevant
- Providing value rather than interrupting your audience
- Investing in PPC campaigns, if a piece of content is particularly immersive and effective
Let’s take a closer look.
Repurpose
Content repurposing consists of adapting existing material into different formats, for different content marketing channels and audiences.
Content distribution isn’t just about posting links to your content on different platforms. By using your original piece as source material for other types of content, you can invite users to your website while being constructive and helpful.
Use repurposing to establish a social media presence that's available on its own. That way, users will be incentivized to follow you and anticipate your next post.
Keep an eye on old content
We've seen some of our partners increase their organic traffic by publishing less new content and focusing all their resources on revamping existing pieces.
Your old posts could still be a great source of qualified traffic. You just need to:
- Keep them updated
- Consistently build links to them
- Re-share them periodically
- Re-optimize them
Segmentation is king
Make sure you get the right message, to the right people, at the right time. To prioritize channels and produce content that actually works, study the preferences, needs, and trends of your target audience on each different platform.
Questions that should guide your research include:
- Is my target audience active on this platform?
- What motivates them to remain on this platform? What are they looking for?
- What types of content does my target audience consume on this platform?
- What are the top creators in my niche on this platform?
- What tone and format do they use?
- Can we replicate that format?
- How can we provide value in our own original way?
- Is posting frequency a major discoverability factor on this platform?
Don’t interrupt your audience
Regardless of how valuable your content may be, if received at the wrong time, even the right message can become a hindrance.
We've seen some companies send push notifications to their users when they publish new content. It's okay to be enthusiastic and make sure your users know when you've published a new resource. But using high-priority channels for low-priority messages could severely affect your relationship with your users.
Don't be pushy with your content distribution. Plus, try to add variety and uniqueness to every channel. That way, even die-hard fans who follow your brand across platforms will get something new out of every version of your content.
Invest in PPC campaigns
Got a great piece of content that’s particularly effective for moving users down your conversion funnel? You may want to consider promoting it through paid ads.
For efficient ad spending, we recommend reserving this strategy for:
- High-impact video content
- Webinars, e-books and other lead magnets
B2B Distribution Example: How to Turn One Piece of Content into Five
Let’s say your team publishes a new informative video analyzing a new trend in your sector.
To maximize that new piece’s outreach, you could:
- Select some video highlights and turn them into short social videos
- Turn the video’s script into a blog post
- Turn some video highlights into a Twitter thread
- Send a newsletter sharing the video and some key takeaways
You can share these new pieces over days or weeks, intercalating this content with other material, so your content marketing channels don’t seem monotone.
Needless to say, the engine behind this content distribution strategy is content repurposing.
Let’s Create Content Worth Distributing
This guide has covered everything you need to know to develop an effective content distribution strategy. We've also provided you with some of the best B2B content distribution best practices to follow.
But your content distribution strategy won’t give you any results if you’re producing material that doesn’t solve real user challenges or bring value in any relevant way.
At Postdigitalist, we help B2B startups to create powerful content across platforms. Interested? Book a free consulting call today.