Originally published August 27, 2021 , updated on August 30, 2024

We all know that content marketing is essential in business. While content writing is an integral part of a digital marketing strategy, you also need a distribution strategy to be successful. Getting a bit confused? No need to be because we’re here to help.

A distribution strategy should be created before you publish any content. This strategy can be developed internally or by content marketing services. It outlines the content being written and the method of publication and distribution. There’s no point in creating a piece of content if no one knows about it. This is why you need a plan of action. 

Below is everything you need to know about formulating a content distribution strategy in 2021 and beyond. Once you have this in place, you will on your way to ensuring that customers see your content.  

Find Out Where Your Audience Is

To start, you need to know where your audience is. And by this, we don’t mean their physical location (although that will be good for other aspects of your business). What we mean is find out where your audience gets their news, updates and general information. It could be through a Google search or industry-specific social media groups. 

For example, perhaps they form part of a Facebook group for digital marketing professionals or a LinkedIn group about public relations. If your business targets these professionals, then it could be helpful to know that these groups exist.

Once you’ve figured out where your audience is, you can start building out the rest of your distribution strategy and use content marketing services. This is the first and most crucial step. Without a clear idea of who your audience is, you are never going to know the best place to share your content too. 

Don’t Be Scared to Spend Money

While we would all love to save money when distributing content, there needs to be some spending involved. This might be through boosting posts on social media, taking out Google Ads or paying for a story placement in a media outlet of your choice. 

For example, if your business wants to reach readers of the Telegraph UK, you can pay to have a story placed in the publication. They will mark it as an advertorial in their feed. It might be just what you need to reach your ideal audience. 

Share It All on Social Media

If nothing else, at least have social media as part of your content distribution strategy and the content marketing services you use. Share all your content on social media. Not only is it incredibly easy, but free as well. Every time you load a blog post, create a whitepaper or ebook or share a piece of content, tell your audience about it on your social media channels.  

One thing to remember is to change up your copy on these platforms. Write different captions that best suit Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Reword it across all platforms and use different images as well. You can even post at various times depending on when your targeted audience is online. While this can take a decent amount of work, creating a content calendar will help streamline the process.

Set KPIs for Each Distribution Channel

You need to know if your strategy is working. Set KPIs for each distribution channel being used and check the results to see if it is working. For example, perhaps you want an increase in website traffic using Facebook. Alternatively, maybe you want to use paid advertorial for more business needs. Figure out these KPIs beforehand and put steps in place to measure them. 

If you see that you aren’t meeting these KPIs, you can change up your strategy. If you see that you are succeeding, you can ramp up your efforts. It’s important to check how you are tracking to avoid wasting time, money and energy on channels that are not benefiting your business.

Don’t Be Afraid to Try Something New

There are so many new ways to distribute content these days. Don’t be afraid to try new ways to get your content out there and benefit from content marketing services. If you have an ebook that would work well as a podcast series, set it up. If you want to talk about your ebook on a podcast, find one that suits your brand and business. 

So many podcasts are looking for guests, so don’t be afraid to reach out to them. But don’t stop at podcasts. Look into how you can distribute your content via videos or video shorts. These mediums are being used more and more these days. Why not find ways to benefit from its popularity.

If you’re unsure where or how to find new distribution channels, reach out to your content creation agency. They should be able to help you distribute your content if you add this service to their costs. 

Make It All Official

Once created, you can make your content and distribution strategy official. Create a document or calendar that your entire team can access when needed. Make it as detailed as possible, so everyone knows what is required of them, what’s happening and when. 

If you need help putting the plan together, there are a number of websites that have free template samples and documents. Alternatively, ask your content creation agency to put a plan together for you.  

The strategy should include a link to the exact piece of content, where you want to distribute it, the copy, an image (if needed) and the distribution date. 

Use B2B Content Marketing Services

If this all feels like too much work, you can always outsource the project to your content marketing agency. They will plan your content, decide where it will live online and how to best share it. And they will know how to change up the strategy should they see that it’s not working. 

A distribution strategy is a must for any business writing and creating information and content pieces. If you don’t have this strategy at the start, you run the risk of putting in all the writing and content creation effort for nothing. Professional content marketing services will help create more impactful work.

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