Innovators abound in today’s increasingly digital world, and the online landscape for content distribution continues to grow. However, not all platforms are created equal. Depending on your industry and offering, some content distribution channels will work better than others.
Regardless of the vertical, it’s important to perform research to discover where and when your audience congregates and consumes content to win the most engagement. To help you maximize your reach, 15 members of Forbes Communication Council shared their favorite ideas for effective content distribution. See their recommended strategies below.
Forbes Communications Council members share their favorite ideas for effective content distribution.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.
1. Create Your Own Distribution Channels
We’re not afraid to create our own distribution channels. Our two podcasts and YouTube channel have tens of thousands of subscribers, and many of those have turned into paying customers. We’ve also jumped into the short-content trend that TikTok ushered in last year—our Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts are currently our most engaging social content. – Melissa Zehner, Foundr Magazine
2. Invest In Omnichannel Support
Understanding audience volume of users per platform in the context of the creative and messaging itself is essential to driving reach and engagement. Have a Reel you just shared? One quick hack to get more views organically is repurposing and link-sharing across other platforms where it adds value—TikTok, Reddit, Pinterest, Facebook communities and so on. – Tara Nolan, Havas Media Group | The Conscious Connoisseur
3. Consider Social Advocacy Platforms
We know that people’s interests are especially piqued when content comes from a real person that they know, trust or admire rather than the official company that’s selling or promoting it. That is why I love social advocacy platforms. They make it easy for your brand advocates—your staff, social influencers, customers, members and supporters—to voice your content on your behalf. – Christina Crawley, Forum One
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4. Always Be Relevant To Your Target Audience
In this fast-paced era, consumers interact with brands on multiple platforms, such as social media, email and the Web. The same goes for brands interacting with other brands. From a B2B perspective, it’s about being relevant to your target audience, no matter which channel(s) they are on in real time. The ability to measure results on an omnichannel level is crucial to the success of any content campaign. – Anna Luo, Jivox
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5. Engage On Channels That Are New To You
Don’t be afraid to engage on channels that may be new to you! Ultimately, it’s critical to meet your customers where they are. From traditional trades to TikTok, keeping your finger on the pulse of your industry will not only dictate where to find your audience, but will also help to inform the type of content you should be producing. – Lynn Kier, Diebold Nixdorf
6. Cycle Thematic Content Through One Channel At A Time
My content plan focuses on “theme weeks,” with multiple mediums created for each theme. For best distribution, cycle content through one channel at a time. With multiple theme weeks running at any given time, you ensure fresh content for a crossover audience. I also advocate involving employees in distribution. Deliver written content—possibly tied to a contest—to their inboxes and let them post at will. – James Polinori, Geneva Financial Home Loans
7. Analyze Your Users’ Numbers To Determine What Works Best
Content outreach is a numbers game, but there’s more to the numbers than just raw quantity. How can you maximize the actual reach you’re getting? Where are your users, and where are your users who are buying? It doesn’t matter what channel you like, just what channels work for you and your job. – Crystal McFerran, The 20
8. Don’t Discount The Value Of Connected TV
In my opinion, connected TV is currently the most strategic way to deploy dollars and deliver messages directly to the consumer. It offers room for growth and innovation beyond what was ever possible through traditional broadcast TV, allowing marketers to tailor the message based on viewer segment and audience. – Layla Kasha, Grocery Outlet
9. Always Invite The Audience To Share Your Content
Regardless of channel, always invite your readers to share your content with their colleagues who might benefit from it. A referral is one of the best approaches to have your content stand above the overwhelming amount of information we all receive daily. – Isabelle Dumont, Cowbell Cyber
10. Reverse-Engineer The Content Creation Process
Because there are so many new channels and content platforms out there, I think you almost have to start with the channel in mind first. Analyze the audience on that channel, then create the specific content they want. If you reverse-engineer the process, your chances of success greatly increase. – Stacy Gentile, Vengreso
11. Amplify Your Content’s Reach With Ads
Ads amplify reach. When it comes to content, businesses often segment in the following way: Paid is for acquiring leads; organic is for reach. However, when you use paid options to amplify content distribution, you do something different. Rather than fighting other vendors for the same customers, you start to dominate your category. Maximize your content’s reach now to win your industry in the future. – Patrick Ward, Rootstrap
12. Repurpose Content With Varied Audiences In Mind
I’m a big fan of repurposing content across channels, but it is important to remain mindful that your audience likely varies across platforms. Make sure you understand the users who follow you on Twitter versus on LinkedIn or Instagram. What demographic or psychographic profile is reading your blog or visiting your website? Don’t just copy-paste content. Tailor it appropriately for those audiences. – Jaime Hunt, Miami University
13. Partner With Other Brands
Partner with amazing brands and build deeper partnerships that go beyond syndication. If you can get to the point where there are shared values between you, the syndication will have more weight, as similar thoughts to yours will be available elsewhere. The only task then is to ensure your content resonates a little bit more than your competitors’. – Sarah Whipp, Callsign
14. Start With Your Business Goal
Start with your business goal, then access your audiences. Content distribution must be tailored to your audience. Regardless of whether it’s an internal or external audience, understanding your organization, factoring in the generations you’re communicating with and being cognizant of your audience’s culture will deliver the results you are looking for when you prioritize based on your goals. – Kris Pugsley, Skyworks Solutions, Inc.
15. Repackage, Reuse, Reprioritize And Repeat
Take the 4R approach: Repackage content, reuse messages, reprioritize channels and repeat things that worked for you. We adopt a master content approach. For example, we create a white paper or a video and then make a transcript and repackage it as a blog, a short set of social media videos, a webinar and more. The master content takes maximum effort, and the rest require little or no effort. – Raghunath Koduvayur, IQM Quantum Computers
