Content Marketing, while broad, is a strategy of creating and distributing relevant content to reach your target audience. The forms of content marketing can span from press releases to product descriptions, from Facebook pictures to case studies, and while the creation, creativity and relevance of the content is vital, the distribution of it will make or break your efforts.

 

An organized systematic approach of content distribution will ensure a consistent flow and will maximize your exposure. With a consistent flow of information about your company, you will soon build up trust in your industry and community. When looking at a distribution strategy, keep in mind some simple principles which will effectively keep your content in front of your audience.

 

You will need to put together a comprehensive list of distribution channels before making a strategy on how to distribute your content. Most of you already have established distribution channels even though you may not call them that. It is important that your channels are documented and organized so that the act of distribution is optimized. Start with a press release list: make a list of every contact who should receive a copy of a press release, keeping in mind trade associations, newspapers, magazines, the chamber of commerce, your own blog, etc. Move on to a list of blogs which you can either submit content to or comment on existing content. Include a list of social networks you can post on such as Facebook and Twitter. I also advise making a list of all the online forums you regularly visit and post on; forum posts are a valuable form of content marketing.

 

You will never actually be done creating your distribution list; hopefully, it will grow as you make new contacts. I try to keep my distribution list as detailed as possible for each channel. If the channel is an online social network, I will have the web address, username and password on my list; therefore, minimizing the time it takes me to actually distribute the content. For every press release contact on my list, I have their full name, contact information, notes about what type of content they like, and anything else that may influence what I send them.

 

Once your list is set up, you can start generating a strategy for content distribution. Your strategy should focus on consistency, and the most effective way to do this is to use a calendar system.

 

When putting together content distribution calendars, you always want to look ahead and stay goal-focused. The best approach I have found is to keep separate calendars for various distribution channels while at the same time keeping one general Main Events Calendar. First, let’s cover your distribution calendars. Similar distribution channels can be grouped on the same calendar; for example, you may have one social network calendar that will have you tweeting twice a day, posting on Facebook once a day, posting pictures on Flicker once every two days and so on. You may also have a blog and online article calendar that will have you posting on your blog and submitting an online article every Friday. The events on your distribution calendars are not just reminders though, they are specific topics such as "Press Release: New Showroom Renovations" or "Post a video of the CNC machine running." Filling in the actual event with the content topic will help the calendars stay goal-focused.

Your Main Events Calendar will consist of events, promotions, new product releases, new hires and other newsworthy stories. This calendar will help guide you in deciding what your content will contain. It is vital to your efforts to keep this calendar as full as possible and as forward-looking as possible. Remember, ideas on this calendar may manifest themselves as different forms of content. Take, for example, a grand opening of a showroom: Prior to the opening, you can post event reminders using social media, send out an email, submit a press release about the new showroom to newspapers and magazines, write about the opening on a blog, etc. During the opening, you can post pictures and updates of the event, even take a video and upload it to YouTube. After the opening, you can send out an email newsletter recapping the event, write another blog post about how well the new showroom was received, and even continue conversations via Facebook and Linkedin with people you met at the event. The single story such as the opening of a showroom could produce dozens of content events throughout your distribution calendars.

 

The value of the calendars is to provide a plan to evenly distribute content throughout time and distribution channels and ultimately result in a consistent content marketing approach.

 

The trust that you build with proper content distribution will create a desire for your audience to engage. No matter how credible you may be in a topic or how relevant your content may be to your audience, if your content looks like a flash in the pan your audience will not be able to develop trust for you or your company. It is important not to confuse consistent content distribution with brand building even though that may be the result. Brand building focuses on advertising and a brand image or slogan, while content marketing focuses on relevant information and a personality. Content marketing needs the trust of your audience to become effective; they need to feel like they know you, and getting to know you takes consistency.

Many people tell me they don’t have time every day to create content even if it is as simple as a tweet, and to them I say, “Nor do I, but that is irrelevant.” Content creation can happen at your speed and on your own schedule. Just because you create content doesn’t mean you need to distribute it right away. For example, go around your shop with a camera phone and take 20+ pictures and/or videos of your manufacturing process that you think your customers may find interesting. When you are done, don’t post them all on Facebook at one time; schedule them on your calendars when you think your content is thin. This approach will keep your posting consistent and will result in a higher level of trust and engagement by your Facebook fans.

 

Remember, customers are never enough; you want advocates. Content marketing’s goal is not the sale; it is a relationship built on relevant and consistent content which results in influence. Providing ways for customers to become advocates can be as simple as inviting them to fan your Facebook page, or it could be as involved as publishing a case study about their specific job. Advocates will also generate content themselves which will benefit you and exponentially create more trust of you among others.

 

A strategic content marketing campaign will encourage user generated content (UGC) which will sustain the content for an extended amount of time. It is important to note that UGC can only happen in two-way channels such as a blog or a Facebook page and not on one-way channel such as a newspaper article. Therefore, when determining your distribution channels, make sure you include plenty of two-way communication channels to give your audience a chance to respond.

 

When following the above mentioned principles effective content marketing will start working for you and your company and the result of influence will have a lasting effect.