Looking for a new and effective approach to content promotion?
Currently, content creation makes up 32% of content marketing spending and content distribution makes up only 18%.
Imagine if focus were to shift from content production to content distribution. How would optimizing distribution improve your ROI? Focusing on content promotion can actually drive better results than stepping up content production.
Content promotion through some distribution platforms will create considerably lower traffic cost than advertising programs. It’s no wonder that content distribution networks are growing more and more popular among inbound marketers interested in better audience targeting and publishers wanting to increase pageviews.
Let’s take a look at some innovative earned and paid content distribution channels and platforms your company can use for content promotion:
Earned Content Distribution
1. Digital Publishing Platforms
Forbes BrandVoice
Are you credible enough to be on Forbes? Well, now you are. Forbes BrandVoice allows marketers to share content with the Forbes audience with their digital publishing platform. More publishers are providing similar digital publishing platforms for brands everyday.
2. Local Content Distribution
Chamber of Commerce
Of course you have submitted to local radio, magazine and newspaper contacts, but have you considered other untraditional distribution outlets like a chamber of commerce? Your local chamber of commerce may help you distribute information and promote to their audience. Most have event calendars available for a free submission. You can locate your local chambers here.
3. Digital Influencers
Building a targeted influencer network can be time consuming and frustrating, but the tapping into an established target audience via influencers will be worth it. You can use blogging networks like IZEA and Triberr or platforms like Little Bird to help you find and engage relevant digital influencers.
Read “Digital Influencer Outreach: 10 Steps to a Successful Relationship” article to help you build a rapport and trust with influencers.
4. Social News
Reddit
Although this may not be a shocker, consider using an untraditional channel like Reddit. The audience positively or negatively affects your reach with the downvote feature. If you publish unique and educational content, Reddit may provide a higher ROI than any other social channels you are using.
Paid Content Distribution
5. Talent Networks
Contently
Contently offers publication, sponsorship and distribution solutions independent from other features and services. Your business can connect with newspaper and magazine journalists through their talent network.
6. Content Marketing Platforms
HubSpot
Incorporate HubSpot’s social publishing and monitoring tools into your traditional social media strategy to give your page a shot of TLC. HubSpot’s social publishing helps you automate your content marketing and view analytics to see reach and engagement by distribution channels. Better yet, you can convert visitors into leads for your sales team and future lead nurturing campaigns.
7. Employee Distribution Platforms
Asking your employees and business associates to promote your content isn’t a revolutionary idea, but with platforms like Addvocate and GaggleAMP that help you monitor progress and influence, it just may be what they need to see to believe their efforts have an impact.
In addition to individual employee analytics, these platforms also standardize and prioritize content and makes optimization suggestions for distribution.
8. Customer Brand Advocates
Influitive
This recruiting platform helps develop and engage a true brand advocate community through presenting challenges and rewards to participating customers. You can reach and recognize brand advocates through your content marketing by incorporating Content Relationship Management (CRM), social media and content marketing automation platforms.
9. Sponsored Updates
LinkedIn Sponsored Updates
Mainly effective for B2B, LinkedIn Sponsored Updates can help you target the right audience and appear in their news stream. This feature may soon be the most popular paid content promotion option available.
10. Native Advertising and Advertorials
With 80% of business professionals wanting company information presented in article form rather than ad form, it is no wonder native advertising is prevalent online.
Outbrain & Taboola
Platforms like Outbrain and Taboola advertise content across a broad range of publications. Typically, the content appears at the end of articles as a related article.
Onespot
Said to be the “perfect marriage of content marketing with online advertising,” this distribution platform provides analytics and a detailed conversion funnel of your content. It also analyzes your content to find your target audience and who is most likely to engage.
Develop a content calendar to help you map out content creation dates and content distribution channels.
