Raise your virtual hand if you feel like you have the attention span of a goldfish online? Everywhere you look there’s a proverbial NEWSFLASH Extra! Extra! Read all about it.
Providing helpful and consumable content (not flashy content) is imperative to getting the attention of your ideal customer, but first, they need to know that your amazing content exists.
Distribute your weekly content
Now open up your editorial calendar and start plotting out your content distribution strategy for online domination. Let’s begin with the content platforms under your control, better known as owned content.
Download my free content calendar to master your content distribution strategy.
Owned Content
It’s time to open the curtains and put a vase of flowers on the table because you’re about to welcome guests into your home – your website home, that is.
For example, owned content could be a weekly podcast that you post on your website and drive traffic to from social media through quotes or an audio clip, announce in your FB Group and send out to your email list. In your post, you can include a summary of the podcast episode, a transcript, even a downloadable to help them apply the information you discussed on your podcast.
It’s important to invite people to spend time on your site where you can really roll out the red carpet and serve them well, which will keep them coming back for more. Owned content may include:
- Your blog
- Your podcast
- Your YouTube channel
- Your FB Group
- Your social media channels
- Your email campaigns or broadcasts
- Any microsites you own
Earned Content
With earned content, you’re widening your net beyond welcoming friends and family into your online home and using a shared platform or someone else’s home base to garner traffic for your content. Here are some potential sources for earned content:
- Quora
- Medium
- Podcasts
- Social media
- Press outlets
- LinkedIn groups
- FB groups
Paid Content
Want to take your content to the next level of exposure? If you have a clear goal in mind, know who you’re targeting and have a landing page with a lead magnet or product to sell, then you may want to pay for those extra eyeballs.
Paying for exposure through Google or a social media platform can be a quick way to get traffic, just make sure that you have a funnel for converting those visitors into leads or customers. Paid advertising may take the form of:
- Retargeting ads
- Display ads
- Social media ads
- Pay per click ads
- Paying for a sponsored post(s) from an influencer
It’s easy to get into the weeds of figuring out the best earned or paid content strategies but sufficed to say, even if you get more traffic, your content still has to capture and convert.
Think of your website or blog as your content hub, your content distribution center if you will. One of the best ways to create consumable content is through a media-rich post.
Create a media-rich blog post.
Your blog doesn’t have to be just written content; it can include videos or podcast episodes.
If you produce weekly videos on YouTube or have a podcast, use them as blog posts. A media-rich post is entertaining and increases the chances that your content will be consumed.
Tips for consideration:
- Include an image with alt text – text alternative for search engines. Here’s a good article on the subject https://moz.com/learn/seo/alt-text.
- Introduce and summarize the topic for the week.
- Include the link to your podcast episode, FB Live, Youtube or Vimeo video, Zoom meeting.
- If appropriate include a GIF or infographic to summarize information. You can even create your own GIF from your video using GIPHY.
- Provide a transcript of your podcast, video, or meeting.
- Include a Call to Action to opt-in for your freebie.
Once you’ve established what type of content you’re going to distribute each week (or whatever time you choose), make sure you decide on how you’re going to promote that piece of content and drive traffic to your site through owned, earned, and possibly paid content channels.
Bonus Tip: Use the Pushcrew permission-based browser notification tool to get eyeballs on your latest post.
Ready for the next step in your content marketing journey? Read the next post on Content Evaluation to determine the effectiveness of your content.
Now let’s turn that inspiration into perspiration!