Distribution is often an oversight when it comes to content. But when so much time and energy is focussed on the production of content, where and how the content is distributed should be a priority.

Wondering if you’ve fallen into the trap of poor content distribution?

Have a look at the six mistakes commonly made when distributing content:

1. You don’t have a distribution plan

Before you’ve even started working on your content, you’ll need some kind of distribution plan. No two media channels were created equal, so there is no one-size-fits-all mindset.

Without a solid distribution plan in place, you may end up with problems, such as:
  • Content that doesn’t suit the channel it is shared on. Think text-heavy posts shared on Instagram, memes on LinkedIn and full-length adverts shared on Twitter.
  • The chosen medium of distribution might not be the right fit for your target audience. You might have created content for Snapchat, but your target market is professional women in their 30s.
  • Being unable to effectively track and measure certain KPIs because of the channels it was distributed on. For example, Facebook cannot give you information on which cities your followers are from. Google Analytics, on the other hand, can give you that information.
So think carefully about where you want to share your content, how to optimise it on that platform and what metrics you want to track. You definitely need to have a distribution plan!

2. You’re looking at the wrong KPIs

You can’t determine if your content is a success without it! And before you measure it, you’ll need to know which key performance indicators (KPIs) to focus on.

Many times, companies either don’t track any metrics (which gives them no insight at all) or they track the metrics (which gives them too much information — leaving them unsure and overwhelmed).

The trick is to determine which metrics really matter. Looking at how many impressions your content received might make you feel good because the number is quite high, but it doesn’t tell you anything about how people are interacting with it — you’d need to track engagement for that!

3. You’re trying to reach everyone

No matter what your content is about, ‘everyone’ is not your target audience.

You need to have a deep understanding of who you are trying to reach before you put out your work. By creating content aimed at ‘everyone’ you do not reach everyone. Rather, you put out something that no one really feels is aimed at them.

You should aim to put out work that is tailored to a specific target audience. Then, consider what platforms your target audience uses and distribute your content there. It’s also vital that you understand when your target audience generally interacts with content — there’s no point in putting out blog posts on a Monday morning at 7am if you know your audience isn’t online then.

It’s also vital that your audience know that they are of utmost importance to you. Ask them about the type of content they want to engage with, when they want to see it and what kind of information they are looking for. When you ask people for their opinions, they feel valued and important.

4. Your content is hard to reach

People don’t want to work to find your content. No one (read that again) is going to hunt for your content because they are dying to read it. If it’s hard to find, they’ll click away.

It’s simple — if you want your content to be seen (and engaged with) then you need to make it easy to access!

Even though you’ll obviously want to increase traffic to your website, why not share some of your content (like videos or images) directly onto social media? Also be sure to add social media icons to your newsletter to make it easier for people to follow your accounts.

5. Your social strategy is the same on every platform

Each social media network serves its own purpose and, subsequently, has its own target audience and preferred content types. This means that you cannot have one strategy for all social media platforms.

Consider Snapchat and Twitter, for example. Snapchat is used primarily for video and image content that has a short lifespan. Twitter, on the other hand, is generally used for short, text-based content and tweets are immortal (unless deleted). And while Twitter is the place to be talking about current affairs, Snapchat is a more playful, casual place to share personal content.

Understanding each platform’s audience, and how they use the platform, will help you build better distribution and content strategies for each platform.

To flesh out your social media strategies, ask the following questions:
  • Which platforms do your target audience use the most?
  • What do they use each platform for?
  • How much time do they spend on each platform?

6. You only promote your content once

While you may want your content to make a splash as soon as it’s hot off the press, ensure that you promote more than once.
Creating something that takes a huge amount of time and effort, so to only share or promote it once is shooting yourself in the foot.

Look for ways to repurpose and re-promote your existing content — it doesn’t stop being valuable just because it isn’t brand new. Why not try creating a video based on an article, or an infographic based on previously-shared statistics?

Refreshing your content not only gives it a longer lifespan, but also gives it an opportunity to reach a whole new audience.

Are there any other mistakes that people commonly make when it comes to distributing their content? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Now that you know how to share your content in all the right places, why not check out the Five golden rules for creating exceptional content.
*Image courtesy of Vecteezy