How to Create a Content Distribution Process to Improve Your Content Marketing Results

One of the great things about using an editorial management platform like Kapost to manage your editorial process is it makes it easy to create and execute against a consistent, comprehensive content development and distribution process.

I know that I’ve already given some of you hives by sharing my excitement over the ability to easily create and manage a process. But it’s not a process for process’ sake! I promise.

A solid content distribution plan can be the difference between content that finds its ideal audience and delivers on its intended business results and content that gathers cobwebs on the darkest corner of your website’s resource center.

Identify Your Distribution Channels

There are a number of possible places to use in your distribution efforts. While email and specific social media channels dominated the list of distribution channels cited in the recent 2017 CMI/MarketingProfs B2B content marketing research (see chart above), there are other content distribution methods, such as content syndication services, that may also be a fit depending upon the type of content and your budget.

In my distribution checklists, in addition to including applicable social media channels, I also break down the email distribution options available, including customer email newsletters, email drip campaigns, an email to the board distribution list, and internal employee newsletters. If your sales team is using content in their sales process (and they should be), notifying sales of your new content and putting it into your sales content repository is a vital distribution step. Finally, don’t forget about paid advertising to support your content.

Document Differing Distribution Flows by Content Type

Not all pieces of content merit the same distribution plan! For instance, that new analyst paper that cost $20,000 to produce is probably going to get a lot more distribution support and budget than a run-of-the-mill blog post.

I typically define separate content distribution workflows for:

• Blog posts
• e-books / white papers / analyst reports
• Infographics
• Media mentions
• SlideShares
• Videos

Define Your Workflow

If you are using a project management tool or a content marketing platform to manage your content creation and distribution, you can add in the applicable distribution channels as post-publication tasks. If you’re not working with any of those technology tools you can create simple workflow documentation and train your team on its use.

Here’s what a simple blog post distribution workflow might look like:

• Share on twitter
  • Schedule tweets promoting the post twice on the day post goes live (use different copy for each tweet).
  • Post the best-performing tweet once 3 days later, and once 1 month later.
  • Add into evergreen social content archive for ongoing promotion if it exceeds average tweet performance.
• Share to internal team
  • Include in weekly internal email newsletter.
  • If there is a big internal push on the topic, send a standalone email asking team to share.
  • Provide example social copy and click-to-share links.
• Share on Facebook
  • Share the post on the corporate Facebook page the day of publication.
• Share on LinkedIn
  • Share the post as a LinkedIn status on the day of publication.
• Share on G+
  • Share the post on the corporate google plus page on the day of publication.
• Syndicate Content
  • If content warrants a paid push, syndicate via Outbrain.
• Add to Sales Library
  • Add a link to the content to the internal sales library.
  • Notify the sales team.
• Add to consideration pool for appropriate email drip campaign

Taking the time to document your standard content distribution workflows may feel like time you can’t afford to spend if you’re n the middle of yet another busy week of content production. But when you are able to immediately and confidently answer your CEO’s email asking if the latest media mention has been shared with the board with a “yes”, that time you’ve spent is absolutely priceless.