In the endless world of email forwards, re-tweets, and share posting content appears to promote it’s self as it moves through people’s screens making content promotion seem super easy. We know that in practice not everything we advertise always gains the immediate traction we want and finding the right audience doesn’t’ happen naturally. It’s not enough to just put it out there, you need to have relevant content that is zeroed in on a specific audience that happens to be interested in what you are selling.
Develop a content marketing strategy that is well thought out, think about what you are asking of the reader. Remember, that the experience should be mutually beneficial for you and the user. Focus on what customer’s challenges are or, try to engage them at different stages of their buying cycle. Additionally, as marketers we often get caught up in data collection and users end up having to overcome useless forms, annoying surveys, and needless registrations. Be very conscious of your call-to-actions and use them when it feels natural to do so. I will be breaking down the key factors in developing a distribution process that includes social media, native advertising, and newsletters.
Develop a content marketing strategy that is well thought out, think about what you are asking of the reader.
Social Media
Media companies have the monetization of every word down to a science and they understand that they need to expand their domains across platforms and grab as many eyeballs as they can no matter where that information is being consumed. In a new survey conducted by pew research, 62% of Americans obtain their news from social media sites. Start by making some objectives then take a look your competitors to learn from their mistakes. Create a profile of your readers and develop messages tailored to your ideal customers; your messages should be exciting and creative.
Think Before Posting
Plan for the platform, think about the audience your content is being created for, how it will be shared on and how your content is being helpful. Pay attention to trends and timing, is your content, funny, serious, culturally relevant or, in poor taste for the moment?
Native Advertising
Think of native advertising like the advertorial of the digital age, it still looks like an article but contains a call to action and brand biased information. These gems are really effective at engaging readers on their phones and tablets. Moz and Fractl conducted a survey in 2015 that showed 58 percent of Millennials are likely to use ad blockers this year and said ads were not the best way to reach them.
Users are tired of being interrupted and prefer a fluid experience. When a native ad is well thought out and is properly integrated into the browsing environment brands are obtaining positive results from this new medium.
A survey was conducted by MMA to measure native ad effectiveness, the study showed that some consumers respond well to native content, but also claim to either not know what sponsored media is or that it hurts the credibility of the publisher in question.
Survey Highlights:
- Mobile native advertising performs as much as ten times better compared to mobile display.
- Users spent 40 percent more time interacting with native ads compared to standard ads.
- Average brand recall with native ads was more than double in a controlled study.
- In addition to those results, 54 percent of readers don’t trust sponsored content.
Newsletters
Email campaigns can be one of your most powerful marketing channels, if it is supported with a coordinated plan. It is very important to take a step back and decide what the purpose will be for your emails before blasting out messages. Pay attention to where your customers are already engaging with your brand and use tools to prioritize audience acquisition. Improve your engagement by utilizing A/B testing and consider email automation for re-engagement. Take advantage of customer nurture tracks and programs to keep track of interactions and interests. Take into consideration that email can be read anywhere on any device and should be optimized for multiple views and an easy navigation.
Look into third-party newsletters to broaden your reach of your best content, like industry newsletters, trade journals and media outlets. Take a PR approach and build as many online partnerships with newsletter editors you may even get some free press.
Distribution Plan
Start your distribution plan by listing out social channels, relevant publications that offer native advertising, potential third-party newsletter partners, and what will your branding will be. Once your outline is complete review some scenarios and makes procedures that will standardize your approach. Put together an initial execution strategy with the expectation that there will be adjustments and growth. Cultivate brand trust by building a cohesive look across your website, emails, and advertising. Don’t neglect customer service or user experience throughout all channels. The more consistent you are the better your long term engagement will be.