How to do content distribution on a budget

Perhaps you’d have thrown in the towel on content marketing a long time ago if you knew that over 7.5 million pieces of content are produced daily. There are over 600 million blogs on the internet, and attention spans are plummeting to around 45 seconds.

The situation only worsened when AI-generated content flooded the web. It got so bad that Google had to release a March core SEO update to address this issue.

But we can’t abandon content creation. It’s imperative to educate, inform, and persuade our target audience. Content marketing builds brand awareness, increases website traffic, and generates leads. The benefits are too overwhelming to ignore.

This is why we need content marketing strategies to reach the people who matter – those interested in our products and services. Just writing high-quality content and waiting isn’t enough anymore. We must take our values to where our audience gathers, to find them on their turf.

Come to think of it, it’s called ‘content marketing’ for a reason. You have to market your content the same way you market your product.

This is where we need a distribution strategy. And not just any strategy – we need one that fits our content marketing budget.

In this article, I’ll reveal the methods we adopt at Hackmamba to distribute our content. So you can expect this to be very practical.

TL;DR

1. Repurpose your old and new blog posts into infographics, videos, or social media snippets.
2. Understand your target audience and their preferences. Reach out to them on forums and social media platforms and tailor your content strategy accordingly.
3. Use UTM parameters to track where your traffic is coming from and focus on the channels generating the most traffic.
4. Avoid using direct links in posts when sharing your content on social media to avoid algorithmic issues. Instead, place them in the comments section. Ensure your content is engaging enough to entice readers to click the links.

Bonus tip: Share your company's blog posts on your profiles, but make them more personal by avoiding corporate jargon and adding your story for a more relatable touch.

But the devil is in the details. Read on to uncover those practical gems.

What is a content distribution strategy, and why do you need one?

A content distribution strategy is a roadmap for amplifying your content’s reach, engagement, and visibility beyond its initial publication channel. It ensures your content reaches the right audience, maximizing your content marketing efforts.

Gone are the days when you could publish a well-researched, SEO-optimized article and passively wait for search engines to pick it up. Back then, getting indexed meant a steady stream of traffic to your blog. SEO ranking remains essential, but the landscape has undeniably shifted:

• The introduction of Search Generative Experience (SGE) has ushered in the era of non-click searches. This means Google now generates results directly on the search engine results page (SERP), providing users with a snapshot of the answer without requiring them to click through to your website. According to Webfx, this may lead to a 140% drop in organic visibility, consequently decreasing website traffic.

• Content creation is booming, yet content consumption is stagnant. Millions of blog posts are published daily, far exceeding an average person’s capacity to keep up. Reports indicate a growing sense of information overload, leading to content fatigue and disengagement.

• The SERPs also exhibit a bias towards established brands. This is likely due to their larger budgets and greater resources, which allow them to invest more heavily in SEO and outperform competitors in search results. You may find it increasingly challenging to outrank these giants despite your best efforts.

These are the major reasons you need to take your content to where your target audience is. To market your content.

Step-by-step guide on creating a content distribution strategy

What’s the plan?

Planning your content distribution helps you identify what elements will propel you toward your goals and what obstacles might get in your way. This foresight allows you to address potential roadblocks and stay accountable.

To effectively track progress and outcomes, you’ll need clear marketing goals. Ask yourself:

• What key performance indicators (KPIs) do I want to achieve?
• What specific changes am I aiming for?
• How many new customers do I realistically hope to acquire?

Setting realistic goals with timeframes and KPIs is crucial. For instance, if your goal is customer acquisition, you could track how many visitors from LinkedIn convert into paying customers.

Social media shares are another valuable metric. Analyzing how shares translate into website traffic or customer acquisition can be very insightful.

Run a content audit

This process involves a comprehensive review of your past and present content to uncover potential for:

• Republishing: Content that didn’t perform well during its initial launch might find new life with a targeted republishing strategy.
• Repackaging: Transform existing pieces of content into a different format, like converting a blog post into an infographic or a video script.
• Repurposing: Existing content can be strategically repurposed for a new distribution channel. A piece that received minimal traction on your blog could find an engaged target audience on a specific forum.

We’ve written a practical guide on how to conduct a content audit. Check it out.

Who are your ideal audience?

Understanding your ideal audience lets you pinpoint the channels and platforms they frequent, ultimately guiding your content distribution strategy.

For example, as a technical content writing service, our target customers are B2B decision-makers within the software engineering industry. This audience insight empowers us to tailor our outreach efforts to reach them where they are.

Choosing your content distribution channels

The three main distribution channels to consider for your content strategy are owned, earned, and paid media channels. Each offers unique advantages:

Owned Media Channels

These are the channels you directly control, and they act as your brand’s content hub. This includes your website, mobile app, and most social media platforms.

At Hackmamba, we publish on our blog and distribute across various web platforms, social media accounts, online communities, and email newsletters. This approach helps us extend our reach beyond the limitations of our blog alone.

For example, cross-posting articles on platforms like Hackmamba’s Dev.to allows us to gain additional content views beyond our blog and social media engagement. We also strategically expand our viewership through targeted forums.

Earned Media Channels

This refers to situations where third-party sources promote your content without any cost. These "champions" can be your customers, bloggers, or anyone who shares your content naturally. Some examples include public relations campaigns, social media shares, mentions, guest posts, industry roundups, participation in relevant forums, and product reviews.

User-generated content (UGC) is the lifeblood of earned media. However, encouraging UGC can be challenging. That’s why Hackmamba has developed a system to help brands stimulate UGC through our technical writing community. Click on the banner below to learn more.

Paid Media Channels

This channel allows you to accelerate content reach to wider audiences by leveraging paid advertising options within platforms. Paid media can include sponsorships, influencer marketing, social media ads, display ads, and paid search results.

Note that social media platforms and search engines are for-profit businesses. New brands might struggle to gain organic visibility due to these platforms prioritizing paid advertising. This is why some companies choose to pay for increased prominence.

However, paid media can sometimes be perceived as lacking credibility by consumers, requiring extra effort from your brand to build trust. At Hackmamba, we prioritize organic reach through owned and earned media channels.

Now that you understand these channels and their ability to amplify your content let’s discuss how to structure your content to maximize audience engagement.

Types of content to distribute

The key to audience engagement lies in content diversity. People have varying preferences, and offering a range of content types and formats caters to those preferences and maximizes engagement.

As mentioned earlier, attention spans are shorter than ever, hovering around 45 seconds. This means transforming your blog posts into different, easily digestible formats is necessary. At Hackmamba, we excel at using content formats such as infographics, videos, thought leadership and memes to deliver results. You can also try white papers, templates, and checklists:

Infographics

Infographics enhance your blog posts by transforming them into visually appealing and easily digestible information snapshots. While it's important to attract the reader's attention with striking designs, the priority should always be clarity and delivering valuable information.

We extensively leverage infographics at Hackmamba, distributing them across our listed channels for our content and clients’. See the example below for reference.

Video content

Video content is undeniably engaging. Our tests have shown them to outperform any other format regarding audience engagement. Here’s how to leverage video:

• Intro Videos: Create a captivating intro video for your newly published blog post. Share key points to encourage viewers to dive into the full article.

• Full Video Repurposing: Alternatively, record a complete video version of your blog post, allowing viewers to consume the content in their preferred format.

See how we implemented this content strategy for our article on “Top 5 Agency Fears and How to Overcome Them.”

Thought Leadership and POV content

You’ll agree that most B2B content can be lengthy and monotonous. However, with a fresh perspective and a unique point of view, you can repurpose this content to grab attention and drive organic traffic to the original article.

Look at how we spun a recent client article’s title and narrative on a social media post. This approach garnered significant attention from thought leaders and even led to reposts by other brands.

A note on sharing your POV

Using your voice is important when sharing your company's blog posts on your profiles. Avoid adopting the formal corporate tone and personalize the content. Try to include your story and experiences in the post as if you are the main character. This approach will help remove the marketing feel, as people generally don't like to perceive they are being sold to.

Here's an example from one of our blog posts on “5 Resources for Learning About Composability and Composable Architectures,” where I put this tactic into practice.

Memes

Memes, particularly on platforms like Twitter, add a touch of fun and entertainment to your content. Creating or sharing brand-relevant memes can build brand awareness and boost audience engagement.

The goal is to entertain, educate, and engage your audience wherever they are. You’ll achieve this by adopting these content formats and organically driving brand consideration.

Go hard on what works

Attribution in content marketing remains a challenge, especially for your small team on a budget. While sophisticated tools exist to simplify this, the cost might not be feasible.

Adding to this complexity, social media channel algorithms penalize posts with direct links, especially for non-established brands or influencers. This can significantly reduce your visibility if users are directed away from the platform.

Yet the key lies in strategically investing your content distribution efforts based on data. You can’t afford to waste resources on unproductive channels. Here’s how to optimize your approach:

• Free tracking with UTM parameters: Use Google’s free Campaign URL Builder to create custom UTM parameters. These codes help you track precisely where your traffic originates.

• Social media link strategy: Consider placing the link within the comments section when publishing on social media. This helps circumvent potential reduction in reach triggered by algorithms. However, ensure your post is valuable and engaging enough to entice viewers to click the link in the comments.

• Leverage platform analytics: Use their built-in tools when cross-posting content to other websites or platforms. This data helps you identify what’s performing well and allows you to focus your efforts on those channels. Do not forget to add canonical to the original post!

Write faster and distribute better with a partnership.

Ultimately, content creation and distribution are undeniably easier with strong partnerships. This is why businesses of all sizes turn to Hackmamba. We are experts committed to quality, transparency, and affordability. We’ll help you create and distribute content that gets to your potential customers. Contact us today!