The 7 Most Important Things to Consider When Choosing a Content Distribution Strategy

You are confused about what content to produce. There are so many options and you don’t want to put all your eggs in one basket.

You are worried about being lost in the crowd.

Content creation is becoming commoditized.

You’re not sure which one will be the best use of your time, or which one will reach the most people. At the same time, you want to make sure that my content is seen by as many people as possible.

You’ll learn how to reach your target audience on social media most efficiently.

1) Who is your target audience?

If you don’t know who your target audience is, you won’t be able to create content that is relevant to them or reach them with your content.

Consider who your product or service is for. They are your ideal customers.

If you’re selling a fitness app, your target audience is those who are interested in health and fitness. If you’re selling a financial planning service, your target audience is people who are interested in personal finance.

Here’re methods you can use to find where your ideal audience hang out.

WEB TRAFFIC

Look at your existing customer base and see where they are spending their time online. If you have a customer database, you can use a tool like Google Analytics or Mixpanel to track where your website traffic is coming from.

This will give you some insight into which platforms your customers are using.

SEARCH KEYWORDS

Use Google AdWords to understand which keywords your target audience is searching for. This will give you some insight into what type of content they are looking for and which platforms they are using to find it.

ONLINE CONVERSATION

Use social media listening tools to track conversations about your industry or product. This will help you understand where your target audience is talking about your industry and what type of content they are engaging with.

DEMOGRAPHIC DATA

Use demographic data from social media platforms to understand which platforms your target audience is using. For example, Facebook has data on the age, gender, and interests of its users.

COMPETITORS

Look at other players in your space. What platforms are your competitors on and what types of content do they most post?

ASK

Use market research surveys like SurveyMonkey or Crowdsignal to ask your target audience directly which platforms they are using. This can be a great way to. You can do this by simply asking them in person.

Along your research, you should gather data about your target audience:

• What is their age range?
• Predominant gender?
• What industries do they work in?
• Job titles?
• Annual salary?
• What is their level of knowledge about your market – beginner, intermediate, or advanced?
• What type of information are they looking for?

2) What platforms are they on?

You need to know where to focus your content creation and distribution efforts

For example, if you find that your target audience is on TikTok, you want to focus on creating short videos that are easy to consume. On the other hand, if your persona is on LinkedIn, then you should focus on creating long form articles for LinkedIn.

Once you have a good idea of where your target audience is, you can then start to create content that is tailored to those platforms.

TOOLS YOU CAN USE TO FIND YOUR CUSTOMER PLATFORMS

1) BuzzSumo or Google Alerts: to see what media is talking about your industry/competitors.

2) Amazon’s Audience Insights: to see the shopping habit of your target audience.

3) SocialMention or Hootsuite Insights: to see what platforms are talking about your brand.

4) Followerwonk or Twitonomy: to see your follower information.

5) Google AdWords or Facebook Insights: to see what query your customers are using.

6) Google Trends or Twitter Trends: to see who are currently talking about your industry/competitors.

3) What type of content do they most consume?

Your target audience is not always going to be consuming the same type of content all the time. They may switch between different types of content depending on their mood or what they are looking for at that moment.

That is why it is crucial to have a diverse content strategy that includes a variety of content types. This way, you will be able to reach your target audience no matter what type of content they are consuming at the moment.

To find the type of content your target audience most consumes, you can look at your competitors, survey your customers, or search Facebook groups. Additionally, you can use your own analytics to see other pages that your audience likes.

4) What format is your content?

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. It depends on the type of content you create, your audience, and your personal strengths.

If you’re creating informative content, blog posts may be the best format. If you’re creating entertainment content, videos may be the best format. And if you’re creating audio content, podcasts may be the best format.

The best way to find the right format for your content is to experiment and see what works best for you and your audience.

5) What is your content topic?

Your content topic should be based on your target audience and what they’re interested in.

Consider what your audience wants to see and what would be most valuable to them. This way you can create content that appeals to them and is more likely to get engagement.

Your content should also be based on your business goals. What do you want to achieve with your content?

For example, if you want to increase brand awareness, you’ll want to create content that’s shareable and informative.

On the other hand, if you want to increase website traffic, you’ll want to create content that’s SEO-friendly and will rank high in search engine results.

Your content should also be based on current trends. What’s hot right now? What’s happening in your industry?

6) Is it in demand on these platforms?

Looking at the rising social media – Instagram Reels, YouTube Short, and TikTok – it’s clear that video is king. People love watching videos and that’s where the engagement is.

Now, looking at specific niches, like the stock market, it’s important to see what type of content is in demand.

For example, on Twitter, people are mostly looking for news and updates, while on LinkedIn, they want to see in-depth analysis and opinion pieces.

If you’re only creating video content but your target audience is mostly on Twitter, you’re not going to reach them.

Understanding what type of content in demand on which social media platforms and then creating accordingly will get you closer to marketing success.

7) What kind of feedback do you get from your followers?

Content feedback helps you to understand what type of content your audience prefers, and what topics they are most interested in. Additionally, feedback can help you to improve the quality of your content, and make sure that it is aligned with your audience’s needs and wants.

There are many ways to collect feedback from your followers, such as using a feedback survey, a poll or a form.

Feedier suggests your should have a clear goal in mind. Do you want to improve your blog layout? Find out which type of content your readers like the most? Or increase your overall credibility?

Once you know your goal, choose a feedback tool that meets your needs. For example, if you want to go free, you can use Google Forms. If you want a tool specifically built for surveys and polls, SurveyMonkey is a great choice.

The goal of the feedback should be clear, and the questions should be short and easy to understand. The questions should not lead the user into giving a specific answer.

Find your audience and focus on creating content for them.

Content marketing requires time, effort and dedication to produce quality content that your target audience will find valuable.

Once you have quality content, you need to determine which platforms your target audience is most active on and focus your efforts there.

However, you should not rely on just one platform as organic reach is low on most social networks these days. Therefore, you should have a presence on multiple platforms and use a mix of paid and organic strategies to reach your target audience.