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Article's Content
When I moved out of my first apartment:
I downloaded a cleaning checklist. It was kind of like this:
Sweep floors. Mop floors. Wipe baseboards. Clean doors. Clean doormats. Organize shoes. Hang jackets. Clean refrigerator. Clean dishwasher. Defrost freezer. Clean fridge/freezer seal. Wipe walls. Wipe baseboards. Mop floors. Shake out dust or dirt from floor mats. Wipe baseboards. Clean light fixture. Dust blinds. Dust curtain rods. Clean window sills. Discard expired personal care products. Clean tub and shower. Scrub tile grout. Clean dryer vent.
Some of it was obvious.
Some of it was relevant.
Some of it was irrelevant.
Some of it was a reminder.
Now… I could do a few things with this list:
I can say:
Boo-hoo, this is too much work. I can’t do all of this in one day.
Boo-hoo, this list isn’t perfectly tailored to my home.
Or I can say:
Perfect.
This is just what I need for inspiration around the things I need to do to distribute my content appropriately. Wait.. I’m not talking about a distribution checklist.
Sorry. I’m talking about a cleaning list.
Back to that…
Here’s the thing:
Not everyone has the same home.
So not everyone is going to clean their home the exact same way.
Similarly, not everyone is going to look at that list and say:
“Perfect, I have to clean a dryer vent even though I don’t have a dryer vent.”
That’s not how people work.
But here’s how people do work:
I really haven’t done this before, so I don’t know where to start. I don’t even know what the typical cleaning process looks like when you’re moving… Do I need to do the windows? Do I need to clean the fridge? All of it? Oh wow… There’s a ton to do… This list is helpful!
In the same way you would find value in a cleaning checklist, I’m hoping you will find value in this content distribution checklist.
It’s over 90 different ways to distribute your content online after it goes live. Whether you’ve pressed publish on a blog post or a white paper — this checklist helps get your wheels spinning around what is possible.
The goal of a content distribution checklist is to offer you inspiration.
You use that inspiration to identify places you should consider for additional research around your audience and, from there, begin to develop a scalable strategy for how that content will be distributed:
It’s a three-step process:
- Understand what’s possible
- Research your audience
- Develop a strategy that works for you
Let’s talk about each of these steps so you have some clarity on how it’s all done.
But first. I want you to check out this video where I break down some ways you can distribute your content effectively.
STEP 1: UNDERSTANDING WHAT IS POSSIBLE
Most marketers have no idea where to start when it comes to content distribution.
It’s a foreign concept.
In many cases, they have grown so familiar with the mindset of valuing output over everything else that they never spend time promoting the content they create. It’s a major mistake.
It’s time that we stop thinking that the lifecycle of a piece of content starts when we begin creating it and ends when we press publish. This is a broken mentality, yet it’s the thinking that many in our industry have embraced over the last few months.
It’s this thinking that gives ‘content marketing’ a bad name.
Because agencies and freelancers are over-prioritizing the idea of content and under-prioritizing the idea of marketing. Marketing is distribution, and marketing is ensuring that the content you create is aligned with intent and ensuring that the content can reach your audience.
STEP 2: RESEARCH YOUR AUDIENCE
The next step is to realize that not every audience is the same.
This is why you need to research yours.
When the distribution checklist advises you to think about how you distribute your content through Reddit — it’s on you to determine whether that makes any sense. Right now, there are thousands of people browsing Reddit. Some of those people are CEOs, and some of those people are accountants. Some of those people run pressure washing companies. And some of those people are 16-year-olds trying to figure out how to get better at Fortnite.
It’s on you to determine whether your audience is there.
But don’t make this decision based on *gut instinct* — actually take the time to understand if there are subreddits that your audience might be subscribed to.
The same thinking applies to LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and other social networks.
You don’t have to be everywhere.
But you do need to know where your audience is.
STEP 3: DEVELOP A STRATEGY BASED ON RESEARCH
This is the final step.
You now know (1) what is possible and (2) where your audience spends time.
Now it’s time to build a plan for how you will execute this effort. This is the type of thing we cover in B2B Growth Academy and have helped hundreds of content marketing execs and marketing leaders elevate the way they think about marketing. But in a nutshell — this is the process of figuring out how to create a scalable content marketing engine that drives results.
What channels are worth distributing content on?
What type of content is worth distributing on these channels?
What metrics should we prioritize to achieve success?
What are the resourcing and workflows needed to unlock success?
All of these questions should be answered in your strategy.
This is at the heart of a great content marketing plan.
And it all starts by getting inspired by understanding what is possible.
This is why the Distribution Checklist is so powerful.
It sets you up for the journey to unlock the true power of content marketing. If you have already downloaded the distribution checklist — this is a reminder that you should revisit it. If you haven’t downloaded the distribution checklist — this is your sign to download it.
Once you do… You’ll be better off for it.
But remember:
It’s like a checklist for cleaning your home.
Every home is different.
Use it for inspiration and let your creativity shine.
Stay safe. Be well.
