Work Smarter, Not Harder for Content Distribution
Have you wanted to get to know someone you didn’t like?
Have you thought about buying from someone you didn’t know?
Have you bought something from someone you didn’t trust?
According to marketing strategist and content creation expert Melanie Howe, you can take your content distribution to the next level by engaging your customers, creating core content, and utilizing the latest trends and tools.
Embarking on the Customer Journey
Marketing 101 describes the customer journey in five steps:
Discover: The customer has a problem and needs someone to fix it.
Research: The customer looks for a business to fill that need.
Opportunity: The customer finds a potential company.
Customer: The customer makes the decision to enter into an agreement with a service or product provider.
Advocacy: The customer spreads the word and advocates on behalf the business.
Melanie breaks this Marketing 101 principle down into the people-focused Like, Know, Trust Factor.
During the discovery and research phases, the customer will decide if they like your company. While they research and find opportunities, the customer starts to get to know your company and who you are. When they take that opportunity to become a customer and advocate for your services, you have officially gained their trust as a service or product provider.
This model puts the focus on client trust with you, their problem-fixer. By creating and publishing content, you are establishing your brand, bringing awareness to a cause, and providing the opportunity to get to know and trust your company.
“Trust is the most important piece in this puzzle,” Howe said. And the more money involved in this process, the more time and trust is required. But content creation takes time, so how do we speed up this process?
Reuse, Repurpose, Recycle Core Content
It feels tedious to continuously post, publish, and engage online. This is why core content is so vital. What you offer to clients is at the core of your business.
“People buy from people,” said Howe. Adding a personal connection for clients by putting yourself, staff, or customer advocates in front of the camera establishes a face with the name.
This high-effort way of creating content is great for repurposing to stretch across multiple platforms for longer. This can be done four ways:
Core Content Swap: Each format can be converted or reused for another. For example, take video audio and turn it into a podcast.
Core Content Breakdown: Break big content into smaller pieces.
Resharing Content: Share your hard work more than once or link back to the original post.
Reuse High Performing Ideas: You don’t need fresh ideas all the time. Instead, recreate an old video or piece of content that did well.
Use core content to repurpose your hard work and appeal to a broader audience.
“Everyone consumes content differently,” Howe said. “Think about your own customers journey because it’s not the same for everybody.”
Looking Ahead: Content for 2025
Content and algorithms change at the drop of the hat, but Melanie brings five forms of content you can expect to thrive in 2025.
Short form video
YouTube shorts, Instagram reels, and TikToks are some of the best ways to get your brand to potential clients. These videos can range from five seconds to three minutes.
Pre-Recorded Video
Pre-recorded videos will be longer than short form, often at least five minutes. Here is your time to shine with educational and behind-the-scenes content, tutorials, tours, and more!
Podcasts
Creating and listening to podcasts are more accessible than ever. Your target audience can focus for longer on the valuable information you bring to the table, creating trust in your experience as an expert.
Blog articles
Create an information hub and fill out your website with blog articles. Writing blog articles can be a pain, but are valuable by sharing comprehensive information in one spot.
Live Video
Going live through a variety of platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and others is one of the best ways to build a relationship with your audience. Through live video events, you can talk to your audience with immediate feedback. Live video is most effective when you have already built engagement in the last four steps.
Best Tools for the Job
Creating content is a full-time job, and for a business owner or creator with other responsibilities, choosing the right tools can help streamline your job. Artificial or Generative Intelligence (AI) is one of the best emerging tools for content creation. Not to be confused with a replacement for your or others’ work, AI can act as a personal assistant to help transcribe video, create blog articles, or gather video ideas. Edit, rewrite in your voice, and publish it on your website. Don’t forget to use smart prompts, filter through content, edit, and keep it on brand.
Howe provides a list to get started with using AI and other content creation platforms:
ChatGPT: Generates written content from user prompts.
OpusClip: Helps you find highlight in clips in longer video content.
CapCut: An intuitive video editor and tool to automatically caption videos.
Descript: Creates transcripts from video or podcast audio.
Riverside: Makes podcasts, live video, and pre-recorded videos easy to create and edit.
Canva: Create copyright free graphics without spending a dime.
No tool will ever replace your job or create polished content, but a helping hand from content software can cut down on time-consuming projects.
Final Thoughts
“Your audience wants you, and they deserve you,” Howe said. Using these tips for content distribution, you can work smarter on helping customers understand your business and build trust that lasts.
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