So you’ve spent a year creating content. You’ve written articles, created a client newsletter, are active on a blog and comment thread on your bar association website. You publish and provide comments in the local business press.
And you should be proud.
But creating content without a robust distribution strategy is like an elaborately wrapped box with nothing in it. It just sits there.
You can pay organizations like JD Supra to disseminate your content. There are many advantages, and I recommend them to clients all the time. But if you don’t take advantage of the more personal and free channels on social media, you are wasting at least 50 of the 60 minutes you spent producing that content.
In “Content Under Pressure,” we’ve focused on great content — what it is, how to produce it, how to minimize the pain points. But great content — or any content — is a waste of time if you don’t get it out there.
Content Is Worthless Unless You Have an Audience
There are lots of guides on how to use social media. Attorney at Work’s “Engage: A Lawyer’s Guide to Social Media Marketing” is a great place to start.
Your content distribution needs to be, in the words of French electronica duo Daft Punk, “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.” And if you aren’t using LinkedIn and Twitter, and where appropriate, Facebook and Instagram, you aren’t reaching the right audiences.
Your client newsletter email list is likely made up of people who already know about you and your services. Terrific. This is a vital demographic. But you need to reach new readers, people who could be new clients. Publishing and promoting on LinkedIn and Twitter are the best ways to find these people.
You can take the same piece of content and promote it appropriately four or five ways on LinkedIn, and a dozen ways in Twitter, as long as you have a stream adhering to the 80/20 rule. (See my November column, “Applying the 80/20 Rule to Your Content Marketing.”)
Building a brand is great, and I’m all for that. SEO is important, and I’m all about that, too. There are lots of reasons to write and publish. But make sure you are using social media to make the most of your efforts.
Printing Presses Are Expensive
Printing presses are expensive. Thankfully, we aren’t solely bound to those any longer. But it still costs time and money to produce content. Make the most of social media to ensure you get the proper return on your investment.
Illustration ©iStockPhoto.com
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