Can't justify content efforts? You're not the only one!
Many business owners register for all the business accounts they can online. Only to realize there is no way for them to upkeep all of them at the same time. Hence, they just copy and paste the same set of content across all distribution channels, hoping it will be okay. But that is not the right way to do it. Content creation is a lot of work, but there are ways to tackle it. Here are some tips to help justify and maximize your content creation effort when handling more than one distribution channel.
i) Focus on one thing to cover all platforms
Being on all the distribution channels out there does not mean better performance. It can exhaust the audience's interest quicker. But there is a need to cover various customer journey stages with different platforms. So, how can that be done?
Focus on finding your golden content. Don't dip your toes in everything. Focus on figuring out what content produces the best results for you and build it into a series.
Invest in building long-form content. These can be broken down into smaller bize-site to populate other distribution channels over a long period. So, instead of getting fixated on busting out many social posts for many platforms, create one piece of quality long-form content that is timeless (remains relevant over time) and classic (can be read over and over again).
Think about content adaptability, not constant content creation. People often mistake content marketing for constantly creating new content. That is not true. The best form of content marketing is when the brand can keep churning new achievements out of existing content. Brands can adapt existing content into smaller bite-size to share on different platforms or combine short social posts into a piece of new, long-form content.
ii) Work with what you already have
Sometimes, less really is more! Content doesn't have to be "new" all the time. The concept of upcycling content can help business owners to populate their distribution channels without jeopardizing content quality.
Update existing content. No one goes through your brand's feed as you do. Most of your audiences have not seen your posts from weeks ago. If those posts have worked well, consider doing an updated version of them. Include new quotes, trends, and angles, and package them as something new.
Re-create existing content. If you've created a static visual post that has performed well, why not re-create it into a video? Or build it into a blog by adding text to it.
Group existing content. Use the Guide tool on Instagram to group selected posts together to create a new narrative. Gather your top-performing posts from Facebook and generate a listicle. There are endless ways to utilize your content on a single platform before jumping on to the next!
iii) Understand and take advantage of best practices
Once you have created content based on the suggestions mentioned above, you should have a variety of quality content ready for posting on your selected platforms. But to ensure performance, you'll also need to play along with the platform rules.
Are your target audiences even there? A great example would be Tik Tok. Indeed, it has captivated many audiences, but are your target audiences active there? Or are they professionals who are more likely to be found on a platform such as Linkedin?
What are the user behaviors on the platform? Are users on this platform looking for entertainment, information, or things to buy? If your content is for the awareness stage, but you place it on a conversion channel, such as Amazon or Etsy, it won't perform well.
What is the platform's goal? Is it trying to sell its latest tools? If the answer is yes, you should consider using that tool when you publish your content to achieve the most organic reach. An example would be Reels on Instagram. There's no point for you to upload your short video as a post if it would be better highlighted by the platform as a reel.
It's a lot of work! But there's a way to tackle them all.
Creating content based on the platform’s best practice will always result in better performance compared to having more business accounts or uploading the same piece of content on different platforms.
The easiest way is to know what content works best on what platform is by creating content based on content marketing. It starts by establishing the content pillars before deciding what distribution channels to use. The decision is therefore strategic and naturally fitting for the content.
Learn the skills you need, get your questions answered, and explore your full potential with us here.
More Resource
 | Find the information helpful? Support us by downloading all 7 chapters of our "Starting a Side Business" series as an ebook here. |