Marketing distribution - what to do with good content?

Do you create good content and wonder whether to enrich your websites only with it or start distributing it to external websites? Distribution in marketing is an extremely important element and before making a specific decision, it is worth considering all the pros and cons. We can help you determine when to choose external distribution and when it is better to act exclusively for your website.

What is distribution in marketing?

First, let's define what we mean by content - this is not only text content, but also all kinds of photos, graphics, infographics, animations or gifs. Good content is undoubtedly a huge advantage that can be successfully used in promotional activities. However, it is worth considering whether this content is worth publishing only on your own pages (website, blog or social networks) - or is it worth sharing it on other websites and on social media.

Thus, we come to the division of marketing distribution into two main types. Well, distribution in marketing is:

1. Internal - when the created content is placed on your own website. It is a good investment on your own, but with costs and not very effective in terms of positioning.

2. External - when the content goes to websites other than your own - thematic websites, partner websites, as well as social media - although here the matter is not so obvious. Although third-party distribution generates better SEO results, you still lose control over your content.

Distribution in marketing - can its two types be combined?

Theoretically it is possible, but in practice it can be quite difficult. Publishers rarely opt for bundled forms - they want to be clear about what type of distribution in marketing has been chosen. However, if you are comfortable with being able to combine distribution methods, you can use one of two strategies.

1. The first - involves creating unique content in several versions, similar to each other in terms of thematic and content. Content will be posted at different times and in different places - both on external sites and on your sites.

2. The second - it concerns the possibility of dividing the content. There is a teaser on external websites - a few paragraphs, a fragment of an infographic. Readers can only read the entire content after visiting your website.

Advantages and disadvantages of distribution in marketing

The choice of internal or external distribution must largely depend on individual needs and possibilities. Both solutions have many advantages, but also disadvantages. We will present the most important advantages and disadvantages of the types of distribution in marketing, but you have to make the choice yourself, asking yourself about the goals you want to achieve.

Internal distribution in marketing:

• pros: investing in the development of your own website, directing promotion to your own website, high impact of good content on conversion, freedom to decide the shape of the content, no publication costs, the ability to control the opinion about the content.

• cons: low SEO effect - mainly related to the inability to obtain links from valuable websites, frequent requirement for additional content promotion.

External distribution in marketing:

• pluses: increased popularity of the content (strictly determined by the popularity of the website on which it is placed), increased prestige, good SEO effect - also related to links that will be placed on an external website.

• cons: lack of control over reviewing content, restrictions often imposed by publishers, publication costs, lower conversion.

Distribution in social media

At the beginning of the text, we noted that social media is not unequivocally related to internal distribution. One can argue, however, the distribution of content via social networking sites differs to some extent from the internal distribution carried out on websites or blogs.

If you post your own content on your own page or profile on a social network, it is undoubtedly internal distribution. Depending on the settings, the content can be viewed by all website users. It can be liked or commented on, but it can also be shared, passed on. If it happens out of your control, it's a viral distribution. It takes on some features of external distribution, but often the reputation of the profiles that provide it cannot be clearly determined.

When distribution in social media marketing is controlled and paid for by you, then we should speak of forced distribution.It includes paid promotion of your own content (and thus it is typical for internal distribution) - however, a certain type of promotion should be distinguished, which takes the features of external distribution. We are talking about employing influencers in the promotion of content, i.e. people who have a significant impact on their own community in social media. Thanks to this, your content is shared on a different profile, most often with a large community around it.

You must determine which distribution method is most convenient for the content you create. Remember the importance of social media and the prospects it presents to distribution.