Hey there, Ninjas!
So, I hinted about putting out this article in a recent email to those of you who are on my daily email list, and I’m excited to bring this to you today.
So without further delay, let’s get into it…
The overall media landscape has changed SO rapidly in the past couple of decades, one can’t keep up with it unless it is their INTENTION to do so, and I strongly suggest that you DO make it your intention AND to actually keep up with it because it keeps on evolving, and it is absolutely key for your brand’s survival as we continue to move forward in this age of technology.
Social Media is the REIGNING CHAMPION when it comes to where people’s attention is regularly and even constantly fixated. You’ve heard me say this many times throughout the years, and I continue to say it because it’s true. This world of today’s media, where Social Mediaedia is the preferred mode of communication for humans, is ever-evolving and you HAVE to keep up with it if you want to stay relevant. The truth is — contrary to what you may have heard from some content creators, that PEOPLE LOVE TO CONSUME CONTENT! In fact, they can’t get enough of it…
… from YouTube videos, to the latest gossip and recaps of their favorite reality shows and the people who star in them, to what other fans have to say about their favorite movies and television series like Game of Thrones, to things that are trending right now like “Which chicken sandwich is better?” (The new Popeyes sandwich or Chick-fil-A classic) etc… people are consuming content like crazy!
All of you who have been following my content for any length of time already know that I talk about the subject of content creation and distribution a lot. Well, here is the major thing to consider:
Remember when I said in one of my recent articles that organic content is not dead in 2019? (Actually, that is the title of that article. If you haven’t read it yet you can access it here.)
What I was just talking about in the opening paragraphs is real-time PROOF that organic content is still in demand and very much in integral part of your brand strategy for growth and spreading awareness. I mean think about it: if major brands like popular television shows and reality TV series, as well as major names of major chains like Popeyes and Chick-fil-A (who are battling for the title of who makes the best sandwich) and most — if not ALL of this awareness is spread through content, then what would make you believe that content is dead? See my point? Content is very much alive and in demand. In fact, I’m pretty sure that you’ve heard the saying “Content is King”. and I wholeheartedly agree with that statement. Content IS indeed KING. Now, the thing about it is the fact that no matter HOW great the content IS… no matter how well written it is, no matter how hard I am quality of the video and/or the audio is, no matter how incomparable this content is put together, no matter how engaging it is…The REALITY is that no one is ever going to engage with it if it isn’t distributed properly, meaning in a manner where people are going to be able to see it and therefore be able to engage with it.
The fact is that some of the world’s greatest geniuses, inventors and artists were never discovered, and there’s only 1 reason for that: DISTRIBUTION…or rather, the LACK thereof.
In any area of endeavor in life, a KEY STEP in the formula for coming out of a condition of Non-Existence is Making Yourself Known. You can’t be discovered if you don’t make yourself (your business, your art, your music, your products, your services) KNOWN. And without DISTRIBUTION of your whatever you have to offer, you won’t make yourself known, no matter how great whatever you’re offering is.
In light of all of this, I think it’s safe to say that if Content is KING (and it IS), then Distribution has got to be Queen.
As a matter of fact, according to the VP of Agency Strategy and Industry Development at BuzzFeed, “Content is King, but Distribution is Queen and she wears the pants.“
The point you’ve got to understand that great content is the base, indeed. But beyond that, you also absolutely must understand the distribution channels. What works on Pinterest won’t necessarily work on Facebook/Instagram and vice versa, AND it’s also totally different on LinkedIn, YouTube etc…and there is a bit of an art and a science to mastering those — but it IS doable, and it ISN’T complicated, either.
Another thing to bear in mind is that over the most RECENT years, the digital world’s evolution (as a source of reference and beyond — all the way to being a go-to for entertainment) has moved from portals to search to social. And MOBILE dominates the way that people access content today…at acWHOPPING 80%! People are now
with their phones on their nightstands or possibly even on their beds. A lot of people even use their phones for their alarm clocks. And a great number of these people will also check their phones either before they go to sleep at night or before they get out of bed in the morning or both. A great percentage of their activity on their phones I can guarantee you is Social — meaning social media of some sort. to date in 2019, majority of people aren’t even using Google quite as much as they used to only three or four years ago.
A perfect example of what I’m talking about is such a small thing that has turned into such a huge thing over the last couple of weeks, so again I am going to use the example of what is trending as far as “who makes the best chicken sandwich” among these well-known chains. People are relying on and believing the “taste test” videos (that they see being incessantly posted on different social media platforms) to already kind of form their opinions on who makes the best chicken sandwich, even if they haven’t even tried them themselves. Social now has a huge impact on other Social users and consumers more than ever before. I am pretty sure that people who are following this trend are most likely not going on Google about the chicken sandwich battle. They’re going on their social media and watching videos about that. so how does all of this tie in with content and distribution?
well… A lot of people who do these types of review videos are people Who are known as “influencers”, and the influencers who are truly savvy and smart about what they are doing know how to post on all of their different platforms, in the different ways which are required to maximize the distribution of the content that they’ve created for each particular platform. That is a prime example of proper use of content and distribution of that content.
Like I’ve said time and time again, the distribution of your content is equally as important as the creation of that content. They are symbiotic an inter-dependent upon one another. You can’t have one without the other if you want to truly succeed. you cannot distribute content that hasn’t been created, and if you create content and not distribute it either way you’re going to go nowhere. So you need them both. You need to master them both. as with any worthwhile endeavor, you’re going to have to put it to the test by learning, implementing what you learn, paying attention and monitoring your results, constantly testing and tweaking along the way. Do this consistently and you’ll watch the patterns emerge and it won’t take very long before you figure out how to get your own “rhythm” going and be successful at the distribution of your content along with and alongside your paid advertising efforts. You figure out Content Creation and Distribution, You’ve Got It Made!
Now to be fair, I don’t want to just assume that everyone who is reading this has been following my content for a long time, so although I’ve covered this in detail in a lot of my videos, podcasts, written posts etc. on various platforms, I will quickly share with you what I mean by content.
There are basically four forms of content, and all content created is distributed among those four forms:
They are:
- Video
- Audio
- Written Text
- Images
That’s it. Those are the four types. As of today, Video is the MOST popular content form. So if by chance you don’t have the ability to be comfortable in front of the camera talking about your products or services, what you do or how you help people, and/or giving valuable tips and helpful “life hacks”, then you WILL (at some point) need to bring somebody else on your team who actually DOES feel comfortable doing so. But fortunately, until you DO find someone who can do that (or until you, yourself eventually muster up the willingness to do it), there is no need to despair, because you have options and alternatives. You can pull out your phone go onto the One Hundred Percent FREE Anchor podcast and record a podcast in your voice. You can even write it all out ahead of time and read it on the air. That’s how SIMPLY you can put out a form of audio content. Very, very simple…
Once you’ve recorded your podcast, you can put it all over social media and you can put it all over the web. For example, you can do it through the iTunes store, Android store, etc. Or…if you like to write articles, that is another form of content you can put out there. Not only can you write articles, you can do written posts, you can write an e-book, you can even write and publish a printed book, and distribute those pieces of content as well. if you’re extremely busy you can even bring in a ghost Rider and have someone else write it for you. That is another form of valid content…Then of course, there are IMAGES. There is a popular old proverb that says “A picture is worth a thousand words”. And the beauty of it is that you don’t have to be a photographer to put up images as a form of your content. You can show images of your product being used, satisfied customers with your products, etc. Your only limit is your own imagination. The point Im making here is that content is necessary for you to be successful, and you can create endless combinations of these four forms and find out what works best for you and your brand. And of course, JUST AS IMPORTANTLY, you’ve got to distribute that content, really get it out there and disseminate it to the public, namely your IDEAL audience who will find it valuable. REMEMBER: If your intention is to really build a business and a brand that will last and have actual longevity (and not simply to create another quick “cash flow machine”), then content and the proper distribution of that content is the path to take you there. There is no other way.
Over the years along the way I’ve noticed that there is actually a common misconception and misunderstanding when it comes to really creating an IMPACT out there in the world, and capturing and generating attention and engagement for companies’ brands and services: The misconception that I speak of is the belief that distribution is an entirely different subject from content creation, when in fact, they ARE different, yet at the same time, they’re wholly dependent upon one another.
So, before I end off, I’m going to also go ahead and answer the question (for anyone new here or whomever needs a “refresher” or reminder) “Manuel, what exactly do you mean by DISTRIBUTION?”
Simply stated, Distribution is taking a piece of content and having people see it. It’s as simple as that. it’s grabbing a video or a picture or a graphic, or an article or a text post or a podcast… And making sure that it gets in front of people. (There you have it.) Now back to the misconception about this…
Another thing that people don’t understand is This: Often times people think that just putting it out there on Facebook, on Instagram, on YouTube, Twitter, Pinterest, etc…that it’s just Automatically and Magically going to be seen by multitudes of people. In reality, THIS SIMPLY IS NOT THE CASE. Maybe it WAS true at the beginning stages of Social Media well over 7 or 8 years ago, because then, there were so few people creating content that whatever was created during that time had a chance of going viral. This does not exist in present time. This area today requires that aside from building and creating content, you will also need to build distribution channels and get proficient at it. Like I said earlier, once you master these two things you’ve got it made.
So in conclusion, I’m sure that by now you know that you need content and you need distribution in order to be successful. content is the actual information about your brand and your products and your services and how you are actually helping people with it. Distribution is how you grab that content and capture attention with it by getting in front of as many people out there as possible…people who are interested in what you have to offer. Stay tuned for more practical and best practices on how to do this.
I’ll see you in the next article.
