Content is King, but Distribution is Queen — and she wears the pants.

On April 11th, Leslie Godlewski and I day tripped to the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson, Kansas for the Kansas Association of Health Care Communicators (KAHCC) spring conference. We were pleased to speak to the group of marketing professionals from hospital and healthcare systems across the state of Kansas. Their overall needs may vary from system to system, but in today’s marketing landscape, developing an approach to content and distribution is universal.

At MBB, we believe in the power of content marketing to deliver on objectives from awareness to action. We feel just as strongly about the need to incorporate a distribution plan for that content. It’s a balance to strike between art and science. Investing in content development can be costly on budgets and resources; if you ignore how to best amplify that content to a larger audience, you’re missing a critical piece of the puzzle.

Here are a few highlights that we shared with the group that you can keep in mind as you approach content and distribution in your organization:

Approach to Content

• Develop a process from upfront planning to measurement and optimization, then stick to the process.
• Understand what makes good content. Is your content original, or does it include a unique POV to an old problem? Is it relevant? Does it add value or trigger emotions? Have you kept it concise and visual? Create your own checklist to make sure the content you create will be valuable to your audience.
• Know what resources you can leverage for content. Whether that be from the brand, internal or external audiences, influencers or media, there are a variety of sources available to you as you create content.
• Remember that content comes in many forms, like blogs, websites, user-generated content, earned media placements, infographics and photography. Remember that content comes in many forms. Be open-minded to the types of content that will resonate with your audience.

Approach to Distribution

• Recognize the relationship between the audience and the channel, and then drive relevancy to both. The best opportunity to create interest and engagement is one that positions your content as a relevant resource for your audience.
• There are many places to distribute your content. Leveraging paid media is just one avenue; don’t forget about earned, shared and owned media channels that further extend your distribution plan. They work in concert with each other.

Leveraging content and distribution has fueled results for a number of our clients, most recently with AdventHealth in Kansas City on their doctor-patient matching website, MyHealthKC.com. While the ultimate goal was to drive patients to MyHealthKC.com to find the right primary care provider for them, we did that through a comprehensive content strategy and amplification plan, and it paid off.

Are you looking for fresh ways to leverage content and distribution for your organization? Drop us a line.