Choose Your Channels and Platforms

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1. Know Your Goals and Metrics

Before you start distributing your content, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and how you’ll measure your success.

Do you want to increase brand awareness, generate leads, drive traffic, or boost sales?

What are the key performance indicators (KPIs) that reflect your goals, such as impressions, clicks, shares, conversions, or revenue?

Having specific and measurable goals and metrics will help you choose the right channels and platforms for your content distribution, as well as optimize and evaluate your results.

You’ll be able to focus on the channels and platforms that align with your objectives and deliver the best return on investment (ROI).

2. Know Your Audience and Their Preferences

Another important factor to consider is your target audience and their preferences.

You need to know who your ideal customers are, what their pain points and interests are, how they consume and interact with content, and where they hang out online.

You can use tools like Google Analytics, Facebook Insights, YouTube Analytics, and others to get insights into your audience’s data.

You can also use surveys, interviews, focus groups, and other methods to get direct feedback from your audience.

Knowing your audience and their preferences will help you tailor your content to their needs and expectations, as well as select the most relevant and effective channels and platforms for your content distribution.

For example, if your audience is mainly B2B professionals, you might want to focus on LinkedIn, email newsletters, and industry blogs.

On the other hand, if your audience is mainly millennials or Gen Zers, you might want to leverage Instagram, TikTok, or podcasts.

3. Choose the Right Content Format

The next factor to consider is the content format. You need to choose the right format for your content based on your goals, audience preferences, channel features, and budget.

You can use different types of content formats to distribute your content, such as:

• Text: Text-based content includes blog posts, articles, ebooks, white papers, case studies, and more. Text content is easy to create and consume, and it can rank well on search engines. However, text content can also be boring or overwhelming if it’s too long or dense.
• Image: Image-based content includes infographics, charts, graphs, memes, gifs, and more. Image content is visually appealing and easy to digest, and it can increase engagement and retention. However, image content can also be hard to create or find, and it can lose quality or clarity on different devices or platforms.
• Video: Video-based content includes webinars, tutorials, interviews, testimonials, product demos, and more. Video content is engaging and immersive, and it can convey complex or emotional messages. However, video content can also be expensive and time-consuming to produce and edit, and it can require high bandwidth or storage space to stream or download.
• Audio: Audio-based content includes podcasts, audiobooks, interviews, speeches, and more. Audio content is convenient and accessible, and it can create a personal connection with the audience. However, audio content can also be hard to discover or optimize for search engines, and it can lack visual cues or feedback.

Whatever content format you choose, make sure it’s suitable and effective for your content purpose and message. Don’t choose a format just because it’s trendy or popular. Don’t choose a format that’s incompatible or inappropriate for your channel or platform.

4. Use the Right Tools and Features

The final factor to consider is the tools and features that you use to distribute your content. You need to use the right tools and features that help you create, publish, promote, and measure your content across different channels and platforms.

You can use different types of tools and features to distribute your content, such as:

• Content management systems (CMS): CMS are software applications that help you create, manage, and publish your content on your website or blog. Examples of CMS include WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, Squarespace, Wix, and more.
• Social media management tools: Social media management tools help you schedule, post, monitor, and analyze your content on social media platforms. Examples of social media management tools include Buffer, Hootsuite, Sprout Social, CoSchedule, and more.
• Email marketing tools: Email marketing tools help you create, send, track, and optimize your email campaigns. Examples of email marketing tools include Mailchimp, Constant Contact, AWeber, ConvertKit, and more.
• Podcast hosting platforms: Podcast hosting platforms help you upload, distribute, and monetize your podcast episodes. Examples of podcast hosting platforms include Buzzsprout, Podbean, Anchor, Transistor, and more.
• Video hosting platforms: Video hosting platforms help you upload, stream, and share your video content. Examples of video hosting platforms include YouTube, Vimeo, Wistia, Vidyard, and more.
• Analytics tools: Analytics tools help you measure and analyze your content performance and results. Examples of analytics tools include Google Analytics, Facebook Insights, YouTube Analytics, BuzzSumo, and more.

Whatever tools and features you use, make sure they’re reliable and effective for your content distribution. Don’t use tools or features that are outdated or buggy. Don’t use tools or features that are irrelevant or unnecessary for your content distribution.

Conclusion

Choosing the right channels and platforms for your content is not easy, but it’s not impossible either. By following these four steps, you’ll be able to choose the right channels and platforms for your content and reach your audience where they are.

Remember:

1. Know Your Goals and Metrics
2. Know Your Audience and Their Preferences
3. Choose the Right Content Format
4. Use the Right Tools and Features

I hope you found this article helpful and informative. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below. And if you want to learn more about digital marketing in Africa,