According to a survey from inbound marketing software company HubSpot, 70% of marketers are actively investing in content marketing. Creating compelling, yet digestible content is only step one; maximizing opportunities to capitalize on your investment and share content creatively across platforms is where you’ll see the greatest return.

Content can take many forms and is typically created for a specific channel where it often ends up stuck and siloed. For example…

  • You write a blog post you love. It’s living on your website with solid views in Google Analytics.
  • You secure a piece of news coverage that quotes your top executive. The content is housed on the publication’s home page and was just distributed via their morning newsletter; you even got a few congratulatory emails on the article.
  • Your presentation impresses the audience at an industry conference, with several people stopping by and giving you their business cards afterwards.

The blog post, news coverage and presentation all contribute to filling your pipeline, but what happens to that content after the initial reaction? Are you putting it to work and stretching it to reach new and different audiences?

At Linhart PR, we use a three-step process for getting more mileage out of content, so it reaches the audiences that matter most to you and helps meet business goals as well.

Step 1: Create. Based on business priorities, create a content strategy for distributing a piece of content via new communications channels. Make sure it’s tied to your overarching communications or marketing goals and most importantly, is measurable. For a blog post, consider how you could promote the content to your desired audience beyond just hosting it on your blog – maybe it’s promoted on social or Google Ads, or maybe it’s repurposed into a pitch in an attempt to secured earned media on the topic.

Step 2: Relate. Translate the content so it appeals to all your target audiences. Help them understand your value in solving a problem or overcoming a challenge they may have. For example, rather than blasting a piece of news coverage to your email distribution list, draft a tailored cover note for a few specific contacts on why the piece is relevant to them.

Step 3: Circulate. Distribute the content to effective channels in meaningful, measurable ways. For example, turn a successful industry presentation into a social media advertising campaign with bite-sized takeaways in the form of 3-5 posts. Measure engagement on the posts and how many clicks back to the full presentation were received.

We’re members of the HubSpot Partner program to help companies and brands strategize and create content marketing plans that inform, educate and ultimately draw in new prospects and customers. Do you need help creating yours? Reach out to me at kbrown@linhartpr.com.