Video: Content Distribution 101

Video: Content Distribution 101

Although content is extremely important, it’s only effective if it gets in front of the right audience. Here’s everything you need to know about content distrubution.


Highlights:

  • Content distribution is the act of promoting content to online audiences in multiple media formats through various channels.
  • Don’t fall victim to the “spray and pray” strategy where you post every piece of content anywhere and everywhere to increase the chances of achieving your desired results.
  • Kick things off by looking at how each channel you want to use matches with the audience, your goals, and the priorities outlined in your overall content marketing plan.

Video transcript:

I’m Katie Russell, a marketing strategist here at Fronetics, and today we’re going to be talking about content distribution 101.

Content distribution is a term that’s often thrown around in marketing circles without any specifics attached. Given the growing popularity of content marketing, brands run the risk of having content lost in the shuffle. Here’s what you need to know to start implementing a successful content distribution strategy.

What is content distribution?

First off, what is content distribution? Content distribution is the act of promoting content to online audiences in multiple media formats through various channels.

There are three main components in the process for enabling your brand to build (and grow) communities of loyal, engaged consumers:

  1. Evaluate your distribution options
  2. Develop and document your strategy
  3. Promote your content

Evaluate your distribution options

Let’s start with evaluate your distribution options. Don’t fall victim to the “spray and pray” strategy where you post every piece of content anywhere and everywhere to increase the chances of achieving your desired results. You want to make sure your content is getting in front of the right people, with the right messaging.

Whether you are new at content marketing or a seasoned expert wanting to make the biggest splash possible, you need to decide which channels make the most sense for distribution. Some channels are more appropriate for your content than others, so you want a clear understanding of the unique value proposition of each, and how strongly those benefits align with your audience, brand voice, and goals.

Develop and document your strategy

Once you’ve generated a list of the most viable distribution options, building a strategy is the next step. Kick things off by looking at how each channel you want to use matches with the audience, your goals, and the priorities outlined in your overall content marketing plan. Resources and content types will help establish your editorial strategy. Make sure to document the details of your distribution decisions, so the information can be referenced easily, updated as necessary, and shared throughout your company.

Promote your content

Simply posting your content and waiting for your ideal audience to magically discover it won’t cut it. Make sure you are:

  • optimizing your content with keywords, backlinks and calls to action
  • repurposing and repackage top performing content
  • consider sponsored content on social media sites

Want more information on how to successfully implement a content distribution strategy? Visit us at fronetics.com.

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The Girl Scout Cookie Supply Chain [Infographic]

The Girl Scout Cookie Supply Chain [Infographic]

Girl Scout Cookie

In 2015 The Girl Scouts launched the “Digital Cookie.”  How will this impact the Girl Scout Cookie Supply Chain?

When the Girl Scouts of America began selling their now ubiquitous cookies way back in 1917, their operations were simple: cookies were baked in the ovens of troop members and sold in a high school cafeteria. On a mission to raise enough funds to cover the activities of their Muskogee, Oklahoma-based troop, these first cookie salesgirls unknowingly set the stage for a century-long operation that now includes over 2.8 million Girl Scouts and tops $700 million annually.

Throughout the program’s history, the Girl Scouts have made significant changes to the way they do business. To understand the evolution of their supply chain you have to look not only at the physical growth of the program, but the societal factors that have shaped their manufacturing, distribution, marketing and sales functions throughout the years.

From the cookie program’s modest beginnings in the late 1910s through the 1920s, operations were kept small and simple. Cars weren’t yet pervasive in American cities and towns, and door-to-door sales and delivery of goods were the norm. As such, each local troop of Girl Scouts baked, packaged, and priced their own cookies and then combined marketing and sales functions by going door to door. The 1930s saw the Girl Scouts professionalize their manufacturing operations by partnering with and licensing their first commercial bakery – a move concurrent with the rise of automated and commercial bakeries across the United States.

During World War II, flour, sugar, and butter shortages caused a brief stoppage of Girl Scout cookie production. In the post-war boom though, the Girl Scouts were back in the cookie business, setting up shop outside the shopping malls that had sprung up in the suburbs.

As membership rapidly grew, cookie flavors were narrowed to four types in order to standardize their product for greater manufacturing efficiency. Meanwhile, advancements within the packaging industry proved to be a boon for the marketing and sales of Girl Scout cookies as it brought extension to the shelf-life of their products. The most dramatic shift in operations came in 1978. By that time, the number of commercial bakeries involved in the manufacture of GirlScout cookies had swelled to an unmanageable amount. That year officials made the decision to limit operations to only four bakeries, showing a commitment from the organization to uniform quality, packaging, and distribution (a practice even further evidenced today by their licensing of only two bakeries).

From the 1950s through 2014 the sales and marketing strategy of Girl Scout cookies has remained almost unchanged. Each year, between January and April, thousands of girls and their parents have sold cookies by going door-to-door or by hawking their wares outside local supermarkets.

In 2015, in a move that has significant implications for their supply chain, the Girl Scouts have unveiled a new strategy that is directly influenced by yet another societal shift. “Digital Cookie” enables Girl Scouts to market and sell cookies online.

With Digital Cookie, girls are able to create personalized cookie websites and invite customers to visit their website via an email invitation.  Digital Cookie also allows girls to take in-person cookie orders (at a local cookie booth for example) via mobile app.

Additional features of Digital Cookie include: campaign advertising, inventory tracking, and shipping management.

Kelly Parisi, Girl Scouts of the USA chief communications executive, points out that these changes are essential in terms of building leadership skills: “It is all about the girls and building future business leaders. They are learning about e-marketing, managing money and additionally creating their first websites.”

The Digital Cookie will have a significant impact on the organization’s supply chain.  Not the least of which is that this year, for the first time, the majority of customers will have cookies delivered directly to them – the option of having a Girl Scout deliver the cookies is only available in select markets.

Hungry?  Connect with your local Girl Scout or Girl Scout Troop, or try the free mobile Cookie Finder app for your iPhone or Android phone.

Girl Scout Cookie Supply Chain

The Girl Scout Cookie Supply Chain [Infographic]

The Girl Scout Cookie Supply Chain [Infographic]

Girl Scout Cookie

In 2015 The Girl Scouts launched the “Digital Cookie.”  How will this impact the Girl Scout Cookie Supply Chain?

When the Girl Scouts of America began selling their now ubiquitous cookies way back in 1917, their operations were simple: cookies were baked in the ovens of troop members and sold in a high school cafeteria. On a mission to raise enough funds to cover the activities of their Muskogee, Oklahoma-based troop, these first cookie salesgirls unknowingly set the stage for a century-long operation that now includes over 2.8 million Girl Scouts and tops $700 million annually.

Throughout the program’s history, the Girl Scouts have made significant changes to the way they do business. To understand the evolution of their supply chain you have to look not only at the physical growth of the program, but the societal factors that have shaped their manufacturing, distribution, marketing and sales functions throughout the years.

From the cookie program’s modest beginnings in the late 1910s through the 1920s, operations were kept small and simple. Cars weren’t yet pervasive in American cities and towns, and door-to-door sales and delivery of goods were the norm. As such, each local troop of Girl Scouts baked, packaged, and priced their own cookies and then combined marketing and sales functions by going door to door. The 1930s saw the Girl Scouts professionalize their manufacturing operations by partnering with and licensing their first commercial bakery – a move concurrent with the rise of automated and commercial bakeries across the United States.

During World War II, flour, sugar, and butter shortages caused a brief stoppage of Girl Scout cookie production. In the post-war boom though, the Girl Scouts were back in the cookie business, setting up shop outside the shopping malls that had sprung up in the suburbs.

As membership rapidly grew, cookie flavors were narrowed to four types in order to standardize their product for greater manufacturing efficiency. Meanwhile, advancements within the packaging industry proved to be a boon for the marketing and sales of Girl Scout cookies as it brought extension to the shelf-life of their products. The most dramatic shift in operations came in 1978. By that time, the number of commercial bakeries involved in the manufacture of GirlScout cookies had swelled to an unmanageable amount. That year officials made the decision to limit operations to only four bakeries, showing a commitment from the organization to uniform quality, packaging, and distribution (a practice even further evidenced today by their licensing of only two bakeries).

From the 1950s through 2014 the sales and marketing strategy of Girl Scout cookies has remained almost unchanged. Each year, between January and April, thousands of girls and their parents have sold cookies by going door-to-door or by hawking their wares outside local supermarkets.

In 2015, in a move that has significant implications for their supply chain, the Girl Scouts have unveiled a new strategy that is directly influenced by yet another societal shift. “Digital Cookie” enables Girl Scouts to market and sell cookies online.

With Digital Cookie, girls are able to create personalized cookie websites and invite customers to visit their website via an email invitation.  Digital Cookie also allows girls to take in-person cookie orders (at a local cookie booth for example) via mobile app.

Additional features of Digital Cookie include: campaign advertising, inventory tracking, and shipping management.

Kelly Parisi, Girl Scouts of the USA chief communications executive, points out that these changes are essential in terms of building leadership skills: “It is all about the girls and building future business leaders. They are learning about e-marketing, managing money and additionally creating their first websites.”

The Digital Cookie will have a significant impact on the organization’s supply chain.  Not the least of which is that this year, for the first time, the majority of customers will have cookies delivered directly to them – the option of having a Girl Scout deliver the cookies is only available in select markets.

Hungry?  Connect with your local Girl Scout or Girl Scout Troop, or try the free mobile Cookie Finder app for your iPhone or Android phone.

Girl Scout Cookie Supply Chain