The Better Blog

TLDR: What is content distribution and why does your company need it? Here’s the lowdown on content distribution’s importance and the average costs of using the top content channels. 

So what? B2B content distribution can boost your brand’s visibility and get you more customers. Learn how to use these channels and find out how much it will cost your company.

Introduction

Content distribution–which refers to the way brands disseminate data to their audiences–takes many forms. These forms, or “channels,” include social media advertising, press releases, influencer outreach, and more. The costs may vary, and we’ll break it all down below. 

What is Content Distribution? 

Content distribution is the publishing and promoting of text, imagery, audio, and video across several channels. Since an article or video is only as powerful as its reach, you need to get your content out to as many members of your target audience as possible. Here’s where to share it, and how much you can expect to pay.

10 Popular Content Distribution Channels

Here are the top 10 content channels:

Social Media: Social media platforms can be very useful distribution channels. These platforms allow you to reach exponentially more people and tailor that reach to specific demographics. Social media platforms allow your business to engage directly with customers (both potential and current), who then learn to trust in your brand. Here are some leading social platforms to consider:

1. LinkedIn: LinkedIn is geared towards professionals and businesses. Your company can post thought leadership pieces or op-eds related to your industry, share timely news and articles by sector peers, and post other business-related content.
   
   Why it’s worth it: LinkedIn is a B2B content marketer’s top choice for social media content distribution. 94% of professionals rank the site as number one in 2023.
   
2. Instagram: This is the platform for photo- and video-sharing. This includes beautiful snaps of a new product or enticing, fun user-made videos featuring your goods.
   
   Why it’s worth it: Around 50% of those who view an Instagram ad become more interested in the brand after seeing it advertised.
3. Twitter: Twitter can be a potent information-sharing platform. You’ll want to keep your words concise and punchy, however. Twitter is, therefore, an excellent platform for linking to longer-form pieces, sharing quick bits of .
   
   Why it’s worth it: An overwhelming majority (89%) of shoppers use Twitter to find new products to buy, while 76% of Twitter users say conversations they’ve had on the site have led them into purchase decisions.
   
4. Facebook (B2B groups): You can’t go wrong joining business-to-business groups on the granddaddy of social media. Once you have, post regularly to discussions to ensure that what you say is insightful and useful rather than just promotional.
   
   Why it’s worth it: When it comes to return on investment (ROI), Facebook leads the way among social platforms, and with close to three billion active users each month, Facebook’s reach is only expected to grow, making it a smart investment choice.
   
5. TikTok: The meat and potatoes of this video platform are short, imaginative video clips. Use trending hashtags, challenges, songs, and more to create absorbing content people will want to share.
   
   Why it’s worth it: 50% of TikTok users report buying a product after seeing it on TikTok Live (the platform’s live-streamed section), while almost one-third of active users say they open the app daily.
6. YouTube: The original video-sharing site, YouTube is a solid distribution channel for marketers looking to spread the word about their brands—your content-sharing choices on YouTube range from product-use tutorials to reviews and user and influencer interviews.  Optimize your video descriptions, titles, and tags for searches.
   
   Why it’s worth it: 68% of YouTube users say they rely on the site’s videos to help them make purchasing decisions. YouTube also has approximately 30 million daily users and offers videos in 76 languages, so the content you post can swiftly and easily reach people.
7. Email: With email marketing, you can send your subscribers promotions, newsletters, personalized product recommendations, short requests for feedback, and more. Remember to keep these messages succinct, interesting, and mobile-optimized.
   
   Why it’s worth it: Approximately one-third of marketers still say email is their most effective marketing channel, with 87% using it for content distribution. 
8. Webinars: Host online workshops, training sessions, and presentations (either live or recorded) for deeper dives on specific topics that interest your audience. A webinar can be anything from a step-by-step how-to, a panel discussion with professionals, or even a Q&A with an industry expert. Promote your webinar on your site and content channels (i.e., social media, email, etc.).
   
   Why it’s worth it: Most content marketers (83%) say hosting webinars is effective for their companies, with the average webinar generating 500 to 1,000 leads and the average attendee conversion rate hovering at around 55%.
9. Video Shorts: You can use short video content to shine spotlights on specific items you have for sale, product demonstrations, customer testimonials, and more.
   
   Why it’s worth it: Most consumers (73%) cite short-form video as their preferred means of learning about a new item or purchasable service.
10. Pay-Per-Click and Paid Social: Pay-per-click advertising can be cost-effective for businesses. Rather than pay a fixed cost, you pay only when someone clicks on your ad, so it’s of great value when it comes to content distribution costs. Use it on search engines with paid social promotions to extend your reach and tailor your ads to appeal to specific buyers.
    
    Why it’s worth it: With an average return on investment of 200%, PPC is arguably one of the most effective marketing methods you can have in your repertoire.
    
11. Influencer Marketing: You can give your content a real boost by forming partnerships with well-known, highly-followed social media users and having them share and promote your products, posts, and videos.
    
    Why it’s worth it: Some 39% of people ages 18 to 29 and 45% of people ages 30 to 44 say influencer marketing is the most likely factor in their decisions to purchase new products.
12. Blogs: Regularly publishing high-quality blog posts on topics relevant to your company’s industry–while using SEO best practices–can get you more followers and customers. Make sure these are easy to read, as users tend to scan online content rather than really read it.
    
    Why it’s worth it: Most people (70%) say they would rather get information from a blog post than from a traditional ad.
13. Content Syndication: Content syndication (distributing and republishing content across sites and channels) can boost your company’s visibility with new audiences. By leveraging the already-in-place audiences of other reputable sites or publishers, you can quickly get more eyes on your content, bolstering credibility and exposure.
    
    Why it’s worth it: Content syndication produces such solid results that most B2B content distribution experts reported prioritizing it to generate sales leads in recent years. It’s also very cost-effective.
14. Guest Posts and Op-Eds: Consider writing guest blog posts or commentary pieces for other websites on timely topics relevant to your business sector.
    
    Why it’s worth it: Op-eds have been shown to sway people’s views, and they can have long-term effects on the way readers and consumers think.

Average Costs of Most Common Content Distribution Channels

1. Email Newsletters: The cost of email newsletters depends on several factors, like whether you do the content writing yourself or hire a writer, the size of your recipient list, and the email marketing platform you pick. Popular options like Mailchimp, for example, have vast arrays of plans (including free ones).

• While costs will go up and down based on the above factors, publishers of newsletters with around 5,000 subscribers should, on average, expect to pay between $0 and $99 per month.

2. Blogs: Do you want written content but aren’t a writer? Have a blog post ghostwritten. Expect to pay $775 to $850 for a high-quality, bespoke piece of about 1,000 words.

• On the lower end of the cost scale are freelance writers and in-house team members, whose services include the research, writing, and editing of a piece, graphic design, uploading and optimization, lead generation, and social media promotion.
• On the higher end are quality B2B inbound marketing agencies. Any of these will deliver blog-creation experiences, including research, writing, editing, graphic design, and search engine or lead-generation optimization.

3. Webinars: If you’re thinking of hosting a webinar to attract customers, there are plenty of statistics to consider, but you can expect to spend anywhere between $100 to $3,000 on a webinar depending on things like the scope of the event and how big your audience will be.

• Associated costs comprise creating the webinar content, purchasing webinar-related software (the webinar platform, video-editing tools, etc.) and hardware (items like microphones and a camera), promotional efforts (social-media ads and email marketing, for example) and possibly extra staffing. 

4. Case studies: Case studies can be valuable parts of any marketing portfolio. They tell prospective customers and business partners you have the experience and expertise necessary to deliver what you promise. Costs range from $600 to $3,000 per case study, respectively. 

• On the lower end of the cost spectrum are, again, freelancers. The higher end is a larger marketing agency, which will give you top-quality products while charging you higher prices for each case study.
• In both choices, the money will often go towards research, interviews the firm or freelancer must do, the writing and editing of the pieces, formatting, and graphic design, if needed.

5. Video shorts: A video short for your website or social media accounts is an effective tool for getting your name or product before a wider audience. The great news is most companies report spending between $0 and $500 on video marketing, so it doesn’t cost much if you do it yourself. However, professional video shorts can run anywhere between $500 and $3,000. 

• Self-produced video shorts will run you the cost of a camera if one is yet to be available in-house. You’ll also need editing software and the paid time of employees who work on the project.
• The price of a professionally-produced video depends largely on its length, as it determines the number of hours or days an outside company will need to shoot the footage. There may also be travel expenses for all involved, equipment fees for camera crews, payments to the acting talent you hire, and post-production costs (editing, voiceovers, etc.)

Partner with Media Shower for Content Distribution

To be seen online today, you need a communication platform that offers quality and quantity. Since overworked marketing teams often don’t have time for either, Media Shower can help. With our proven content assembly line, we’ll create better content that gets more exposure with the right audience. Take Media Shower for a test drive and get a free trial.