Tips for Widespread Content Distribution: A #Bufferchat Recap

This week in #bufferchat, we discussed tips for widespread content distribution — how to get our content seen far and wide! Adam Libonatti-Roche, head of social media at The Drum, joined us as our guest to share his insights throughout the hour. In the chat, we talked about content distribution platforms, the best tools to share content and reach new audiences, and much more.

Read on to discover all of the awesome ideas and insights that were shared during the chat!

Catch our weekly Twitter chat, #bufferchat, at TWO times every Wednesday for valuable industry insights and networking with nearly 400 other smart marketers and community managers. Same topic, same place, just at different times – feel free to join in to whichever chat time works best for you!

For our community in Asia and Australia (or anyone in other timezones that like this time the best!): 4 pm AEDT (Sydney time)

For our community in North/South America, Europe and Africa (or others!): 9 am PT (San Francisco time)

This week’s stats:
1st Bufferchat: 74 participants; 272 tweets; reach of 950,438
2nd Bufferchat: 290 participants; 1,852 tweets; reach of 1,703,578

Q1: When do you consume the most content — on a commute, on a weekend, during a lunch break, etc?

From Adam:

• On the commute or in the evenings. Mobile first content wins as I’m only looking for short form.
• It depends on my mood, as well. If I want to start the day inspired and interested, I take to Medium.

From the community:

• “Industry content I devour during lunch. After work, I tend to read more for pleasure. If I’m feeling it, I’ll read all day.” @katbu
• “I try to stay on top of things throughout the day, but it mostly happens at night when kids are in bed :)” @Kelli_Farley
• “On the commute. Mobile-friendly is the best content as it’s the one I have time to digest.” @CedricRichards
• “Being a freelancer, it’s easy for me to get lost in content throughout the day. I try to read an article an hour.” @Chris_Keller
• “I tend to add things to my reading list on lunch breaks; actually consume it in the evenings and weekend mornings.” @steveTjohnson

See all the great answers to question 1 here!

Q2: What times or days have you found work best for sharing and publishing content on social media?

From Adam:

• The time or day depends on when your audience is online. Every audience is different. If you can find the time your audience is online (and how) then share. News [might be good to share during] commuting time. Always adapt content contextually to those times.

From the community:

• “A HUGE spike happened for us when we switched from posting in afternoons to mornings on LinkedIn!” @Uniform_Nations
• “Dont forget that @Facebook has been adjusting the algorithm to override post time and deliver at optimum engagement!” @STEVMLR
• “Surprisingly I get a lot of engagement over the weekend. Maybe because people have more time to sit back and read content.” @lifeofaworkgirl
• “One thing I’ve noticed is that your best times are subject to change. You’ll never have a static schedule. Things change.” @MktgInnovator
• “I think this is such a personal thing which is why I use the Buffer Optimal Timing Tool for my schedule, checking monthly.” @sparkedpassion

See all the great answers to question 2 here!

Q3: Which 1-2 tools or apps are best for helping you spread your content far and wide, and why?

From Adam:

• I’m always using Parse.ly to find out how well the content is doing.
• Then use @buffer and @ifttt to automate and help push the content to my various brand channels.

From the community:

• “My company uses @LinkedIn Elevate to increase organic & third-party content reach. Employee social engment grew 10X.” @MollyKoernke
• “@buffer and @IFTTT. Love, love, LOVE the scheduling and social media cross-posting that I can do with these two tools.” @KristeenWrites
• “I also love using @TweetDeck – the ability to filter my tweets, see searches and follow certain people is amazing!” @danielleirogers
• We love @Hubspot because we don’t just get distribution, we get all of the data we need to optimize our digital marketing.” @optimizemybrand
• “Obv I’ll say @buffer is great for sharing, especially the power scheduler, but a great tool for expanding reach is @meshfire.” @luckylou

See all the great answers to question 3 here!

Q4: How can you determine when it makes sense to start using a new social channel for content distribution?

From Adam:

• You can follow the crowd or be the leader. Always experiment with social channels. Be the first.
• If your brand is more restricted, then experiment with your own personal side projects.

From the community:

• “Go in knowing what your goals are + how the new social channel will help you reach those goals in innovative ways.” @webthemesplus
• “If your audience is there, you NEED to be there. Otherwise, don’t invest the time unless you can do something unique.” @Lauchlin
• “I try to align w/ data; whether it’s gaining traction, growth rate, current user base & location, then I test!” @saintgabesf
• “Is your audience fond of the channel/platform? Would it make sense to be a trendsetter? Ask ?’s + find your answer!” @Anne_E_Mercer
• “When you see your channels are sustainable, it’s time to test something new! Always try to reach your audience in other ways.” @Jobs2Careers

See all the great answers to question 4 here!

Q5: Which content distribution platform are you currently (or interested in) experimenting with, and why?

From Adam:

• Currently playing around with Flipboard and messaging applications. Stay tuned!

From the community:

• “I’ve found webinars to be very useful and informative. Also videos and twitter chats have been quite valuable.” @JustinBienvenue
• “@Quora and @Medium have proven great for quality #content and reaching out to an audience ready to engage.” @SingularGroup
• “I’m also a podcast fan. I’m curious how that platform will grow. And, communities are starting to leverage @SlackHQ.” @absolut_zer0
• “I’m pretty excited about AR and VR – I see loads of white space to experiment, boost engagement, grow community.” @Chris_Santiago
• “Slideshare, Tumblr & Twitter Chats are 3 things I am interested in & want to give time to for content!” @WanderlustGirl_

See all the great answers to question 5 here!

Q6: What makes you share someone else’s content, and what learnings can you apply to make your own content more share-worthy?

From the community:

• “Can’t go wrong with the ‘I know this feeling’, ‘I feel your pain’ vibe.” @eauyeah_
• “I will immediately share content that provides me with an Aha! moment.” @alisonbaldyga
• “I never share just a headline and URL. I find the thing that interested me and/or that will engage others.” @martinlieberman
• “I share content that uses great graphics + will teach my audience something.” @indigoevstudio
• “Content has #actionable #indepth #noBS takeaways for readers. Not ‘How we did it’. Needs to be about ‘How you can do it’.” @Tejazz89

See all the great answers to question 6 here!

Q7: What is your top tip for getting your content seen on social media?

From Adam:

• I sounds like a broken record but know your audience. Know what they like.
• Also be creative, do something different. @JOEmediaUK are taking strides in publishing because of this.
• See your content as your consumer does. Just because you made it does not mean it’s the best.

From the community:

• “Make content visual, easily digestible, and unique – this makes it likely to get shared, be seen, and make an impact.” @milestech
• “Engaging with relevant #influencers + co-creation! Like @crestodina shares, ‘An ally in creation is an ally in promotion.'” @Affinio
• “Engage with others in the community and their posts. If you never comment on articles, why expect any comments on yours?” @DestinyJK_
• “Create content for your audience – not for you. When your audience feels a genuine connection, that’s when you’ve made it.” @HeyOrca
• “Jump on new features! Brands that used live video, 360° capability, and Canvas ads on Facebook stuck out in the feed.” @TheMikeyDunn

See all the great answers to question 7 here!

Thank you so much to Adam for taking the time to share so many awesome insights, and to everyone who participated in this chat!

Do you have any comments or answers to these questions? Leave your thoughts in the comments! We’d love to hear from you!

Image sources: UnSplash