In the old days, there were limited means for getting your content - articles, white papers, knowledge - and hence marketing your brand and products out to your target audience. You could write a book and try to get it published; you could print white papers and submit them to industry journals, libraries, or post them to potentially interested parties; you could try to get articles published by the media; or you could distribute your collateral at exhibitions, conferences etc.
None of these were truly effective, nor affordable, ways to get your content out there to those who would most benefit from it, nor to market your business, products and services.
In order to syndicate your content, you will first need to create that content. This can be in the form of short articles (eg 500-2000 words), or white papers about a particular topic of interest to your potential customers. This may be how to wire a plug in different countries, how to tie a fly for fishing, how to manage knowledge within a small business, or how to promote a website using Pay Per Click keyword purchase.
The most important aspect of the content is that it should offer valuable information to your target audience. It should not be blatant self-promotion - that is what press releases are for, However, it is permissible to include a resource box in your article that gives further information about the author, and a link to your website or a landing page specifically about the subject of the article. This will then allow you to track interest generated from a specific article and you can even create special offers for the readers to capture a sale when they follow the link.
Once you have created your article or white paper, you need to approach those websites, ezines, newsletters, blog etc where your target audience hang out, and offer the content for publication. These need to be websites with high traffic, so as to reach the widest audience. Many websites ask for articles and content so make sure you look to see if there is a specific contact mentioned on the site who you should approach to offer your content to.
Many websites in niche areas are also interested in regular monthly columns by knowledgeable authors, and these are well worth looking out for. You can also crossover from online to offline by offering your content to magazines, and ensuring that the readers are led easily to your website for further information.
Another method of syndicating content is to use RSS (Really Simple Syndication). This automates the process and can mean that your content gets distributed widely, whilst also gaining you valuable backlinks to your site.
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Related Links:
How to Syndicate Your Content - By Michael Irving
Syndicate Your Headlines Using RSS - By Shelley Lowery
Should You Let Them Syndicate Your Content? - By Problogger
Online Video:
Syndicating Your Content on Drupal
Phil Robinson is an experienced online marketing consultant and Founder of ClickThrough Marketing - an international Search Engine Marketing & Internet Marketing agency. Specialists in Search Engine Optimisation, Pay Per Click Marketing, Online PR, Social Marketing & Website Conversion Strategies.
