Choosing the Right Content Distribution Platforms for B2B SaaS

No matter how well-developed and thoughtfully crafted your content may be, if no one sees it, it doesn’t matter. Your B2B SaaS company needs to make a splash, not just be another drop in the ocean. 

That’s where the right content distribution strategy helps. 

But which platforms should you use, and how do you make that decision? We’re here to help. We’ll walk you through everything you need to know to build a rock-solid distribution strategy — including which channels can make the most impact and how to choose the right distribution platform. 

Why is content distribution so important in B2B SaaS?

Oversaturated markets and competition for keywords can make it challenging for your brand’s voice to be heard. Effectively distributing your content is the answer. 

What is content distribution? Content distribution is where, when, and how you share and promote your content across platforms and marketing channels. This includes everything from deciding which social media platforms to use to deciphering how to make the most of your paid media channels. 

While repurposing your existing high-quality content to post across new platforms is a great distribution tactic, it isn’t a substitute for crafting an informed strategy that will shape your content from the first ideation. 

At the end of the day, content distribution matters to B2B SaaS companies because your money is on the line. The more impactful your distribution strategy is, the more ROI you’ll get from each piece of content. You’ll also be able to redistribute content, building a steady stream of organic growth while multiplying your returns. 

By putting the right piece of content in front of the right person at the right time, you’ll boost brand awareness, increase organic traffic, and convert more leads. 

What to consider when choosing how you distribute content

Tailoring your strategy to reach the right audience, staying within your team’s financial means, and honing in on your team’s existing strengths are pivotal to choosing how to share your content. 

Audience

You need to meet your target audience where they are. If you only post blog articles, but your target audience exclusively listens to podcasts, they won’t hear you. 

But before you panic: All content can be adjusted. 

Even if you’ve put all your eggs into one distribution channel basket, you can transform great content to redistribute more effectively. Blog posts can become podcast scripts, podcasts can become video content, and video content can be embedded in blog posts. It’s the circle of life. (Or, at least, the content flywheel.) 

Aligning your content with your target audience isn’t just a best practice — it’s critical to make sure you aren’t flushing your content budget down the drain. 

Content compatibility 

The type of content you and your team consistently create can impact where and how you share that content. 

Play to the strengths of your existing content marketing strategy to maximize the impact of your publishing efforts. If you regularly create short-form content, that translates well to social media and email marketing. X posts (formerly known as “tweets”) are, however, far too short to stand alone as an SEO blog post. 

Whichever medium you choose, ensure your content follows all best practices and user expectations. 

Remember: You can always reformat content down the line to facilitate better distribution. The most important thing is to know where your audience is and how to reach them. 

Analytics 

Not sure how to reach your ideal customer but feel like they spend a lot of time on TikTok? Do you think your email newsletters are working but don’t know how to tell?

Quit guessing how to market to your target audience and pair your content creation efforts with platforms that offer built-in metrics or integrate with robust analytics software. Then, you won’t have to rely purely on gut feelings when defining your marketing campaigns. 

Here are a few analytics tools to consider integrating into your content creation process. 

• SEO: Google Analytics, Ahrefs, Semrush
• Social Media: Buffer, Sprout Social, Hootsuite
• Email: HubSpot, Mailchimp, Campaign Monitor

Budget

Your marketing budget probably isn’t unlimited, no matter how much you’d like it to be. For your marketing efforts to be sustainable, your distribution strategy will need thoughtful curation. 

By understanding your ideal customer profile, you can prioritize channels that will result in the highest return on investment. This will be different for every company. Just because you see another company publishing heaps of video content doesn’t mean you have to start doing it, too. Focus on speaking directly to your target audience — not someone else’s. 

Creating content with long-term value that can be easily repurposed and redistributed keeps your budget aligned with your desired results. 

Types of content distribution channels

Every distribution channel is a little bit different, so it’s helpful to understand the ins and outs of each. The three primary buckets for distribution are owned channels, earned channels, and paid channels. Let’s take a closer look at each one. 

Owned channels

Any content that is fully under your jurisdiction qualifies as owned media. Two of the most effective and well-known owned marketing opportunities are search engines and social media channels. While you don’t actually own the search engine or the social media platform, you have full authority over the content posted on your domain or social media profile. 

Similarly, if you host a podcast, you might not have full discretion over the platforms you share it on — Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any other podcast players — but you have complete creative control over content, publishing timing, and audience targeting. 

Your website, blog, email list, podcast, and social media channels are critical foundational aspects of your online presence and vital content distribution tools for your strategy. They’re your most reliable source for conversions, help you reach the most targeted demographics, and offer the best real-time metrics for measuring efficacy. 

Earned channels

If you’ve ever been included in a round-up on someone else’s blog or social media, congratulations! You’ve used an earned media channel. 

When someone shares content you’ve created or promotes your business in their content without financial incentive, that’s an earned distribution channel. 

This kind of distribution is extraordinarily valuable for building industry credibility and brand awareness. In the same way you’re more likely to trust a recommendation from a close friend, potential customers are more likely to take notice when a third-party source recommends your product. 

At its core, earned media is about connections. The stronger your network, the more likely you are to earn crucial backlinks. Press release mentions, social sharing, and writing a guest post on another blogger’s site all qualify as earned media, and you can cultivate those opportunities by engaging with your community online. 

Paid channels

When you pay to boost the reach of your marketing efforts, that’s a paid channel. This includes pay-per-click advertising on Google or social media, like running a Facebook or Instagram ad, as well as any distribution channel that’s paid rather than organic. 

Partnering with other content creators to sponsor posts that promote your product is an increasingly popular distribution method. Through influencer marketing, you can provide discount codes for high-visibility figures to share with their audiences. Other paid channels include sponsoring live events like conferences or entering in paid partnerships with other SaaS products for dual visibility. 

How to select the content distribution channels that make sense for B2B SaaS content

To squeeze every last drop of benefit from your content, distribution matters. B2B SaaS companies need content that can drive high-value conversions, and how effectively you distribute content impacts your results. 

Align your goals with platform strengths

Before you commit to one platform over another, investigate which channels pair best with your marketing team's goals — and your business as a whole. The best content distribution platforms vary based on your desired outcome.

For brand awareness, focus on amping up long-form SEO content to rank higher on search engines and filling your social media accounts with valuable top-of-funnel content. If you want to generate more leads, connect with other businesses on LinkedIn and consider more in-depth content like white papers or webinars. 

If your team doesn’t have the expertise or bandwidth to make these choices, Ten Speed’s dedicated team of content experts can help. We have proven experience nurturing organic growth by intentionally mapping content to speak to customers right where they are in the buyer’s journey. Your future customers will appreciate finding your solution right when they need it. 

Leverage multi-channel content distribution strategies

Content promotion is simpler when you incorporate multi-channel content into your strategy. Every piece of new content your team makes needs to have a distribution plan. The more robust the plan, the more impact you can expect that content to make. 

The algorithms that dictate content distribution can be fickle creatures. Incorporating many publishing platforms into your distribution strategy can protect your content from dwindling returns based on shifts in online ecosystems. You’ll also broaden your overall reach, building a stronger and more diverse viewership. 

Test and optimize content all the time

You won’t always get it right the first time, and that’s okay. Testing new content strategies opens your eyes to what works and what doesn’t. Optimization is your new best friend.  It allows you to constantly iterate upon good ideas that may just need a slightly different execution.

When you partner with a digital marketing agency like Ten Speed that specializes in content for B2B SaaS companies, analytics inform strategies across each marketing channel. Over time, your content strategies will become more cohesive, effective, and targeted. You’ll spend your marketing budget where it matters so that you get the highest return on every dollar. 

Amplify your B2B SaaS content with Ten Speed

If your content isn’t getting the results you want, your distribution strategy is probably to blame. With the right diversification across distribution channels from social networks and search engines to guest blog posts and PPC ads, you can reach the right people every time you share content. 

When you work with Ten Speed, we’ll make sure your content has the reach it deserves. Our bespoke services tailor your content to your company’s specific needs so that you reach your ideal customer. 

Book a call with us to make the most of your content.