Importance of Content Syndication for Businesses

Let’s fire some people up People hate on Content Syndication. This is of course extrapolated from those deemed influential in the echo chamber of commerce: LinkedIn! But I’d like to lay out one strong reason why I believe content syndication, when done right, is actually an intelligent move for the right business and stage. First I would like to define how I look at syndicated content: It’s basically a long form ad on someone else’s website that faces your audience asking for some element of trust from the reader. If you’re using this kind of content to talk about your product - yeah just stop, please. But here is the main goal that I believe content syndication can help achieve: - Credibility and trust for both the author and the company. With the immense number of startups out in the market all competing for organic eyeballs in areas of their expertise, it becomes convoluted quickly. Organic traffic is also a long term game that can be risky if you don’t execute it perfectly at the right time. Syndicated content for these early stage companies can be a significantly cheaper and more effective way to get their brand in front of their market with a lot more context than an ad headline and a cta to download your guide vs. someone else’s (should they even decide to stop their scrolling addiction in platform 😜) You can elaborate on a topic you’re highly skilled in and leverage another medium’s active readership to help establish yourself in the market. Rather than trying to get subscribers to your content from ads, organic LinkedIn posts, etc. you’re basically paying to tap into existing communications that people are actively expecting to get. Plus you’ll get some strong backlinks and potential organic social chatter from it, contingent on one very necessary thing: - You leverage the right place where your audience actively exists and you say something worth reading. Now, should you ONLY rely on content syndication for this? No. Building credibility as a company requires a healthy mix of the right mediums and channels. When you’re building your reason for existing in the market (brand) in the early stages of the company, including this into your thought leadership and content strategies - I’d say - is a smart strategic play. But don’t simply throw it in the trash because someone with a ton of followers on LinkedIn told you that it’s bad. Isn’t that what got execs thinking they can and should tie ROI to every single activity? 😮 Maybe they didn’t do it right in the first place or stupidly tried to tie revenue to it and got their hand slapped. Know the behavior you’re trying to influence and the strategic opportunities within content syndication start to realize. ✌🏼 #contentmarketing #contentsyndication

Unpopular opinion: content syndication (or CPL programs, more broadly) should be part of your demand gen or inbound marketing mix. If I were a client-side CMO, I’d be investing 10-20% of my media budget into content syndication leads. “But the leads don’t convert” you say.  Correct. CPL programs don’t “convert” for two reasons: 1) CPL programs generate early-stage leads, almost exclusively, and so they need to be nurtured and educated over time before they’re likely to engage with sales; 2) CPL programs get a bad rap because too many companies see them as a guaranteed source of sales-ready leads, which they are not. Tip: stop handing off content syndication leads to your BDR team.  Here’s what I like about content syndication and CPL programs in general: * they’re a guaranteed source of “in-profile” leads (right person, right company) at a fixed cost. At a stretch, you could call them “intent-based” since they’re at a minimum expressing interest in the topic at hand. * you can ratchet the lead volume up or down, on demand. Need 100 more leads this month? Content syndication is your friend. * while everyone else is out there chasing demos and trials and hot leads, content syndication is one of the most cost-effective ways to build your database and reach potential buyers early in the sales cycle. You'll have a pool of leads that you can then nurture until they have a need, at which point they’ll close at a much higher rate because they already know your brand, your message, your solution, etc. Caveat: if you have no lead nurture strategy, ignore everything I just said. Content syndication without a well-designed, robust, multi-channel nurture program (one that lasts months, not just 2 weeks until you decide the leads aren’t going to convert) isn’t worth the investment. #contentsyndication #contentmarketing #cpl

Does your brand have a Content Syndication Strategy ♻? It is a routine thing in the world of entertainment where Production Studios regularly syndicate TV Shows to Broadcast Networks, Streamers, and VOD Providers (any “FRIENDS” fans out there?), but in the world of brand marketing – not so much.    That said, an increasing number of savvy brands who understand the value of #ContentMarketing have begun to take note. These brands know that if content is King 🤴, distribution is Queen 👸 and calls the shots. Here at PepsiCo our new Food Entertainment brand FLVR subscribes to this ethos and maximizes investment in original content by syndicating it across a variety of channels – increasing consumer reach and engagement along the way. Syndication is fast becoming a no-brainer, especially across social media channels where little to no content customization / adaptation may be required (i.e. X <--> Threads or TikTok <--> Reels / Shorts).   Our In-House Agency Team D3 at Frito-Lay has been experimenting with Strategic Content Syndication across the long tail to great success. Here are some of the key advantages we have realized:   1)  Increased Reach: By distributing our content to other platforms where it can easily be adapted, we've exposed our brands to a larger pool of potential consumers.   2)  Cost-Effective Marketing: Rather than always defaulting to creating new content from scratch, we strive to repurpose and redistribute existing content, reaching new audiences without incurring significant incremental costs. . 3)  Surround Sound Amplification: We leverage the combined effects of multiple channels working in tandem to amplify the impact of a particular piece of content. This also increases the odds of reaching our target audience in organic social across different touchpoints, increasing recall, and creating a more memorable interaction.   Have you experimented with content syndication? What benefits have your realized? How about downsides? Comment below! 👇   #Marketing #Advertising #SocialMedia #ContentStrategy