Only 16% of marketers use content syndication as a channel to distribute content, according to SEMrush.
Most content marketing teams rely on a multi-channel approach to promoting their assets, but when you’ve saturated your audience with your content, you may limit your demand generation results.
This is where content syndication marketing comes in handy.
What is content syndication in digital marketing?
Content syndication is a digital marketing strategy where existing digital content is republished across third-party websites or content syndication platforms for demand generation.
Content syndication can help you achieve many goals – from generating impressions and clicks, all the way to generating qualified leads.
Most syndication campaigns also run in tangent or within an ABM (account-based marketing campaign), a targeted marketing approach aimed at reaching specific accounts with carefully tailored content.
By republishing your content, you can:
- Promote your brand or message among a new target audience
- Capture intent data when that audience engages with a piece of content online
- Generate leads when that audience exchanges their contact data to access gated content
As you can see, access to a net-new, targeted audience is a key component of any content syndication strategy.
While it’s totally possible to syndicate content on external platforms you own – like a Medium account and your company’s LinkedIn profile (aka free content syndication) – it’s common to partner up with an external expert through content syndication services.
So how do these experts get the job done?
Content syndication vendors are able to get your content in front of new eyes by developing long-term, value-add relationships with a network of audiences.
For example, news sites have a following of readers, and syndication networks like ViB have a nurtured community of buyers who are there to discover new solutions.
With your targeting criteria, these third-party platforms and services simply republish your content.
More on content syndication platforms in a bit!
You’ve seen it happen time and again, you work with a team to develop a great piece of content but then realize that your audience is too small to have the impact you want.
That’s where content syndication marketing can come in.
Benefits of content syndication marketing
Does content syndication really matter?
Content marketing has always been a core component of any B2C or B2B marketing strategy.
But with our new generative AI wave and a maturing digital content creation market, the content battleground is, well, getting intense.
According to our recent B2B marketing trends report, 75% of B2B marketers say that content marketing is an important part of their marketing strategy.
The #1 trend we’re seeing this year is repurposing content too.
In other words, creating and promoting great content is becoming more important than ever.
At the same time, B2B marketing teams are saying that their biggest challenges this year are generating qualified leads with a good chance of converting, and also increasing the number of leads generated.
How can content syndication help us improve our lead generation results?
Why it’s worth investing in B2B content syndication:
1 — Save valuable in-house resources
Crafting and executing a successful content marketing strategy takes precious manpower and time. But by syndicating your existing content pieces, you can get more bang for your buck. One piece of content, multiple results!
2 — Generate qualified and targeted leads
Because you’re providing specific and relevant content to the right audience, leads that come in from content syndication sources tend to be more qualified.
3 — Build thought leadership
By promoting your content to a wide network of industry professionals, you gain a competitive edge and establish yourself as a trusted voice in your field.
And that’s just scratching the surface.
If you’re looking for more, we break down the top 10 benefits of B2B content syndication in detail too.
Content syndication examples
Blogs used to be the go-to option when syndicating content.
But now, any type of content can be easily syndicated.
Heres a few examples that are especially common for B2B lead generation.
Examples of content formats for content syndication:
- Blogs
- A tried and tested method to generate awareness, traffic or SEO. We like this approach because blogs are easy to create and republish – though they’re often more suited for branding objectives.
- Reports
- In-depth reports are excellent for sharing industry insights and research findings. When it’s substantiated with good data, reports do a great job at attracting more qualified prospects.
- Ebooks:
- If you have a comprehensive guide or highly-valuable resource, syndicating it as a gated ebook can help generate leads — because the content is compelling enough for prospects to trade in their contact info.
- Whitepapers:
- Similar to reports, whitepapers delve into a specific topic or problem, offering expert analysis and solutions.
- Webinars or videos:
- Educational and interactive, webinars can be syndicated to engage with your audience in a more dynamic way, and leaving a stronger impression of your brand.
- Infographics:
- Visuals like infographics help present complex information in a visually appealing manner, for easy sharing and understanding. Remember to fit in meaningful data or analysis too.
Have any of these assets on hand? If yes, half of the hard work is done!
And for more on content marketing and syndication, or just for some inspo on producing webinars, check out some of these on-demand events:
Up next, let’s look at how to republish your content.
What types of content syndication are there?
Content syndication comes in two forms: free and paid.
Many marketers ask, how much more effective is paid content syndication? What if my content already generates a decent amount of traffic?
According to Demand Marketing, content syndication marketing generates upwards of 3x more leads than traditional marketing.
And, the Harvard Business Review wrote that there’s on average, a “40% increase in willingness to purchase when a buyer receives content [tailored to their specific needs].”
Being competitive in an oversaturated market requires distributing personalized content at multiple touchpoints in the buyer’s journey.
The best way to do that? Paid content syndication.
Paid content syndication
Paid content syndication is a service where companies pay to have their content distributed across various platforms, reaching a wider audience.
It allows you to match your highest performing content with prospects outside your usual reach.
Paid B2B content syndication providers typically charge by Cost per Lead (CPL), Cost per Impression (CPM), or Cost per Click (CPC), depending on the approach they take to promote your content.
And getting started is simple.
All you need is the content asset you want to syndicate, and a good idea of the customer segments you want to target.
A dedicated content syndication vendor like ViB, delivers content to your target audience based on the ideal customer profiles you’ve outlined while creating your unified strategy.
So why is it important to consider a paid content syndication strategy?
Benefits of paid content syndication over the free option include:
1 — Precise targeting
Paid syndication partners usually provide networks of hundreds of thousands, if not millions of audiences, that are carefully segmented based on their demographics, firmographics and more.
2 — Guaranteed, valuable leads
Especially when you’re opting for a CPL (aka pay per lead) pricing model, you’ll be able to see verifiable results and the ability to directly measure your ROI.
3 — Scalable ROI
Database saturation and data decay are real challenges. By working with a vendor or platform with a network of audiences beyond your existing database, you’re able to continually get new audiences to the same piece of content, helping you create a framework for growth.
Free content syndication
The free model requires marketing teams to take a more DIY approach to distribute content to a new or larger audience.
What does this look like?
Free content syndication strategies
1 — Guest blogging on relevant industry websites
2 — Partnering with other brands for content collaborations or exchanges
3 — Promoting content to email lead lists
4 — Sharing content on social media platforms
5 — Participating in industry forums and discussion groups
However, there are some caveats to consider. Free content syndication can consume valuable time as your team sifts through email marketing lead lists, or works with B2B data providers.
A branch of syndication, digital PR, also involves pitching content to publications, and tailoring your content to fit their editorial requirements — since you’re offering content as a guest.
The main drawback with most of these publications is that whether they’re industry-specific or not, cast a wide net to have a large readership, meaning you may not be engaging with your target audience.
Additionally, when using free posting platforms like Reddit and Quora, teams might find that the sites are overcrowded with content, making it challenging to differentiate yourself from competitors and reach your desired target audience.
It’s crucial to recognize that free content syndication might lead to lower targeting potential and a less verifiable way of measuring success. While it can be a cost-effective approach, it’s essential to weigh the potential benefits against the investment of time and resources.
The expert’s take? 🧐
Include both paid and free content syndication strategies in your content marketing mix, so you balance out their pros and cons, and create more chances for success.
Especially when you have a pay-per-lead option, adjusting your budget for paid content syndication is much more flexible.
Content syndication platforms
Content syndication platforms are tools or solutions you can use to distribute your content to new online channels.
Such platforms are strategically designed to provide a comprehensive approach to demand lead generation.
Some of the most commonly used free syndication platforms are:
- ViB Syndication
- Taboola
- Medium
- Quora
Each platform is designed to communicate with audiences in different scopes, through different approaches as we teased about earlier.
➡️ Read about these platforms over on our guide on B2B content syndication platforms.
So how do you choose the right platform?
Well, there’s no one right answer, though there’s a structured way you can land on a perfect partner that works for your needs. We like to recommend going through this list of 5 questions:
5 questions to choose the best B2B content syndication provider
Q1 — What is their approach to content syndication?
Q2 — Who is their ideal reader, i.e. your ideal prospect?
Q3 — What is their fee structure?
Q4 — Do they have demonstrable results and success stories?
Q5 — Do they provide guaranteed content syndication leads?
💡 Head over to our blog on how to choose the best B2B content syndication services provider for your business for the full scoop.
Google's content syndication example
Let’s go through a content syndication example to show you the benefits you can get from making it an integral part of your content marketing strategy.
Google, previously Siemplify, was looking for vendors to approach content syndication. Unfortunately, not every vendor could deliver the results.
Out of the 15 content syndication vendors they tried, ViB was the only provider they’ve worked with who exceeded expectations, and was consistently working to improve performance.
With ViB Syndication, Google generated 4x more pipeline than any other provider they previously worked with.
“We use four content syndication providers per quarter. We always recycle at least one to two [underperforming] vendors. But in two years together, we haven’t experienced any audience exhaustion with ViB and we haven’t rejected a single lead in more than a year.”
Generate 4x more pipeline with content syndication
Google also invested in a B2B appointment setting service, ViB Appointments, and experienced tremendous success.
Of the first ten appointments the program generated, they earned eight meetings — six of which became opportunities.
🚀 While you’re here, check out another great content syndication customer story with Abnormal Security, where they generated $800K in monthly sales pipeline with ViB Syndication.
Planning a content syndication strategy
A well-thought-out content syndication strategy is the secret sauce you need.
Let’s walk through the key components in a syndication strategy and make it as smooth sailing as possible.
First things first, let’s define your goals. What are you looking to achieve through syndication? Are you aiming for increased brand exposure, or perhaps to generate MQLs?
Next, what kind of resources or timelines do you have? Think about the budget you want to allocate, and how your team will support the campaign.
Building on these considerations, who is your ideal target audience? Who do you want to reach and engage with?
Understanding your objectives, capabilities and audience is key to selecting the right syndication partners. Look for platforms or websites that attract the people you’re trying to connect with and have a solid reputation achieving the marketing objectives you have in mind.
Now, here comes the fun part – creating compelling content! Whether it’s articles, ebooks or videos, tailor your content to appeal to your target audience. Make it informative, engaging, and don’t forget to include a strong call-to-action to spur your readers into action.
Last but not least, tracking your results is crucial. Regularly analyze the performance of your syndicated content. Keep an eye on metrics like engagement, downloads, and lead-to-opportunity conversion rates to gauge the effectiveness of your efforts.
Get started with a trial offer
Remember, experimenting with different approaches can be part of the journey.
Crafting a thoughtful strategy with iteration in mind is key to optimize your efforts over time.
Content syndication best practices
Finally, here are some best practices to guide you when starting a content syndication strategy or choosing a syndication partner.
1 – Target audience is key
Use your buyer personas to detail out which leads you want to engage at multiple points throughout their buying journey. And when choosing a syndication partner, ensure their network consists of fully vetted professionals that are actively engaged and looking for solutions.
2 – Repurpose high-conversion content
Detail the highest converting pieces of content at different levels in your sales funnel and use those pieces to target users. The goal should always be to support users and provide value at every step of their customer journey.
3 – Measure your success
Does the partner you’re interested in provide insightful data? Access to metrics that paint a picture for your comprehensive content marketing strategy are invaluable. They’ll help you identify areas of improvement, engagement rates, and help you with social listening.
4 – Nurture your network
Once you’ve seen success, and you now have valuable leads, it’s important to develop a relationship with that buyer. With content syndication partners, you’ll have access to a network that’s already been built on trust, credibility, and professionalism.
Great content and high-converting, targeted leads deliver revolutionary growth.
Getting started with content syndication marketing
Whether you’re looking to accelerate your funnel or build brand credibility, affordable content syndication partners like ViB will help you reach your goals, save your budget, and improve your bottom line.
Chat with us for a personalized solution walkthrough, or get more specifications with the ViB Syndication datasheet.
