12 top tips from global marketing expert, Ross Simmonds, that guarantee more people see your content

If you’re creating content, but not spending at least four times as long promoting it, you’re getting the balance wrong.

That was one of the key takeaways from the webinar we ran earlier this month with Ross Simmonds, author of Create Once, Distribute Forever.

In an insight-packed hour, Ross shared some of the key tactics you can use to promote and distribute your content. If you missed the webinar (or couldn’t scribble down his bright ideas quickly enough!), in this week’s blog, we’re bringing you a summary of Ross’s 12 best tips.

Once you’ve read our recap, click the link at the end to watch a recording of the webinar and pick out your favourite tips.

1. Understand the difference between creation and distribution

Ross emphasised the importance of distinguishing between content creation and distribution.

While creating high-quality content is essential, distributing that content effectively – so your target audience engages with it – is crucial. Ross said: “The distribution definition is the act of taking these assets that you’ve produced and putting them on channels where your audience is spending time.”

Of course, that means identifying the right channels of communication for your target audience. For example, email might work well with an older audience, whereas WhatsApp might be more useful for people in their 20s. Similarly, if you want to reach senior execs or professionals, LinkedIn is more appropriate than TikTok.

2. Think like an investor

Approach content like an investment, by seeing the leads you receive from effective distribution and promotion, as the dividend for investing in the creation of the asset.

Then, much like you’ll advise clients to invest for the long-term, the same applies to each asset you create. As Ross says: “create once, distribute forever”.

3. Adopt the 80/20 rule

In what’ll come as a reality check for many people, Ross believes you should spend 20% of your time creating content and 80% distributing it.

In our experience, most financial advisers, planners and business owners (including us!) get nowhere near that ratio.

4. If you have one, leverage your team

In multi-adviser/planner firms, involve your team in the distribution process. Use internal communication channels like Slack, Teams, or email to share content and encourage team members to react, comment, and share. This collective effort will significantly amplify your reach.

Ross advises, “Whenever a piece goes live, the team should view themselves as a unit. And that unit should have one goal: to help the entire firm win.”

5. Educate and empower your team

Ross explained some of the most effective ways to leverage your team.

He suggested hosting “lunch and learn” sessions or training workshops to educate your team on best practices for content sharing on social media.

Ross also explained how you can remove barriers and make it easier for team members to share your content by creating templated posts and graphics for them to use.

As Ross said: “Educate your team on how to use different channels, then empower them by giving tools and resources to make sharing your content easier.”

6. Overcome the fear of repetition

Don’t worry about repeating messages. Instead, you should proactively repeat messages.

That’s because not all your followers read every email you send or see every social media post you share. For example, only between 15%-20% of your connections on LinkedIn see every post you upload. Furthermore, as Ross explained: “The people that followed you in December 2021 are not the same people who follow you in July 2024.”

”Repetitio est mater studiorum” says the Latin proverb, which (for those people like myself who didn’t have a classical education) translates as “Repetition is the mother of learning”.

7. Share personal stories

Incorporate personal stories into your content to humanise your brand and connect with your audience on a deeper level.

Sharing your experiences, even if they are not directly related to financial advice/planning, can make you more relatable and build trust. Ross said: “Those types of things make you more human. And that’s okay. I think you should do that. I think it’s okay to be open and share that stuff with the community.”

To demonstrate the point, here are a couple of examples where I’ve followed Ross’ advice:

Bulletproof Entrepreneur Podcast with Alan Smith: Where I explained the valuable lessons losing a business taught me
From bullied to a sigh of relief, what my son’s homeschooling journey reveals about great websites: In this blog, I explained the story around my son’s education and what it teaches us about people’s journey to finding the right financial adviser/planner.

I’ve had fantastic feedback on both the podcast and the blog so, while getting more personal certainly pushed me out of my comfort zone, the reward (or dividend as Ross characterised it) has been worth it.

8. Build and “own” an email list

Ross believes that your website should be your home base. Use it to capture email addresses through valuable offers like guides or checklists.

Then regularly send out newsletters with a mix of educational content and subtle promotional messages. This helps nurture leads and keeps your existing audience engaged.

Unsurprisingly, we agree with Ross and we’ve previously written about why newsletters should be sent at least monthly, never quarterly.

9. Handle negative feedback with grace

The fear of criticism stops many advisers/planners from posting on social media and distributing their content.

Ross had some great advice here.

He believes that if you encounter negative comments or disagreements on social media, respond with kindness and humility. He went on to explain that because you’re on a public forum, respectfully addressing criticism builds your credibility and demonstrates your professionalism to other potential clients.

Ross said, “You kill them with kindness. You respond with complete empathy and humility.” That sounds like good advice to us!

10. Repurpose content across different formats

Repurpose your content into various formats to reach different segments of your audience.

For example, turn a blog post into:

A short video
An infographic
A podcast episode
A series of social media posts
An advert, editorial or advertorial
A more detailed guide or white paper.

This approach maximises the utility of a single piece of content and caters to the diverse preferences of your audience. Ross said: “The process for creation varies but, at the end of the day, it should start with insight around the audience that you’re looking to influence and then go through a journey of creating best-in-class content that educates, engages or entertains in that format for that channel.”

11. Consider paid promotion

While organic reach is important, don’t shy away from using paid promotion to boost your content’s visibility.

Platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and X offer targeted advertising options that can help you reach specific demographics and expand your audience. Ross said: “You can always use paid distribution to get additional reach immediately. I love organic, but I’m a big fan of paid as well.”

12. Collaborate with influencers, partners and connections

Partner with influencers or other professionals, such as accountants or solicitors, to co-create and distribute content. Such collaborations can introduce your content to their audience, increasing your reach and credibility.

In our experience, this option is often overlooked. That’s a massive missed opportunity, especially when most advisers/planners produce significantly more content than their counterparts in the legal or accountancy professions.

Hear more from Ross

If you’d like to watch the whole webinar (and we recommend you do), click here for the recording. We’d love to hear your thoughts.

When you’ve watched it, invest in a copy of Ross’ book, Create Once, Distribute Forever, which is packed full of practical hints and tips that’ll drive up your content dividend.