Social Media and Content Marketing: Intersections that Matter for Your Business

Photo Credit: Rawpixel.com

Social media and content marketing are two unique and different strategies that go-hand in-hand with one another. Last week’s posts explored and differentiated the two platforms, but understanding where they align and how they are connected is of equal importance within the realm of marketing and business growth. On entrepreneur.com, Carol Barash, writes that “Your brand is the accretion of these fleeting but memorable moments, when your company speaks to customers through the stories of our shared human experience. To succeed in social media, you need to maintain a cliché-free zone. Real people don’t respond to marketing lingo.” In other words, content marketing on social platforms accomplishes the job of advertising and publishing, but the actual process of being engaged on social media helps your audience and consumer base to feel as if there is a real person behind each tweet, post, and picture.

Another entrepreneur article highlights the crucial importance of listening. This is the first point Susan Gunelius makes in her article “10 Laws of Social Media Marketing,” where she writes, “Read your target audience's online content and join discussions to learn what's important to them.”

Social media intersects with content marketing in an amazing way in this particular space given that social media gives your brand the chance to have a two-way conversation with your consumer audience. While content marketing alone works to sell an item or product, social media has the power to intersect with the process of marketing to create a relational progression of selling – opening the door for your business to hear its consumers and listen to their advice and opinions.

On Curata, marketing consultant Pam Didner writes, “There are four elements that apply to both content marketing and social media marketing. To succeed in your content and social media marketing strategy, you must address them in both.” The four elements Didner discusses in her article are: objectives, buyers’ personas, product, and editorial plan:

1. Objectives, Didner explains, consist of developing and understanding your business and social media goals and then aligning them with one another. A few things your objectives should do? Didner writes:

- Help your audience understand the subject matter you specialize in

- Challenge the status quo on your subject

- Entertain your audience with content specific to them

- Educate your audience on new best practices and trends

- Convince your audience to buy your product

2. To describe buyers’ personas, Didner quotes HubSpot: “Buyer personas are fictional representations of your ideal customers. They are based on real data about customer demographics and online behavior, along with educated speculation about their personal histories, motivations, and concerns.” Creating a customer persona for your company helps to bring the reality of your consumer to a new light; potentially creating a new realm of understanding.

3. Product includes “priority, messaging and value propositions . . . Focus on messaging and value propositions that help your target audience drive your business goals . . . Understand how your buyer persona will benefit, and what the most compelling messaging for them is depending on their persona.” In other words, this addresses the why behind what you are offering – why should the target audience be invested? Why should they care? Furthermore, what specific problem is being addressed?

4. Finally, the fourth concept focuses on the develop of an editorial strategy: “Brainstorm content topics that align with the messaging you’ve just developed.” Once your vison is clear and your newly developed content is somewhat organized, a strategic content calendar and schedule helps to create a professional backdrop for your social media presence.

These four aspects of marketing and social media have the potential to play an important part in growing your business presence within your specific market.

Of course, it’s worth noting that the balance and unique blend of social media and content marketing can only offer real growth and success if it is built upon a strong sense of brand purpose and drive. On the topic of purpose, Forbes contributor William Craig writes, “To be successful and achieve something in this world, everyone must participate to create change and cultivate a sense of satisfaction and happiness. You can't do that without purpose. Encourage experiments and play to engage workers in projects and generating innovative ideas. Let them do their thing, and they will reward you with their developing talents.” In other words, there needs to be a deeper, underlying purpose beneath the successful intersection of social media and content marketing: understand and believe in your brand’s purpose and the reason for your content and then build your social platform and marketing strategy from there.

Ultimately, recognizing and building on the crucial relationship between social media and content marketing helps your business to thrive and grow in today’s digital age.