You Need a Content Marketing Strategy Before You Do Social Media

Are you scratching your head and asking, “What does content marketing have to do with social media?” If you are, then you need to read this post.

Social media marketing is not just about having a Facebook or Twitter page, you may have attempted both and are now becoming aware that this is something missing.

You see, the very essence of social media is sharing compelling and relevant information with friends, family, and associates.

To succeed in social media you have to have something to say

So, if social media is the vehicle for sharing and distributing interesting stories (content) then it should be pretty obvious that a good content strategy is imperative to social media marketing success.

The purpose of content strategy is to facilitate the consistent delivery of interesting stories. The end result is that you will attract and retain the attention of the targeted audience that you want to reach.

Since content marketing and its underlying strategy is to deliver relevant and valuable content in a consistent manner, then social media has its foundation in content marketing.

You wouldn’t prepare a pitch or product proposal for a full room of important clients without preparation … just showing up and “winging it.” That would be foolish. Such a meeting requires preparation. The same is true for social media marketing.

The reality is that many insurance agencies and small businesses do exactly that with their social media platform, they start a Facebook or Twitter account and start posting the first thing that comes to mind, without any thought or preparation for the message or the ultimate goal.

This is a waste of time, resources, and opportunity.

Social media marketing requires preparation.

The social media ecosphere is dynamic and active, preparation is invaluable. There’s a lot to do and a ton of conversations taking place. We have short attention spans, and with the velocity at which distraction occurs in social media, you need to know what you’re planning to say. It’s difficult to grab your audience’s attention, and equally difficult to retain it.

The social media ecosphere is replete with competitors, and not just those who sell your same products and services, but you’re fighting for attention with big tech, celebrity, faith organizations, politicians, and anyone else who thinks they have something interesting to say.

No can you see why content marketing and strategy is part of social media? Why it comes first? It is important to plan, and have that in place before you jump into a social media channel.

How do I develop a content strategy?

To develop a good content strategy you’ll need to think critically about a few things, ask yourself this:

• Do I have a niche, and should that be part of my content strategy, sure you’ll be representing yourself as your small business, brand, or insurance agency, but should you also include your specialty: eg Artisan Contactor Liability?
• Are there problems that my customers need to have solved? Ex: underinsured.
• Do I understand my customer well enough to know what type of content they like to consume? Video, blog, or podcast?
• How will I create this interesting content, and what will be my publishing frequency?
• What are my goals and how will I measure them?

And you better have a social media strategy too

Social media will allow you to deliver your content much faster than a blog, or a search engine strategy, so you do need to have a quality social media strategy. The good thing is that this doesn’t have to be too complicated. You shouldn’t need the assistance of a marketing “guru” to get your target results … assuming they remain realistic. As long as you are consistent with your content strategy, you should be able to achieve your desired outcome.

Here is what you’ll need to know, people behave differently online:

• They use different social platforms (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Digg);
• They consume and share different content (blogs, videos, podcasts, music);
• They will evaluate your brand based on the content you provide.
• When they share your content, they can influence others, who aren’t connected to your brand.

Social media can be a new marketplace, and present new opportunities

When your insurance agency or small business understands how social media works, and how people behave online, you can start to have a conversation directly with the consumer. Good marketers will be able to influence people’s perceptions of the brand or company.

Just think about this for a minute:

• Where are your customers online, and can you engage them in conversation?
• Listen to what is being said online, can you determine why is leading the conversation?
• How will you connect with the more influential people in social media, those who Malcolm Gladwell calls Mavens? Will this require you to have your own social media pages, will you have to comment on blogs or in forums? In what ways can you best use the platforms available to solicit a response from the community (eg. Surveys, comments)? Share whatever is going on in your offline world with your online community (pictures and videos).
• Can you create opportunities for guest posting on other blogs?
• Make sure to respond quickly to comments on your own blog.

Conclusion

Content marketing can stand on its own, but it’s enhanced by social media. Alternatively, social media marketing, being dependent on quality content, cannot survive without interesting, humorous, or inspiring content. When you are ready to jump into social media, you will need to create a plan for delivering and developing content on a consistent basis so you can attract and retain the attention of your prospects and customers.