Create Content and they will Come

Content is king in the world of social media. Albeit conversations surrounding content are just as important, maybe even more important at some point, but a company first needs compelling content to get the conversation started. To join a conversation, one must have a topic to discuss; otherwise, it might not continue. The same applies to online conversations.  In order to participate, there must be content to keep the dialogue going to reach your company’s goal (which is most likely to either sell a product or service). Content is king because it greatly affects other areas of the online space: reputation management; the opportunity to demonstrate thought leadership; and customer acquisition.

Reputation Management
Regardless of whether or not your brand is company is online involved with social conversations, others are already having them about your organization. A company might as well take charge and get involved by posting and sharing engaging content to “kick start” conversations (Weinberg, 2009, p. 17 ).  Additionally, you want to manage your reputation regarding any negative conversations and sharing the appropriate content can help demonstrate your expertise (Weinberg, 2009).

Thought Leadership
Thought leadership applies to business-to-business in regards to content and social media. As a business trying to market to other businesses, you want to flex your expertise whether it be through informative blog posts, white papers or ebooks. A business needs to promote their knowledge to gain more business and social media is a viable channel. However, it is important to share the right type of content with your audience. Otherwise, they might not feel that it is valuable enough to share with their network. As an organization, it is not appropriate to share pictures of a pet or post a joke (Gebauer, 2012).  According to Joe Pulizzi of the Content Marketing Institute, merely “pitching” is not an effective tactic.

In short, instead of pitching your products or services, you are delivering information
that makes your buyer more intelligent. The essence of this content strategy is the
belief that if we, as businesses, deliver consistent, ongoing valuable information to buyers,
they ultimately reward us with their business and loyalty (“Getting Started,” n.d.)

Customer Acquisition
Sixty six percent of blogs that post weekly have acquired a new customer and that number increases as the number of posts increases (“The 2012 State of Inbound Marketing,” 2012).

Source: “The 2012 State of Inbound Marketing.” (2012). HubSpot. Retrieved from http://www.hubspot.com/download-the-2012-state-of-inbound-marketing/

I believe that a company is only as good as the content it posts on their blog (if they have one). Customers can see through thin content that is aiming to score a sale. As quoted by Joe Pulizzi earlier in this post, delivering quality content breeds loyalty and I am an example. As an online marketer, I frequently download HubSpot’s ebooks, white papers and read their blog. I know that the company sells  inbound marketing software. HubSpot is taking the “content is king” approach by sharing their information via social channels and avoid bombarding its audience with a hard sell. If the need arises, which it might due to the nature of my profession, HubSpot would be one of my first vendors to call for this type of software. Since I utilize their information, it is natural for me to call on them if I need such a product.

In conclusion, content is king. Without content, companies would not have much to speak to in the social space. For example, HubSpot is active on different social channels such as Facebook, Twitter and the blogosphere. The company effectively leverages these channels by sharing their blog posts, webinars, ebooks and white papers.  HubSpot is not doing this as a kind gesture. They are doing this to build loyalty and credibility to increase sales.

References:

“The 2012 State of Inbound Marketing.” (2012). HubSpot. Retrieved from http://www.hubspot.com/download-the-2012-state-of-inbound-marketing/

Gebauer, S. (2012). 8 reasons why content is king in social media. Business 2 Community. Retrieved from http://www.business2community.com/social-media/8-reasons-why-content-is-king-in-social-media-0256277

Getting Started. (n.d.). Content Management Institute. Retrieved from http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/getting-started/

Weinberg, T. (2009). The new community rules: marketing on the social web. Sebastopol, California: O’Reilly Media Inc.