It starts with the message
A strong media strategy is the basis to a strong social media strategy. I have been helping companies with the question "what should we talk about on social?" for years. It starts with your message. What do you care about? Why do you do what you do? For more on this, see see Simon Sinek. This needs to be the core of your content strategy, which is then the core of your media strategy, which is then the core of your social media strategy. In other words, it starts with your message -- everything else is about spreading the word.
So what should your message be, and how do you make marketing that people care about? I have my own definition, but by chance I recently encountered a marketing services agency called Captains of Industry. They provide a perspective that is totally bang on. Here is a truncated version from their homepage.
A strong media strategy is the basis to a strong social media strategy. I have been helping companies with the question "what should we talk about on social?" for years. It starts with your message. What do you care about? Why do you do what you do? For more on this, see see Simon Sinek. This needs to be the core of your content strategy, which is then the core of your media strategy, which is then the core of your social media strategy. In other words, it starts with your message -- everything else is about spreading the word.
So what should your message be, and how do you make marketing that people care about? I have my own definition, but by chance I recently encountered a marketing services agency called Captains of Industry. They provide a perspective that is totally bang on. Here is a truncated version from their homepage.
We believe that the cornerstone of traditional marketing — the idea of making people want stuff — has become increasingly irrelevant. So where does that leave a marketing services firm? Well, the mainstay of our work is just the opposite: make stuff that people want... The most successful marketing today responds in kind by providing valuable, entertaining and shareable content — material that educates, fosters intimacy, lays off the hard sell and never interrupts.
All media is social media
Social media is the grid, we are all on it, and we cannot escape it. Social is ubiquitous so don't relegate it to a separate department. When it comes to content marketing, you need people to communicate on behalf of your company, people to communicate on behalf of your customers, and people to make stuff your customers will love. The less teams you maintain to do this the better because that reduces the communication overhead. These campaigns were not originated in the "social marketing" department, but they definitely had an impact everywhere in the organization and with their customers.
Social media is the grid, we are all on it, and we cannot escape it. Social is ubiquitous so don't relegate it to a separate department. When it comes to content marketing, you need people to communicate on behalf of your company, people to communicate on behalf of your customers, and people to make stuff your customers will love. The less teams you maintain to do this the better because that reduces the communication overhead. These campaigns were not originated in the "social marketing" department, but they definitely had an impact everywhere in the organization and with their customers.
- Red Bull cares about extreme sports and high performance athletes, so they dropped a pilot from the stratosphere.
- Amazon cares about super efficient and stupid fast delivery, so they designed drones to deliver packages directly to your house.
- Tesla cares about sustainable locomotion for all, so they invented a better public transportation system and released their patents to the public.
- SOMA cares about proper hydration.
- Fernet cares about San Francisco because they know we drink more of their stuff than anyone else in the country.
- Notorious BIG cared about party & bullshit.
New technologies
There are many great new and innovative technologies that can help you with content marketing. I have listed some below that I am familiar with, but this is definitely not exhaustive. Do your own research before you buy.
HIRE WRITERS
http://www.iwriter.com/
http://scripted.com/
https://contently.com/
MANAGE CONTENT
http://percolate.com/
http://newscred.com/
http://www.skyword.com/
INFOGRAPHICS
http://piktochart.com/
http://infogr.am/
http://www.easel.ly/
http://visual.ly/
https://www.97thfloor.com/
http://infogr8.com/
SOCIAL MANAGEMENT
http://www.spredfast.com/
http://www.sprinklr.com/
http://www.tintup.com/
http://sproutsocial.com/
http://crowdbooster.com/
http://simplymeasured.com/
https://www.viralheat.com/
https://bufferapp.com/
Beyond the webpage
Content marketing starts with the message. The written word is the first step but obviously there can be much much more than that. It must be built for all media, not just social. Here's the thing... this isn't just marketing -- it's producing. To make stuff people want should be our primary imperative. Win hearts and minds and growth will follow.
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I'm @yes, say hi sometime
Images credits: zach, felix, chair
Content marketing starts with the message. The written word is the first step but obviously there can be much much more than that. It must be built for all media, not just social. Here's the thing... this isn't just marketing -- it's producing. To make stuff people want should be our primary imperative. Win hearts and minds and growth will follow.
##
I'm @yes, say hi sometime
Images credits: zach, felix, chair