Social media marketing using technologies like Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace is the ‘hot’ trend everyone is talking (or should I say Tweeting?) about. Just like any marketing trend, a few organizations are doing a great job using these technologies, and many others are struggling to get it right. The reason they’re failing is simple: valuable content is the marketing “cake,” and social applications are just the icing on it.
Your customers are not going to visit your Facebook page or read your Tweets just because they’re there: you must offer something that engages and informs them.
What type of content can you use to drive customers to your social media? Your imagination is the limit, but consider these types of content as a starting point:
Case studies
Webinars
E-books
White papers and special reports
Informational articles
Podcasts or audio interviews
Blog posts
Teleconferences
Interactive customer experiences
Games and quizzes
As customers become more accustomed to ignoring advertising and other interruption marketing strategies, the most effective way to reach them is with content they want to experience.
For marketers, this means developing a content strategy comes first. Once you have content, social media becomes to a great tool to get that valuable content into the hands of your customers and prospects.
To determine what kind of content you should create, think about your audience. Young adult consumers will respond well to a fun game, contest or Facebook application. Business-to-business marketers would be interested in case studies from companies like theirs and interviews with industry thought leaders.
Once you have created the content your audience will really respond to, then take the next step and share it with social media.
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