Is social media a type of content or a channel? What is the future of Google+? Are companies using too many social channels or too few?
These were just a few of the questions debated during last week’s #CMWorld chat with Joe Chernov (@jchernov) and Joe Pulizzi (@joepulizzi). Read on to get the details of our discussion on these and other questions asked by CMI readers and Twitter followers. You can also view the highlights in the SlideShare below, or read the full transcript.Β
Should content come before social?
A1: Letβs start w/ a bang: Not only does content come 1st, but w/o it, the only real use case for social is customer support #CMWorld
β Joe Chernov (@jchernov) July 23, 2013
A1. Agree w @jchernov – without content what would you say in social that’s useful? Content strategy comes first! #CMWorld
β Ardath Albee (@ardath421) July 23, 2013
While the majority of participants agreed that content marketing should come before social media content, this view was certainly not unanimous:
A1: I think content marketing can help feed social media, but SM should also function on its own to build potential readership. #cmworld
β John Bonini (@Bonini84) July 23, 2013
@CMIContent At least social media listening and consumption first. Must research your audience/community before creating content. #cmworld
β Neil Horowitz (@njh287) July 23, 2013
A1 on the flipside, if you don’t have anyone to talk to in your #sm channels, it doesn’t matter how awesome your content is. π #CMworld
β Erika Heald (@SFerika) July 23, 2013
Should social media primarily be considered content or a channel?
As the discussion of priority continued, Joe Chernov made a strong assertion:
Everyone in #CMWorld chat that keeps saying “social is a form of content” β¦ that’s just not true. Social media is “media”, aka a CHANNEL.
β Joe Chernov (@jchernov) July 23, 2013
Many chat participants also subscribe to this view:
@jchernov It’s content distribution, not content itself. #CMWorld
β Brian Clark (@copyblogger) July 23, 2013
@copyblogger Correct. If social were a print magazine, it would be made of dead trees. It’s not the content itself. #cmworld
β Joe Pulizzi (@JoePulizzi) July 23, 2013
Sometimes social media activity and posts can *generate* content, but it’s not content in itself. #CMWorld
β Phaedra Hise (@HiPhaedra) July 23, 2013
Content once produced needs to be distributed. Social is one (great) way to do so. Agree w/@jchernov its not the same #CMWorld
β Jay Acunzo (@jay_zo) July 23, 2013
But not everyone was on the same page:
@jchernov @copyblogger late in to this convo so getting up to speed. There’s a case that social media is content and distribution #CMWorld
β Chris Herbert (@B2Bspecialist) July 23, 2013
Content comes before social. But in some ways, social can also be the content itself. #cmworld
β Bright Fox Media (@BrightFoxMedia) July 23, 2013
Q9] Content creation must be intricately combined with social media.Even social media comments are content! #CMworld
β HeidiCohen (@heidicohen) July 23, 2013
Are organizations on too many social platforms or too few?
There is no doubt that there are a lot of social channels to choose from, but are companies missing an opportunity to explore new channels, or are they already communicating in too many places to be effective in their social media content strategies? Our chat participants voiced their opinions on this question:
A3: Absolutely. When we do enterprise audits, recommendations are almost always that they need less channels, not more. #cmworld
β Joe Pulizzi (@JoePulizzi) July 23, 2013
A3: Focus on fewer channels…be consistent…distribute epic content…be THE information provider. #cmworld
β Joe Pulizzi (@JoePulizzi) July 23, 2013
How do you decide which social channels are best for your organization?
A2. You pick social platforms based on where your audience is – not for the shiny toy value π #CMWorld
β Ardath Albee (@ardath421) July 23, 2013
Like Ardath Albee stated above, it’s best to be active on the channels where your audience is. While our chat participants agreed with this, the question of how exactly to do this successfully is still up for debate:
A2: Start by placing bets (where do you think your prospects are). Then let the data inform future investments #CMWorld
β Joe Chernov (@jchernov) July 23, 2013
A2: As @njh287 mentioned earlier social listening is a crucial 1st step for content marketers. Reaserch platforms prior to engaging #CMWorld
β Lucas Miller (@lucasmillerwsu) July 23, 2013
A2: Identify goals. Then find which social channels your customers are hanging out at. We don’t need to be using every channel. #cmworld
β Joe Pulizzi (@JoePulizzi) July 23, 2013
Regardless of the channels you’ve decided work for your customers, Ardath Albee reminded everyone about the importance of customization:
A8. Content must be modified for different channels – different context, different purposes #cmworld
β Ardath Albee (@ardath421) July 23, 2013
What can you do to reduce the number of channels you participate in?
While simplifying your social media content strategy and/or reducing the number of channels you participate in sounds good in theory, it can be difficult to give up control of your brand conversation on the channels that aren’t a priority. However, our participants did offer some practical suggestions on how and why to make these sacrifices:
A3. If you can’t maintain channels you may as well close them. It can have a negative effect on your bottom line. #cmworld
β Kait Solomon (@KaitlinSolomon3) July 23, 2013
A3: Good use of few channels = better, but important to 1. secure usernames and 2. test/evaluate each. Then make yes/no #CMWorld
β Soundboard (@Soundboardit) July 23, 2013
A3 2/2: And if deciding to abandon a network, clearly say so & include links to where you’re active #CMWorld #nozombieprofiles
β Soundboard (@Soundboardit) July 23, 2013
Is Google+ undervalued or over-hyped?
When discussing what social channel is most undervalued (SlideShare, LinkedIn, and Twitter topped the list) Joe Pulizzi sparked a lively debate around the content marketing value of Google+:
Call me crazy, but I still think there is something to Google+. Over 350 million active users as of July. #cmworld
β Joe Pulizzi (@JoePulizzi) July 23, 2013
Although one person joked that was Joe crazy, many Twitter chat participants weighed in with their opinions on both sides of the issue:
@JoePulizzi How does Google+ define active? I honestly don’t know anyone who uses it beyond SEO. #CMWorld
β Sue Brady (@SueBrady) July 23, 2013
@suebrady New data shows Google+ is #2 social media platform globally. It’s linked to search & authorship. Also installed on Droid. #cmworld
β HeidiCohen (@heidicohen) July 23, 2013
@heidicohen I’ve seen that and find it puzzling. I’d love to hear about successful campaigns that use google+.#CMWorld
β Sue Brady (@SueBrady) July 23, 2013
@JoePulizzi Yes! Agreed x100. It must be remembered that G+ is part of a much bigger, 10-15 yr plan… #CMworld
β Jameson Brown (@JamesonGBrown) July 23, 2013
@SueBrady Here’s the article I just read on active Google+ users. http://t.co/zL0T7VNMh9 #cmworld
β Joe Pulizzi (@JoePulizzi) July 23, 2013
@JoePulizzi you’re crazy! =) It confuses me and not sure there’s a B2B play there. Open to challenges though! #cmworld
β Chris Herbert (@B2Bspecialist) July 23, 2013
Probably all marketers π RT @cmicontent @JoePulizzi: I still think there is something to Google+. Over 350M active users… #cmworld
β MCC (@MelClarkMkt) July 23, 2013
@B2Bspecialist I haven’t figured it out yet myself…but I have a gut feeling. Google has patience with +. It will pay off. #cmworld
β Joe Pulizzi (@JoePulizzi) July 23, 2013
@b2bspecialist @JoePulizzi I am really liking G+, not much convo but a wealth of information & content π #CMworld
β Brandie McCallum (@lttlewys) July 23, 2013
@JoePulizzi @B2Bspecialist I agree! I think companies would be smart to work G+ before their competitors. It’s a new audience! #cmworld
β Mike Hale (@MikeHale) July 23, 2013
How should companies organize around content and social?
Again, all of these ideas are valid, in theory. Yet, actually implementing a solid content and social media content strategy is not a straightforward process, especially in larger, more complex organizations. We asked participants if they have a separate social media person/team vs. a content marketing person/team:
A9: Everyone is *responsible* for content, but one person needs to be *accountable* for it! #CMWorld
β Joe Chernov (@jchernov) July 23, 2013
A9: social and content marketing are together at #xerox. #CMWorld
β Ken Ericson (@kenericson) July 23, 2013
A9. Companies that separate content marketing and social media teams have disconnects – saying so practically π #cmworld
β Ardath Albee (@ardath421) July 23, 2013
A9: Social media and online groups fall under the channel team, which works closely with the content team. #CMWorld
β Phaedra Hise (@HiPhaedra) July 23, 2013
A9 we have a content team and a social media/community manager that collaborate #CMworld
β Erika Heald (@SFerika) July 23, 2013
You have to empower employees if you expect them to share stories (aka content). #CMWorld
β Christoph Trappe (@CTrappe) July 23, 2013
“One person needs to be *accountable*” Disagree. Let go. Enable everyone to use #socialmedia and distribute content. #cmworld
β Andreas Ramos (@Andreas_Ramos) July 23, 2013
Not my idea, but great way to generate content: have each employee spend 2 hours writing posts on agreed topics every few months. #CMWorld
β Sue Brady (@SueBrady) July 23, 2013
Regardless of who you choose to manage your social media content, the general consensus is that these strategies should remain dynamic, to capture the latest trends and conversations:
A5. I think it’s changed in the last month. What people want to talk about changes all the time #cmworld
β Ardath Albee (@ardath421) July 23, 2013
What can content marketers do to improve with social media?
The last question posed to our chat participants was, “What is the top thing content marketers need to improve on or learn when it comes to social media?” The tips came pouring in:
A10: If your content is about you, regardless of how polished it is, ainβt nobody gonna share it. #CMWorld
β Joe Chernov (@jchernov) July 23, 2013
Q10: Focus. #cmworld.
β Andreas Ramos (@Andreas_Ramos) July 23, 2013
A10: Consistency. Most content programs are campaigns, set up for short term. Go the distance. Think Marathon, not sprint. #cmworld
β Joe Pulizzi (@JoePulizzi) July 23, 2013
A10: Considering the “reason to click.” There’s content overload out there. It’s all about how you present the content that matters #cmworld
β John Bonini (@Bonini84) July 23, 2013
A10. How to initiate a conversation their audience cares about – and then keep it going #cmworld
β Ardath Albee (@ardath421) July 23, 2013
A10- That there MUST be an integrated strategy to be effective. Also find your influencers and recognize their value #cmworld
β Kait Solomon (@KaitlinSolomon3) July 23, 2013
A10 spend time w/#sm channels your #content will appear in to make sure you’re maximizing what’s unique about them/their audience #CMworld
β Erika Heald (@SFerika) July 23, 2013
A10: How to turn engaging into buying. #CMWorld
β Michael Mooney (@MichaelMooneyy) July 23, 2013
To create content remind yourself to keep an eye out for good stories. There are many. #CMWorld
β Christoph Trappe (@CTrappe) July 23, 2013
@CMIContent 2 things: 1) Be participatory, comment on/share others’ content; 2) Never the underestimate value of 1-on-1 contact. #cmworld
β Neil Horowitz (@njh287) July 23, 2013
A10: Please the customer not your peers #CMWorld
β Sam Brennand (@SamBrennand) July 23, 2013
Join us for today’s #CMWorld chat about B2B content marketing with special guest Ardath Albee (@ardath421). And if you want more insight on social media and content marketing, join us for in-depth discussions on these topics, and many more, at Content Marketing World 2013.
Cover image via Bigstock