Social media content management

 What is Social Media Content? 

Social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or YouTube, are now part of everyday life for thousands of people who use them to share photos of a vacation, or from a special event. Social media and its content also increasingly serve as a source of information, and have even replaced traditional media such as television or newspapers. Thus social media content can play an important role in a company’s overall content marketing strategy. Content on social media channels can have a considerable reach, and because of its close proximity to the user can often prove more effective than classic advertising. In certain circumstances, positive comments on social media can even boost Google rankings. However, social media content also follows its own rules, and therefore requires its own dedicated strategy.
The high degree of interaction is a special feature of social media – users can give direct feedback or comment on specific content by clicking on a “Like” button, or something similar. In addition, by sharing content, users can directly contribute to the spreading of content right across social media. In order to be successful on social media and thus profit from user ‘word of mouth’ promotion, content must be both high-quality and also carefully directed towards the chosen target group. Furthermore, the chosen platform must also be taken into consideration: A multi-page manual or a huge brochure should not be published via Twitter or Instagram, and a series of one-liners won’t look good on Facebook either.

Find the Right Words…Or the Right Pictures

Social media content offers companies numerous marketing possibilities. But how can you find the right strategy for your online presence on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram? Unfortunately, there is no clear answer to this question. Which social media content is appropriate for any company will always depend on the marketing purpose as well as upon the goods or services each company has to offer. Nevertheless, there are some tips which will make it easier to choose your strategy. The most important thing is to begin your social media content campaign by using some “tried and tested” formats, such as:

• Guides and instruction manuals
• Tests and expert opinions
• Brief news feeds about special events

The Next Step – Recruit Your Users

In principle, it is possible to publish social media content for marketing purposes with just a small degree of user interaction. Advice and tests can be shared and commented upon, but little else can be done with a video or with some posts.

The company’s online presence on Facebook, Instagram and Co. ultimately depends on such user interaction. So it’s essential to address users, increase their sense of loyalty, and at best make them brand owners who will become sufficiently convinced to gladly recommend the company and its products. Interactive content can play a useful role in achieving this purpose, and even small actions can have a great impact. A Facebook survey, for example, is an opportunity for a company to demonstrate that the customers’ opinions are important to them. The crucial point here is that the survey should not take long – after all, it’s the company that wants the information, and not vice versa! A prize raffle can work wonders in such circumstances.

Social media marketing in which users create the content has become a whole new marketing genre. This so-called user-generated content demands a particularly high degree of interaction because it primarily involves users rather than those who operate the respective media channels. Any potentially suitable platform really needs an active community of fans ready to devote some of their own leisure time. Alternatively, users can be encouraged to participate in competitions in return for prizes. Whether the competition is about naming a new product, or ideas for further new products is ultimately a secondary consideration, because the real goal is to recruit and integrate your customers and users. They will thus identify more closely with the company, as well as helping to improve the company image and therefore also increasing brand awareness.

Conclusion

The term “social media content” covers all types of content which is created or published on social media. By using social media content, companies are trying to reach users on a different and more personal level than is possible via Google AdWords or similar types of online marketing. Authentic content which is not created for purely marketing purposes can offer users real added value. Guides and posts on Facebook, an employee photo-story on Instagram, or regular tweets from the company’s founder or development department make the company appear more human and help to demonstrate their wish to engage with their customers. Content such as competitions, quizzes, and raffles encourage users to interact with the company and thus help to increase their loyalty to the brand.

Pros and Cons: Social Media Marketing

https://www.coursera.org/lecture/social-media-management/the-role-of-content-in-social-media-02O8n?utm_source=link&utm_medium=page_share&utm_content=vlp&utm_campaign=top_button