Content Marketing and Social Media

Since social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter made their debut in the last decade, many companies have adjusted their marketing mix to include them. Most companies can no longer thrive with a website as their only online tool. Unfortunately, there are many businesses that do not have the expertise or the resources to manage a social media presence. It is easy to think that these companies are the local mom-and-pop shops or other small businesses, but there are also multimillion dollar organizations that have not yet grasped the social media mindset. However, it should not matter whether a company is local or global, small or large, it should at least adopt a few social media platforms to assist with their content marketing efforts.


The familiar adage “content is king” is an important characteristic of social media use and content marketing. “Content marketing is more about the creation and distribution of content that attracts, acquires, and engages your customers and prospects” (Miller, 2014). Businesses that regularly update their websites, generate white papers, participate in speaker panels, conduct workshops, or publish print materials like brochures or magazines, are already producing content. By reusing some of the content of a white paper, for example, a business can adapt portions of it to create a special blog post, a short video demonstration, or a message post for Twitter or Facebook. The lesson to takeaway here is that "social marketing efforts need to be driven by content, not vice versa."

Some marketers disagree with the idea that content is what drives social marketing. Novak, for example, firmly believes that conversation is king and content is just something to talk about. The basis behind this idea is that the content being shared on social media needs to be interesting or engaging enough for people to want to comment on or share it. According to Novak "content without conversation is just broadcasting, or advertising." Either way, both arguments stress the importance of producing engaging and valuable content. Once a business has this content, they can begin integrating it across various marketing media, to include social media platforms.
 
One of the biggest challenges for companies with little to no resources or social media expertise is choosing the right social media platforms in which to engage. Levy recommends for companies to choose the social platform or platforms that will have the best potential of reaching their customers. AARP, the Association of American Retired Persons, is one such organization that has discovered Facebook to be the preferred social media site among their members. However, long before AARP learned this, they dabbled in social media without much knowledge of it. The national nonprofit has come a long way since then, and their story is a successful one.
 
AARP is a renowned membership organization that advocates Congress for issues concerning the well-being and financial health of their core membership, which consists of adults aged 50 and over. They started using social media in 2009, along with thousands of other organizations, by creating accounts on Facebook and Twitter. The intent was to broaden their communication and engagement efforts with their core membership audience and potential members.
 
According to Abramovich, in the beginning, AARP did not have a social media strategy or anyone devoted solely to practicing it. In 2010, the small social budget was spent on sending marketing staff to conferences to learn more about social media. Finally, in 2011:
 
AARP began to shape its social media strategy. It was experimenting, making mistakes, and learning from them. It realized that links, although somewhat “engaging” in terms of getting people to interact with a post, [were not] the best means of really making an impression on consumers. Videos and photos — anything visual — [had] been found to make a bigger impact in terms of interactions.
 
AARP also conducted research among their members in order to determine their level of comfort with technology, the Internet, and social media. Findings from the study showed "approximately one-quarter of all those 50 plus use social media websites (27%) with Facebook being by far the most popular (23%)."
 
Armed with this knowledge, AARP decided that social media was worth investing in and built its social strategy around content. In 2011, the organization hired a managing editor for the company blog, five community managers, and their first-ever social media chief.
 
Facebook, which has proven to be the most successful platform for AARP, is where they have their most extensive presence. Last year, AARP reported having 70 to 80 Facebook pages, which consist of individual pages for their 53 local offices, as well as specialty pages for members interested solely in advocacy or stories and news in Spanish. The primary AARP Facebook page has over 1 million likes.
 
Aside from Facebook, official AARP profiles and pages can be found on Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, Google+, Instagram, and Flickr. The organization even has their own Social Media Training Center on their website. The training center serves as a public resource for members and potential members to learn the basics of social media and blogging. Subject matter includes "Using Instagram to Share your Point of View" and "Learning How to Listen on Twitter.". There is even a link to a discussion group encouraging members to share what about texting, tweeting, Facebook, and other “new technology” is frustrating to them and why.
 
DeMers predicts that while investing time and resources into a social media strategy was a necessity in 2013, it will become a ‘must have’ in 2014. Even if a company does not have the resources or a set social strategy, they should make an attempt. Chances are, the company already has valuable content to share. They just need to find a few social sites where they can expand their reach and conversation. "It's hard to be on all platforms, so choose the three that best meet your needs and monitor ... them closely. Social media only works if you stay involved.” That is what AARP did, and they have seen their social success soar.