Social media marketing vs. content marketing – the difference

When developing a well thought out Online marketing strategy Marketing managers today can hardly ignore social media marketing and content marketing. These two strategies have proven themselves so well in recent years that it is difficult to Online-Marketing Mix However, there is sometimes a great lack of understanding regarding the differences and benefits of these two procedures.

In this blog post, we shed some light on the matter by contrasting, comparing and evaluating both approaches.

Social-Media-Marketing

With this instrument, the main focus of the activities is within the social networks themselvesAttention-grabbing content is published via various media channels. These serve as a direct mouthpiece to the customer. In this way, messages can be presented to the masses within a few seconds with just one click of the mouse. Which community you ultimately prefer to convey your messages to depends, among other things, on your previously defined goals and the target group.

It´s all about Content

Furthermore, information should be structured in such a way that it Harmony with the chosen platform Not every approach or every content is equally suitable for every social network. Short messages such as one-liners are predestined for portals such as Twitter or Instagram. On the other hand, if the posts are well researched and somewhat more detailed, Facebook could be your first choice. However, you should keep an eye on the timeliness of the posts. Games, quizzes, competitions or sponsored content can also be implemented wonderfully via this platform in order to increase the interaction rate of your ad and acquire additional target groups.

The following graphic provides some conclusions about the most relevant platforms for your business pull.

Accordingly, Facebookaccording to a survey by from 2020, a share of 59 percent when it comes to choosing a suitable social media platform. With a global user base of approx. 2.7 billion users This online service thus secures the lion’s share in this ranking.

The free online service Instagramthrough which users can share photos and videos, with 17 percent second place and has thus increasingly developed into a competing platform in recent years.

The world’s largest business portal LinkedIn achieved with a three percent lower share third place and is therefore becoming increasingly attractive in this area

The largest video platform in the world is YouTube and has around five percent in fourth place. It is increasingly being used as an advertising space by companies and enables them to publish free messages on their own behalf. Paid advertisements can also be placed via Google Ads.

The lower places are occupied by the communities Twitter, Pinterest and various messenger bots.

Characteristics and intentions

While content marketing is about information and the procurement of high-quality content and messages, this strategy serves as A mouthpiece for open communication and direct exchange. The focus is primarily on social networks, blogs and forums. The Building an active community Companies regularly write news in the form of their own blogs in order to attract the attention of interested parties.

Connecting the company’s website with social media also enables Addressing via other channelsIt would be conceivable and desirable that interested parties link high-quality data from the company’s own website on their own initiative and thus create a additional advertising effect is created.

You can find out more about our intentions here:

• Increasing attention
• Increasing the reach
• Maximizing awareness
• Building the image
• Dialogue between visitor and customer should arise
• Visitor or customer should become a multiplier for the company

Content-Marketing

Content marketing is increasingly seen as a Instrument for customer acquisition and is becoming increasingly important. Stricter Google guidelines make it more difficult to publish messages, as content can contain certain Quality features must have in order to be interesting and visible to the user. One characteristic is that it is limited to a website – the integration of social networks plays a subordinate role, but is also used.

particularities

In addition to storytelling, modern and content-related marketing covers many other formats and options to convince your visitors and take your own online presence to a higher level. Photos, videos, infographics or links are ideal and noticeably increase the quality of your messages. Content does not require any specifications, but is created in the tone of the respective network.

Other possible formats for improving the quality of your messages could be the following:

• Studies: These are ideal for Loosening up the advertising text. Image materials of any kind are ideal for making the text easier to read. To make the texts even more individual, we recommend that you create the graphical processing of the data yourself.
• Guest article: Partnerships between website operators in the form of affiliate marketing hardly play a role in modern content marketing these days. The link exchange is more likely to take place by posting guest articles, so that external authors can generate advertising for their own site.
• Instructions: To improve the quality of the texts, instead of lengthy product descriptions, Step-by-step instructionsInstructions or tutorials can be provided as text descriptions with images, explanatory videos or live chats/streams.
• Podcasts: A very great advertising impact Podcasts are a popular format in content marketing. Loyal listeners are regularly reached and provided with new information and tips. The format combines many of the advantages of the methods mentioned above and bundles them in a multimedia format. Instead of publishing guest articles, interviews with experienced and knowledgeable speakers can give your website a higher information content.

Goals

The objectives of content marketing are similar to those of social media marketing. The main focus is on Generation and distribution of high-quality content with real added value.

The bond between visitor and website and thus to the product should be strengthened, which ideally results in a Increasing traffic and conversion optimization This is not just about attracting new users. Existing users should also participate interactively in what is happening and contribute in the form of votes or surveys.

Qualitative and quantitative objectives such as information on the distribution of content on the Internet or the number of visitors serve as a guideline for the content strategy.

Comparison

The following table illustrates the functional areas of these two online marketing strategies. It is clear that both strategies have certain differences, but they are interrelated and closely linked. Social media channels need high-quality content to stay alive and ensure ongoing interaction with users.

Conclusion

Even though both online marketing strategies have similar intentions, they are two separate units with some overlapping featuresThe best way is to integrate both tools to promote individual media elements and the company. Content creation is, however, the basis of all further activities, since without content, no pages can be filled. Therefore, content marketing is often given greater importance. However, both variants have found their place in modern companies with corresponding marketing departments and are indispensable tools for information and communication.

Do you have any further questions about content marketing or social media marketing? Please contact us and arrange a free consultation with our content marketing agency.

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