What’s the Difference Between Social Media Marketing and Content Marketing?

The line between social media marketing and content marketing has blurred. The confusion happens because social media is used to distribute and amplify content marketing efforts. The difference lies in the objectives and strategy used to implement both.

Social Media Marketing

Conversation and engagement are the main objectives of social media marketing. Successful marketing efforts on social media are those that show people behind the business and brand that are willing to have a meaningful conversation with their audience – or at least entertain them.

Social media marketing efforts are confined to the behavior of the audiences within specific channels such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. The advantage is the extraordinary “reach” that exists on these social platforms, which can be instrumental in connecting with existing customers or cultivating new ones.

Content Marketing

Also referred to as a part of owned media, content marketing is a powerful marketing practice, which can be extended via social media and other channels such as email, the web and other digital launch points. The main goal of content marketing is to create meaningful and relevant information and present it within an array of formats such as video, podcasts, infographics, slideshows, e-books and white papers, webinars, to name a few. .

Organizations that integrate and orchestrate social media and content marketing as part of an overall strategy are more successful with engagement, conversions and lead generation. To get started, simply create an editorial calendar and visualize the content and channels that are amenable to your business. Get started, and make sure you commit to the plan as consistency is critical. After a few weeks the process will be part of your day-to-day operation.