DEAR ENTREPRENEUR,
A few decades ago, advertising was segmented into two areas: Above-the-line and below-the-line advertising.
Ad agencies fought tooth-and-nail to get above-the-line campaigns, as this included not only being super creative on a team to create TV, Print, and Radio ads, but it was also where the most revenue for the agency came from. It was no wonder that the term marketing and advertising was a “cut-throat” business to be in because agencies would steal, grab and kill for certain accounts.
Then, came Social Media and the world of advertising was turned upside down. Entrepreneurs now had the power to BE the media agency, such as a BBC or NBC or Morning Show. You as the entrepreneur now had the space to dictate WHAT content would be produced and what creativity it would put on display.
For entrepreneurs, Social Media is a huge gift, as it allows you to reach out to consumers on your own terms, which brings authenticity back into the sphere of marketing as you get to set the tone.
This doesn’t mean you have to BECOME an agency and not hire one, it just means that YOU have the credibility and opportunity to CREATE content for your business on Social Media. Obviously, the more creative, the better (NOTE: I didn’t say the more EXPENSIVE, I said the more CREATIVE – BIIIIIG Difference).
SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING AND MANAGEMENT
- Social Media Marketing helps you CREATE CONTENT for your marketing.
- Which helps you as a business DRIVE sales and BUILD communities.
- And the Content is what is MANAGED i.e. scheduled to social media platforms.
Don’t know the difference in social media marketing and management? Click here for a complete breakdown.
SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING IS WHAT BUILDS COMMUNITIES AND
drives sales towards your marketing funnel. Your funnel is what you use to measure your performance and analyse your ROI to evaluate if your investment into your content marketing is working.
So how do you create content that supports your marketing funnel and drives sales?
Creating content needs to be fun, simple and understandable, but it should not be created on a whim. Your content should always carry value and a great way to ensure that every piece of content will support your content marketing strategy is to base them on your content pillars.
CONTENT PILLARS:
A content pillar is what you will refer to when creating content in order to ensure that you are targeting your desired audience and reaching out to the right client.
Your content pillars can include, but are not limited to:
- About the company
- About the person behind the company
- Showcasing the company’s authority in the industry
- Highlighting your own accomplishments
- Services Offered
- Highlighting benefits
You then use each of these pillars and generate ideas from there for creating artworks, reels, writing blog posts, hosting a live and so much more. This helps you to continuously create content that is beneficial to your audience (which is why you’re on the platform in the first place)
It’s important to remember that you do not need to market to the MASSES, by marketing to everyone you’re marketing to no-one.
A FEW THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN CREATING CONTENT:
- Benefits
- Features
- Competition
- Your Purpose, Vision, Mission and Why
- Your personality, character and values
- Your Branding Essence
- Your tonality, humour and imagination
There are some great resources that offer templates to assist you with your content marketing. They’re great, but try not to depend on them too much. YOUR energy needs to be prevalent, and your content needs to reach out to your specific audience.
NOT SURE HOW TO REACH OUT TO YOUR AUDIENCE? WHY NOT USE MY FREE TARGET AUDIENCE TRAINING?
Now that we’ve covered the difference between Social Media Marketing and Management, where Content Marketing fits into the picture and how best to create it. Your next step is to take this knowledge and put it into action.
