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Content Marketing vs Social Media Marketing: Which is Right for Your Business?

You should not limit yourself when it comes to marketing, you should take advantage of both content marketing and social media marketing.

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Written By Daena King

Apr 2023 / Reading Length: 5 minutes

Content Marketing vs Social Media Marketing
Home » Articles » Social » Content Marketing vs Social Media Marketing: Which is Right for Your Business?

You should not limit yourself when it comes to marketing, you should take advantage of both content marketing and social media marketing, but which one will have a bigger impact on your business. That depends on the business, the project and numerous other factors as well.

 

Since the rise of the internet in the late nineties and the dawn of Facebook in 2004, marketing your business online has become more important than ever before. With Consumer eCommerce accounting for 30% of the total retail market in the UK, it is clear that Brits are doing business online more than any generation prior.

 

As a business, to stay competitive, you must market online. But with marketing options as bountiful as the information available online, it can be hard to choose which format is the right one for your business. Should I put this in a Tweet or a blog post? Is that Tik Tok trend going to get us more revenue? What happened to tried and true campaign strategies?

 

Choosing between content marketing and social media marketing can be a headache, but it does not have to be.

 

In this article, we hope to shed some light on content marketing as well as social media marketing, their similarities and differences, and ultimately give you the tools needed to choose which marketing structure is best for you.

Content Marketing vs Social Media Marketing

Everything You Need to Know About Content Marketing

Though content marketing has evolved within a digital landscape, content marketing has existed since well before the 1800s. Content marketing is a unique marketing approach that focuses on generating and dispensing relevant and regular content geared toward a specific group of people, leading to their profitable actions as customers.

The Goal Of Content Marketing – Trust

Truly effective content breathes authenticity and garners consumer trust. Because it strives to be neutral in the way it presents information, it can coax potential customers into engaging with and potentially buying a product or service. This marketing method relies on a sustained building of trust as opposed to more traditional marketing methods, which can make potential buyers feel forced or coerced.

 

Because of the trust content marketing fosters with your clients, you save money while increasing your sales. Your customers are generally more likely to remain loyal, and the content itself can drive a profit (ex: a subscription to a monthly newsletter or Patreon).

 

The Varieties Of Content

Content marketing can be blogging, podcasts, video and email marketing, infographics, ebooks and white papers, webinars, or case studies. Some great examples of successful content marketing strategies include the following:

 

In 1895, John Deere released its first edition of The Furrow after realising that many of its customers, primarily farmers, lacked a reliable source of information as to farming tools and equipment, growth strategies, and other farming concerns. John Deere hoped to provide reliable and unbiased information on these topics in the format of a monthly journal. The result was a publication that garnered consumer trust, so much so that The Furrow lived on and continues to this day, now available online.

 

Like John Deere’s The Furrow, the other examples above showcase a brand that has identified its audience as well as its audience’s unique questions, concerns, and needs, then provided the solution.

 

If your company has a unique audience that is seeking answers and guidance in one specific area, building trust with content marketing may be the best marketing move for your business.

The Ins and Outs of Social Media Marketing

Similar to content marketing in that content is being distributed, social media marketing utilises social media platforms to increase brand awareness, generate sales, drive website traffic, or generate new leads.

 

With the average UK citizen spending two hours on social media per day in the 3rd quarter of 2022, it is no surprise that engaging with potential customers on social media has become a vital marketing tool. In addition to increasing brand awareness, driving website traffic, and generating sales or new leads, social media marketing also allows companies to engage with customers in real-time.

 

If you were born in or after the 90s, you likely are well-versed in the social media landscape, including platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok, and Pinterest. If you miss the days before the iPhone hit the market, you may be confused by or even averse to social media marketing, and we understand it can be a lot to grasp.

What Works On Social Media

What Works On Social Media

Social media platforms, like their many users, are not one-size-fits-all in terms of content. What performs tremendously well on TikTok may flop on Facebook and vice versa. A huge part of knowing which social media platforms to focus your marketing efforts on comes down to where your potential customers are most likely to be engaging. While it takes time as well as trial and error to understand the ins and outs of each of these applications, the results are worth your effort.

 

As we have already discussed, what strategies work well varies depending on the platform being used. Despite the variety of approaches, some examples of widely successful social media marketing include the following:

 

Wendy’s, a popular fast food restaurant in the US, has garnered a huge following on Twitter as a result of its cheeky, sometimes off-colour tweets.

 

Though Instagram has recently adjusted its interface to mimic that of TikTok, in Instagram’s prime as a mere photo-sharing application, Airbnb garnered brand recognition and awareness by sharing gorgeous photos of its various rental properties in exotic and serene locations.

 

Dr. Miami, a plastic surgeon based in Florida, takes a different approach, generating frequent Tik Tok videos with pop-culture and plastic surgery-related jokes underscored by popular audio files within the app. This strategy has earned him 2.5 million followers and hundreds of millions of likes.

 

Because social media is about generating an immediate reaction, social media marketing tends to better serve companies that are looking to grow by increasing brand awareness as opposed to more in-depth and niche-specific content marketing.

Content Marketing vs. Social Media Marketing

Content marketing hones in on one specific group of clients, while social media marketing takes big swings to garner brand awareness – but how else do they vary?

 

Social media marketing is in and of itself a form of content marketing. The difference lies in the variety of social media platforms, their shorter form in comparison to more traditional blogs, and their ability to connect you with a wider audience.

 

The format of content you share can be vastly different based on content marketing vs social media marketing, and even within the two unique umbrellas – though both are considered “social media,” content for Tik Tok and Twitter should not look identical. A good rule of thumb is that for content marketing, you will want to go for something valuable and thorough. Social media marketing is short-form, punchy, and immediately engaging.

 

To decide whether content marketing or social media marketing is right for you, it is vital to know what the ultimate goal of the specific marketing campaign is. If you are looking to build with slow growth a dedicated and loyal customer base over time, content marketing is the obvious choice. If you are looking to promote a once-in-a-lifetime sale that’s happening in a fortnight, social media marketing makes more sense. In summary, content marketing focuses on slow, long-term growth, whereas social media marketing is used for short-term campaigns and promotions.

Choosing The Right Platform For Social Media Marketing

Once you have determined the goal of your campaign, it’s time to hone in on which platform your potential customers are most likely to engage with. If you regularly post about your once-in-a-lifetime sale on Facebook, but all your ideal customers only use TikTok, then you’re in trouble. Taking the time to review the statistics of social media users within the UK may prove beneficial in choosing the right social media platform to engage with your customers.

 

As you can imagine, most businesses must utilise both forms of marketing over a calendar year to reach their full potential. While content marketing is a continuous and ongoing process to build customer loyalty, social media marketing is an excellent way to quickly hit short-term goals.

Which Marketing Strategy Is Best For My Business?

Though most businesses must engage with both of these styles of marketing at some point within their marketing year, which strategy is best for your business is often determined on a case-by-case, project-by-project basis. The best thing you can do is consistently be pursuing content marketing, then utilise social media marketing as smaller, short-term marketing goals arise.

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