Does Content Really Rule in Social Media?

 

 

Have you ever read a blog post that drew you in with its raw talent to draw a picture and tell a story?

 

Ann Handley’s ANNARCHY blog is one of those. She is a person who can write about the death of child or the phenomenon of Alpha and Beta moms with equal eloquence. She also has been at the helm of the Marketing Profs empire, which cranks out volumes of content every day.

 

When I heard that Ann was writing a book about how to create content, I was already sold, if only just to get a few crumbs of her insight. When I heard she would be joined by CC Chapman in this effort, I was doubly sold. CC is a long time podcaster and blogger known for his creative bent when it comes to creating content. He is a master of it.

 

At Zoetica, we pick a book every few months to give away. This month, we are giving away 5 copies of Content Rules.  We ask a question, answer it ourselves, then ask you to answer it on the official Zoetica blog (answers here don’t count). We pick what we consider to be the best answers from the contestants and we send you a book – it’s pretty easy stuff.

 

Answer the Question, Win the Book

 

The question we have chosen for you to answer on the official Zoetica blog came direct from Ann Handley:

 

"Can you have a social media strategy without a content strategy?"

 

At first glance it might seem that the answer to this would have to be, “yes.” What good is a blog or a social media account without content?

 

But plenty of people have succeeded in social media without any specific strategy of any kind. I would say that having a content strategy is not required, but it sure makes the process of participating in social media platforms less chaotic.

 

Moreover, there are all kinds of content: original writing, video, graphics and audio; curated content; Riffs of other people’s ideas, and much more.

 

The key is to have a plan that keeps you organized but which also has the flexibility to move with the online community that are reading and interacting with your content.

 

And that is the key. Content is not to make you sound great, or even to make you into a thought leader. Content is to inspire interaction of some kind.

 

CC’s and Ann’s approach to writing “killer” content, and connections are the end result. Here is one highlight from the book by a Kindle reader:

 

(@MarketingAndCo) shared:

Content drives conversations. Conversation engages your customers. Engaging with people is how your company will survive and thrive in this newly social world. In other words, online content is a powerful envoy for your business, with an ability to stir up interest, further engagement, and invite connection. And that's when things get interesting. 

 

So, what are you waiting for go to the Zoetica Blog, answer the question, read the book, become a killer content creator and master connector. You know you want to.

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Should Communicators Pay Attention to Google+? A Panel Filmed with G+ Hangout Feature

 

This past week, which most people were simply enjoying a long holiday weekend in the US, early adopters of social media have been enjoying Google's new social media play, meant to challenge Facebook - and to a lesser extent, Twitter, for dominance in social interaction.

 

And unlike Google Wave and Google Buzz before it, which largely failed out of the gate, Google+ seems to have more staying power. All of the people you expect are kicking its tires. Chris Brogan gives you 50 things to think about in Google+ and Robert Scoble explains why he thinks that the platform isn’t yet ready for yo’ mamma or yo’ Daddy (his words, not mine).

 

And already there are two leaderboards for Google+, Socialstatistics, and the more obviously named Circle Count. Currently, the CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, tops both of these lists. Oh, the irony.

 

But besides all of the chatter from social media insiders, and the scramble to get invited to what Google is calling a test, what does Google+ mean for public relations and marketing professionals?

 

In pursuit of that question, we pulled together a panel of five communications professionals to do a special For Immediate Release Plus edition on one of Google+’s most interesting features, the Huddle. The Huddle allows you to video conference with up to 10 people at once. The panelists on this video are Bryan Person (of LiveWorld), Lionel Menchaca (chief blogger for Dell, Direct2Dell), and Neville Hobson and Shel Holtz (FIR hosts), and myself, Kami Watson Huyse. It runs about 19 minutes and was edited a bit to tighten it up.

 

The video is a little jerky, so it also works well as a in-the-background podcast.  We talk about Google+ for brands, and share the form that Google provided last night for brands that want to experiment.

 

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