Content makes or breaks social media.

Blog posts, articles, and books on social media seem quite overdone. There is a resource for any stage in the social media life cycle—from the first-time tweeter to the established expert. I’m certainly not going to offer anything that hasn’t already been said. But perhaps I’ll say something that will sound different or hit one of you at just the right time.

The agency I work for has recently contracted with another agency to build our presence in the social media world. (For the record, our expertise lies elsewhere. So to build momentum, it made more sense to bring in an outsider. In case you were wondering!) During our monthly status meeting the other day, we talked about the necessity of content in the realm of social media. We all overwhelmingly agreed that social media merely provides more distribution channels to disseminate content and a brand’s message. Without the brand’s story, news and updates, product information, thought leadership, etc., social media is like a blank print advertisement or a television commercial projecting a static white screen. To put it simply, a medium is only as good as the message put in it.

If you’re struggling with how to capitalize on the social media channels you’ve already created, consider these tips:

1. Evaluate your current efforts: Make sure the channels you’ve chosen fit with your brand. Facebook might not be necessary if your demographic is C-level executives.
2. Create a content calendar: Plan in advance. No plan = no content. Believe me, I know.
3. Keep content on brand: Know your brand’s story, and tell it consistently. Always bring it back to the brand in some form or fashion. Now, don’t equate this with redundancy. Just make sure any social media activity serves the greater good of the brand.
4. Develop good content: Joe Chernov, in an interview for Marketing Experiments Blog, says, “Good marketing isn’t going to turn bad content into a success.”
5. Exploit the advantages of each medium:
   • Your blog should house the bulk of your content, and this content should sell your brand and services in a slightly more direct way.
   • Flickr or YouTube accounts (if applicable) should offer an inside look into the world of your brand and the people behind the brand; a brand’s personality can really find a home with media like these.
   • LinkedIn company profiles should provide business/corporate data and job information.
   • Your Twitter account should work like a publicist. Every time something new is added to any of these mediums, it should be announced on Twitter.
   • And, lastly, Facebook should serve as the personal connection between your brand and your customer. Recent changes have made Facebook even more beneficial for creating and empowering brand ambassadors. Users selectively seek out brands and promote them as part of their identities—it is a quality unrivaled by other social media.

A couple of valuable links for more on social media:

• Characteristics of Highly Effective Social Media Campaigns via Social Media Today
• Why Web Content Matters from Sprout Content
• From Inc., How to Create a Social Media Strategy

(Graph illustration courtesy of: Eloqua)