Content Creation is Equally Important on Every Platform

Only a few short years ago, content creation was unique to a certain kind of marketer. But now that content marketing (as opposed to just “content”) is the new king of digital media, everyone is a content creator by virtue of necessity. There’s really no way to market your business online without content to help you do it.

So, what does that mean for brands? According to Ted Nadeau, who managed digital content for major publishers like Hearst for over a decade, blogs and social networking are equally responsible for changing the game – and they both will continue to play a role in the success of brands for years to come.

“Millions of people are content producers now,” Nadeau told an audience at TNW Latin America 2012. “They have distribution, and they can make money.” He points out that the content these people produce is not necessarily limited to blogs. Now, he said, “People use their social network as a platform to make a name for themselves.”

Although Twitter is perhaps the most obvious platform on which profitable social media celebrities are made, Nadeau points to the subject matter expert potential that LinkedIn offers those who are promoting brands online. “LinkedIn has a large area for questions and answers. People who know about a topic can answer those questions, and people can follow those answerers…they have a reputation,” he said. Unlike blogs, Nadeau continued, LinkedIn “is not traditionally a publishing platform, but people are following it.” Becoming a subject matter expert is just one way that even novice content creators can drive interest to their brands.

Of course, marketers must craft their content carefully, even when it comes to short social media posts. “Some content is not so interesting,” Nadeau points out. “‘I had oatmeal for breakfast’ is not so interesting.” This is so true, isn’t it? Even when a post like that comes from a celebrity you obsess over, it just doesn’t pique your interest the way something funny, engaging or informative (about an interesting topic) does. And that is what all marketers must remember when it comes to their own content creation. There’s a fine line between being authentic and being a total bore; we all need to be careful about towing that line.

Content creation is the driving force behind all other factors affecting your online presence: SEO, link building, conversion. Remember the importance of content creation every time you produce something for your audience to read, from a 140 character tweet to a 400 word blog post. The stakes are too high to ignore it.