And now for something a little different.
Here at Grammar Chic, we blog, tweet, and opine fairly regularly on topics related to content marketing, online copywriting, and social media management—so as you might imagine, we receive some interesting questions and provocative inquiries from time to time. Many of these questions are weirdly specific—like when you should use further versus farther, or what’s the plural for hypothesis—but many are more broadly interesting questions about the best strategies for digital marketing success.
Some of these questions come via Facebook or blog comments; others, by email or even directly from some of our clients. We hope these answers are informative. If so, we may even dip into the ol’ mailbag again, sooner or later…
With that said… on to our first question:
Hi, Grammar Chick! (Is that how you pronounce it?) You guys talk all the time about content marketing, and how social media is an important component of it—but do your content marketing strategies ever encompass paid posts, sponsored tweets, etc? Sincerely, Jason
Thanks for the letter, Jason—and actually, it’s pronounced like sheik. But as for your main question: We’re big believers in organic content development—meaning that you need to grow your number of social media followers not simply by writing big checks to Facebook and to Twitter, but rather by providing them with content that keeps them engaged. Paid ads are not without their place, and can be great for jacking up those numbers and boosting your visibility on key social platforms—but if you’re not coupling them with really engaging content, the kind that turns social media followers into true brand advocates, then you’re not really getting your money’s worth.
The short answer: We’d be lying if we said we never considered paid posts, but it’s by no means a major component in our content marketing strategy.
On to another…
Hi, Grammar Chic team. I get what you guys are saying about the need for regular social media updates—but so long as I’m posting interesting articles or cute photos, I don’t really need to have my own blog, do I? I mean, isn’t that a little much? Yours truly, Sylvia
We get this question all the time, Sylvia, from blogging skeptics—and in fact, it was basically the impetus for our popular Netflix-themed blog from a couple months ago. Truthfully, though, we recommend blogging to virtually all our content marketing clients. The blog is your avenue for posting truly original, distinct content; without it, you’re not a content creator so much as a curator. While curating content has its place, users will eventually realize that you’re not offering them anything they can’t get elsewhere, making a blog necessary for sustaining long-term interest and loyalty.
Another reach into the mailbag:
Thank you, Grammar Chic, for handling my content marketing needs. I look forward to seeing the results—probably by first thing tomorrow morning, right? Respectfully, Jim
Well, not exactly, Jim. While our content marketing team does move pretty fast, and will likely start work on your campaign within 24-48 hours, if not sooner, we urge you to remember that content marketing is all about building relationships—and that doesn’t happen over night. Content marketing requires an investment over the long haul; you need to have the right expectations, rather than assuming this process will work overnight magic.
That about does it for today’s Grammar Chic mailbag. If you’d like us to address any particular question or issue in a future post, we invite you to contact us today: Call 803-831-7444, or visit http://www.grammarchic.net.
The Red Ink 