The Ghost of Vine Will Haunt Social Media Marketers Forever. It’s an ex-social media platform. Not even your carefully managed social media communities. The best social media and content marketers out there have big communities on all the major platforms, but their real strengths lie in the quality of their content output on their own blogs and websites. Of course, there are plenty of other examples, but the point is that if any of the social platforms they used for content distribution went under, their respective communities could still find their ways back to the sources of their favorite content. Think beyond social media to make a huge impact. And while great company blogs are perfect for branding and community building, there’s nothing like coverage in the mainstream media to really boost your company’s profile. Sign up for the service in order to pitch your insights to reports. Every now and then you’ll see a question that pertains to your expertise, and you may well earn some coverage if you can offer value to the reporter in question. Journalists also monitor super popular and up-to-the-minute sites like Hacker News.
As we all know by now, Vine is dead. Gone. It’s an ex-social media platform. Twitter’s recent move to retire the service was met by shock and anger on social networks, and there’s really nothing the 200 million monthly active users can do about it. Whether you shed a tear or jumped for joy, it certainly won’t be over in six seconds. And we will see the same thing happen over and over again.
In the ephemeral world of social media, Tweets are gobbled up, Facebook posts forgotten, Instagram photos fade, but your followers keep growing and your reach and brand becomes more powerful.
Nevertheless, the death (or imminent death) of promising media platforms like Vine, Google Plus, and Friendster underscore that nothing lasts forever. Not even your carefully managed social media communities.
So let’s take a look at how you can develop a strong public relations and content marketing strategy, without putting all your eggs in one digital basket.
Develop a following that will last.
As I just touched upon, the major problem with relying on external platforms to build your communities is that you have no control over how long they last. Followings of over ten million fans, gone with one swift pull of a plug.
The best social media and content marketers out there have big communities on all the major platforms, but their real strengths lie in the quality of their content output on their own blogs and websites.
Check out First Round Capital’s blog. It’s unexpectedly brilliant -- the advice is on point and the takeaways for readers are invaluable. Bplans, too, has a great blog focusing on a number of useful business topics, from SaaS business resources all the way to venture capital advice.
Hubspot is probably my favorite and is a also a fantastic example of a company with a regular stream of top notch social media and marketing advice. The company has earned a massive following as a result.
Of course, there are plenty of other examples, but the point is that if any of the social platforms they used for content distribution went under, their respective communities could still find their ways back to the sources of their favorite content.
Don’t spend all your time thinking of witty tweets, funny videos, or clever memes. Instead, invest your efforts in producing really valuable advice, consistent content and resources for your target audience -- and then put it somewhere you know will be there...
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