Though social media can be a great way to seek out your old college roommate or swap photos and stories with friends, it can also be a powerful content marketing tool. We often confuse or use social media and content marketing synonymously when, in actuality, they’re distinctly different entities. But as social media consumption continues to grow, the proper use of its many platforms is one of the keys to being an effective content marketer. Social media is the way everyone, including your customers, interacts today. Utilizing social media for content marketing is a simple way to personally connect to a wide variety of consumers. By sharing content relevant to your business over Facebook, Twitter, etc., you are interacting with customers in a language that is familiar to them. Already comfortable in the environment of social media, consumers are more likely to see your content and engage in it.
It’s all about the appeal
Think about what you are drawn to on a friend’s Facebook page. What pulls you in? Most of us enjoy success stories, interesting photos and new ideas. These are the types of posts consumers want to interact with, often forgetting that they’re mingling with a company rather than a friend. Interesting and personalized information makes companies stand out from competitors. If your business is sharing cutting-edge information about your area of business rather than your specific business, social media users will feel as if they’re cared about and aren’t just being preached to. For example, a printing company might choose to share an unaffiliated article about the latest print design trends rather than forcing marketing of their latest company special.
Interact, Interact, Interact
But using social media for content marketing goes beyond the quality of a company’s posts. It’s great to find and share interesting and relevant content, but social media offers the unique opportunity to actually interact with your customers about that content. Instead of just throwing information at users, companies can really talk with customers, in effect, learning more about whom they’re marketing to. Asking consumers’ thoughts and opinions about your company posts makes consumers feel welcome and important, creating a positive perception and a reason for them to come back. Rather than using social media with the sole purpose of self-promotion, see it as a way to interact with your customers. Social media is a fantastic platform from which you can attract a customer’s interest without forcing a marketing message. Social media is an influential tool that, if used for content marketing correctly, can draw in consumers who have a loyalty to and appreciation for your company. See how Liberty Tax uses a variety of effective content marketing tactics on their Facebook page (look for their sharing of Groupon deals, having photo contests and offering advice and tips on secret tax credits.) 
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