Sometimes they just come out together: content and social.

“We’ve got some really great content on social media right now,” we say. “So-and-So’s social is nailing their content,” we quip. I could go on.

But I think it’s important to quickly remember that content and social are not the same thing.

Content
Let’s start with content. Content can be defined a many ways. A popular definition comes from Nate Desmond’s “The Beginner’s Guide to Content Marketing” where he put it this way:

“Winning in content marketing relies on providing consistent, high-quality content that solves people’s problems.”

While I think that’s true, it’s important to note that these “problems” show up in a lot of different forms:

• Entertainment
• Education
• Inspiration
• Wants
• Needs
• Challenges
• Boredom

So content solves a problem (or part of one), it teaches, it entertain, it informs. That is to say, it’s valuable. The way I see it, content is branded media that carries this value all on its own.

Social
Let’s look at a tweet really quick to get a handle on the social side:

New this summer at the summit- Introducing the Dutch Waffle Sundae served at the Sky Haus Deli. Hike, tram or fly. pic.twitter.com/x0jOSMdlqY

— Jay Peak (@jaypeakresort) June 25, 2014

Now, in the context of our little discussion, the photo is the content. But if the photo is the content, what’s the social media? The distribution.

The big point I want to drive home today is that, just like email or print or sms, social media is a distribution channel.

Though a channel isn’t much good without a message (content) to send, the channel IS NOT the message. It can add meaning to the message (i.e., “the medium is the message“) but these two parts are, in fact, separate.

Think About Them Seperately
There is a ton of value in the small principle of thinking about your social media strategy not as one action but as two pieces.

What message do you want to send? What content can send that message? Which network will be best to deliver it? Maybe it’s Facebook, maybe it’s Instagram, maybe it’s your email newsletter, maybe it’s your website hero image, maybe it’s a combination of many.

Capiche?

About Gregg & SlopeFillers
I've had more first-time visitors lately, so adding a quick "about" section. I started SlopeFillers in 2010 with the simple goal of sharing great resort marketing strategies. Today I run marketing for resort ecommerce and CRM provider Inntopia, my home mountain is the lovely Nordic Valley, and my favorite marketing campaign remains the Ski Utah TV show that sold me on skiing as a kid in the 90s.