4 minute read.
Unsure which content format is right for you and your business? You aren’t alone! Many marketers grapple with where to focus their marketing efforts. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach, but an omnichannel content marketing strategy can effectively target consumers on their preferred platforms. If your budget is tight, you’ll want to be selective about which platforms you use. However, the beauty lies in that many of these platforms work together to mutually promote each other. I’ve compiled the pros and cons of blogs vs. social vs. email. It’s important to note that this doesn’t take paid marketing into account; that’s a whole different kettle of fish for another day.
Blogs
Pros of Blogs
Blogs are a great way to explore a topic that’s of interest to your audience. There are free blog sites available, making them of minimal cost to produce. Unpacking customer pain points and highlighting how your product or service is the solution they need is the root to success. However, they can’t be too salesy; otherwise, customers will see straight through them. No one wants to feel like they’re being advertised to, so they need to add value and any sales messages have to be subtle. The other upshot is once your customer is on your blog website; they’re in the right place to explore your products and services, resulting in potential leads or sales.
Cons of Blogs
Before you start a blog, you need to ensure you are uploading content regularly to keep it relevant and guarantee it’s being indexed by search engines. I recommend uploading content at least once a month. However, it is better to upload good content twice a month than to upload mediocre content once a week because you feel you ‘have to’. You’ll often hear that blogs are great for SEO, but in order for your blog to be successful, you’ll need a good SEO strategy in place. You’ll also need to consider how you can promote your blogs.
Social Media
Pros of Social Media
One of the main draws of social media marketing: it’s completely free. That’s right, you don’t have to spend any money to run organic social media campaigns on any platforms. And because it’s free, most customers will expect you to have a presence there. Think of social media as the shop front of your brand; it’s your opportunity to create brand awareness through campaigns that entertain, educate and inspire your audience. When done well, you can improve brand awareness, drive traffic to your website, and even increase leads and sales.
Cons of Social Media
63.9% of the global population are using social media. That’s a lot of people, which means your brand has a lot of competition. Before you start, you’ll need a social media strategy in place. Your social media strategy should align with your business goals and other marketing efforts. As well as needing a robust strategy, to stand out on social, you’ll need fantastic creative content. That can be tough for small businesses who don’t have the budget for content creators. There are some free tools that can help you. Stock images sites such as Pexels and Unsplash provide a good canvas for content. There’s also free asset editing software such as Canva, which has a host of templates and editing functions so you can make images and videos that can compete.
Emails
Pros of Emails
Emails are a fantastic way to connect with customers, as they have already shown an interest in your product or service by supplying you with their email address. In the biz, we refer to these customers as warm leads. Warm leads need to be nurtured to turn them into loyal customers, and that’s where your emails come in. There are also numerous free email newsletter platforms, such as Mail Chimp, depending on the quantity of your contacts and the amount of emails you send per month.
Cons of Emails
People get a lot of emails. Look at your own inbox and consider how many brands have emailed you today. The email you send to your customer needs to stand out from the crowd. You’ll need an engaging subject and by-line to hook your customers and encourage them to open it. Similarly to blogs, your newsletters need to provide value and shouldn’t be overtly salesy all the time. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with highlighting an offer or promotion, but your customers won’t want to feel like they’re constantly being marketed to. So consider ways to add value, such as an engaging blog that answers their pain points, and encourage them to open and click through.
Omnichannel Content Marketing Strategy
One of the best things about content marketing is that key channels such as blogs, social media, and emails work together. You can promote your blog via social media and newsletters, encourage your email contacts to follow you on social media, and more. So, it’s worth considering an omnichannel content marketing strategy when choosing which platforms you want your business to be active on.
Helen Northern | Content Marketing and Copywriting 