Content Is King

Content Is King

It’s that time of year – assessing progress made in 2010 and setting goals for 2011. Social media is one of the hottest trends for both the private sector – businesses – and the public sector – cities, government agencies and the like. I have been receiving lots of invitations for social media seminars and webinars, targeting either the private or the public sector.

The content of the social media seminars covers platforms, strategy, monitoring, measurement and policy issues. The one topic that is not discussed is content creation, or content building. Although establishing social media channels and joining networks are free, at the end of the day, time and money must be spent to develop content, and monitor the conversation. And that is the point at which many private and public sector organizations realize that some expertise is necessary.

All of the social media policies, platforms, procedures and measurements are important to identify and establish, but it is also critical to recognize that the engine driving your social media program is content. Quality content is not something that can be developed quickly and cheaply on a regular basis, and requires a dedicated individual. Of course, the question of whether your social media team should be in-house or outsourced is a topic for another blog post.