We small business owners often look up to large corporations with awe, often wondering “how on Earth can I compete with that?” Modern practices such as online and content marketing often compound the issue by seeming mysterious and unattainable, like internet alchemy.
But that isn’t always the case. Good content marketing comes from simplicity and planning, which is something you can achieve at any size. In my opinion, Hootsuite and Hubspot are fab examples of content and social marketing done right, so what can we little guys learn from these two giants? Let’s take a look at each in depth…
Hootsuite
Platforms they use: Blog, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, YouTube, Instagram
Hootsuite provide social media software, so obviously they’ve got the benefit of being in the know; but they do have a lot to teach us with regards to content marketing.
As a large and established company, Hootsuite are in the enviable position of having a lot of content already in place. They switch up posting times for the same content between platforms, so each platform has its own order and is unique from the others. This makes different content stand out on each platform, and gives each feed its own uniqueness. If you have the time or resources to plan different content to post to different social platforms at different times; it seems a lot less robotic and a lot more competent.
First Tip: Don’t post the same content to all of your platforms at the same dates and times if you can at all help it. Remember the different types of audience that each platform has, and the times they visit to decide which content gets which coverage on which platform and when.
This next tip comes more from Hootsuite’s Instagram and YouTube content, as well as the lighthearted approach of some of their blog posts. Don’t be afraid to use light, entertaining content, as long as it’s appropriate to your brand and industry. Hootsuite has a mascot, Owly, and they aren’t afraid to show him off. However they’re also aware that being serious is sometimes more appropriate, as evidenced by their different tone they take on LinkedIn; they refer to their brand more professionally whilst staying approachable.
Second Tip: Don’t be afraid to let your guard down and be a little relatable and lighthearted on the less professional platforms, but change your approach depending on what platform you are posting to.
Hubspot
Platforms they use: Blog, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, YouTube, Instagram
Hubspot is another online software company, whose tool help manage sales and customer relations. Their content is mainly based around marketing and sales.
Similarly to Hootsuite, Hubspot isn’t afraid to show their human side on their YouTube and Instagram accounts, but they do it in a slightly different way. Where Hootsuite uses humour, Hubspot shines a light on individual members of their team from around the world; showing off their daily routines and expertise.
Third Tip: You don’t have to get quite as up close and personal as Hubspot do, but don’t be afraid to champion your staff in your content. Prospects do usually like to see the friendly faces behind your brand, especially if those are the same faces who are going to be helping them directly, so if your team is cool with it, by all means consider it!
Moving over to Hubspot’s Twitter feed, they always post an eye-catching image alongside their tweets when they share a blog post, so the eye is naturally drawn to tweets about their articles. This is an important tip for social media – remember that people will always naturally gravitate towards visual content rather than text, regardless of how small.
Fourth Tip: Whenever you produce a piece of content with the intention of sharing it on social media at least once, always produce a suitable image for use on your various social media channels. Take a look Hubspot’s handy guide for the ideal image sizes for each platform.
Fifth Tip: This last, quick tip comes from Hubspot’s Facebook page. If you’re hoping to use video and have a decently sized Facebook following, don’t underestimate the power of posting your videos directly to Facebook. Facebook’s algorithm does slightly favour videos posted to its own platform over links posted from Youtube or Vimeo in the visibility stakes; meaning they’re more likely to show up in your followers’ feeds. You can also upload your video separately to your video platform of choice.
[bctt tweet=”What can @hubspot and @hootsuite teach us about content marketing? Let’s find out.”]
Do you think there are any lessons I’ve missed from these two content marketing giants? What companies are your favourite companies for content marketing inspiration? Let’s have a chat down in the comments!
