It’s easy to be presumptuous with social media. With so many tools and platforms at our disposal, it’s tempting for marketers to think, “Hey, we have stuff to say. Who in their right mind wouldn’t want to hear about this?” But, without a doubt, no one cares about your brand more than you do.

No matter the advocate, his or her world will never be as consumed with your brand as yours is. Why would it? They have jobs, families and countless other priorities that come before your brand, which likely ranks pretty high in terms of your priorities.

That is exactly why brands need to be more than just present. They need their presence to be valuable.

Mediocrity Rules the Web

The magic of social media is that anyone can have a voice. However, that means there’s a surplus of content and information out there. One can find the same thing in hundreds, maybe thousands of different places. This surplus of information means much of it is the same, making most of it mediocre at best.

Brands are in constant competition with mediocrity because there’s a constant struggle to break the mediocrity straps that tend to hold them back. Being mediocre may be fine for many, but brands are online to connect with their consumers. Consumer attention is fragmented. There’s too much great content on the Web to bother with some of the mediocrity brands produce.

The Value Test

The nagging question that always needs to be the crux of every brand’s content marketing strategy is: Are we providing value?

What’s the utility of the content you’re providing? What void are you filling? Maybe it’s education. Perhaps, your content is really funny and provides entertainment. There’s even value in taking customer feedback and turning it into real change and innovation based on their thoughts and concerns.

Sometimes brands don’t even need to be the creators of content. Instead, they’re the aggregators, bringing together content from around the Web that’s relevant to the brand and its consumers, making the brand a resource for value.

How would your customers react if your social media presence were to disappear tomorrow? Would they notice? Would they just go elsewhere? Or would they miss the value you brought to their online lives by providing relevant, interesting content and establishing a community of individuals like themselves whom they’re able to connect with day after day?