A marketing trend that continues to grow in popularity is the use of social channels to publish long-format content. (Translation: Using Facebook or LinkedIn to host your blog articles rather than, you know, a blog.)
As with anything new, there are pros and cons to this practice. We’re here to break down the details on each.
Facebook Notes: What are they?
Notes have been with us since 2006, and they originally served as an online space for self-deprecating surveys like the classic “25 random things about me” note that no one asked for, but we nonetheless received. (Editor’s note: Additional shoutout to MySpace bulletins. pc4pc.)
Fast-forward a decade later, and the Notes feature got a full facelift. The tool allows both individual Facebook users and business pages to create and share long-form content. Options available to the user include a cover image, format features and the ability to resize photos and embed content from other sources (Twitter, YouTube, etc.) similar to other content management systems.
After publishing the piece, the user can to share their note with anyone based on the level of privacy selected.
How do you use Notes?
Here’s how to access this feature from a business page:
- Select “Settings” on your Facebook page
- Select “Edit Page” followed by “Add a Tab”
- Select the “Note” option
- Go back to your page, and select “Notes” from the left-hand column
- From there, you have the ability to create Notes using Facebook’s interface
And here’s how to access this feature from a personal account:
- Select the “More” button on your Facebook page
- Select “Manage Sections”
- Select the “Note” option and save
- Go back to your page and select the “More” button again, and you’ll be able to select “Notes”
- From there, you have the ability to create Notes using Facebook’s interface
Okay, but LinkedIn articles. What are those?
LinkedIn has played with their long-form content tool called LinkedIn articles, and similar to Facebook Notes, the feature has an easy-to-use interface. While both tools are very similar in format, one key factor to note is that LinkedIn articles are available exclusively to LinkedIn individual users and are not an option for LinkedIn business pages.
The workaround?
While there isn’t an easy workaround for businesses, there is an effective long-term solution. Because long-form content cannot publish directly from the business page, this information needs to be published by the way of individual LinkedIn accounts.
What better way to engage and leverage your in-house experts than by asking select individuals to create and produce thought leadership pieces? Once those people publish their articles, the business page can share the piece to establish company-wide expertise, increase exposure and demonstrate the capabilities of employees.
How do you create a LinkedIn article?
LinkedIn makes it super-easy to create an article:
- Select “Write an article” on your LinkedIn homepage
- From there, you have the ability to create an article using LinkedIn’s interface
Pros and cons
We’ve reviewed the native long-form publishing tools on Facebook and LinkedIn, but where’s the catch? Does these features replace our current blog or complement it?
Here are the pros:
- Using Facebook or LinkedIn for blogging increases your visibility on both channels and increases engagement on your content
- The digital content consumption habits of users have shifted from websites to social networks, making blogging platforms like Facebook Notes and LinkedIn articles a logical addition to your content marketing
- LinkedIn’s blogging tool allows for increased exposure and credibility and helps establish your brand’s expertise
- Both Facebook Notes and LinkedIn articles have easy-to-use interfaces that allow for linking and embedding content
And the cons:
- These alternatives are not full-fledged blogging platforms, and you therefore cannot alter the theme of your page or categorize your posts
- Using Facebook Notes or LinkedIn articles does not drive traffic directly to your website the same way your business blog does
- Social media advertising features cannot be applied to Facebook Notes or LinkedIn articles
- You are at the mercy of the platform, meaning that if Facebook or LinkedIn remove their publishing features, you are at risk of losing your content
Final verdict
It depends.
If the goal of your content marketing is to drive traffic to your website, then this tactic can complement your business blog instead of replacing it.
If your goal is to keep users engaged on your social feed—or if you simply don’t have a website—then publishing content via Facebook Notes or LinkedIn articles is wonderful vehicle for your content marketing.
