So, 20 years ago, we concluded that the Internet was no longer a fad and that our company required a website. Then, 15 years ago, we concluded that social media was something we needed to pay attention to, and now we know that it is also an important part of our media mix.

We've been focusing on content and active involvement for the past five years.

It's not something you "want to have" - it's something you "need to have," just like the others. As a result, you've begun to re-engage storytellers, bloggers, community managers, and others in order to produce better, more interesting content.

All of these are excellent choices, and I commend you for embracing the present moment.

Acceptance leads to efficiency, which leads to a focus on the budget, and a focus on the budget leads to automation and streamlining services*. It should come as no surprise that many businesses, large and small, are turning to third-party content providers and services to fill their channels.

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You've finally realized that you need the content, but you don't have the time to create it yourself. It only makes sense to outsource it out.

You've been heard by the industry! And they're quickly creating conditions in which you'll be willing to pay for their services. So, let's have a look at a few of them and see what the benefits and drawbacks are:

Content creation firms

A content agency, like an advertising agency, should (but does not have to) collaborate with your present marketing plan to develop material for your social media channels, as you might expect.

Apps for designing in the cloud

So you've determined that you're not a graphic designer. However, you are aware that graphic design and photographs are required to boost your social media material.

"There's an app for that," says the narrator. Designers can be replaced in some circumstances, which is unfortunate but real.

Apps for creating content

Canva is a website where you may create your own designs. There are dozens of similar tools on the market.

However, I believe this one to be the greatest. You may easily construct items that can be shared throughout your social media channels using simple WYSIWYG formulas that use photos, text, and a variety of basic design tools.

Pros: If you don't have access to a graphic designer or a lot of free time, this is a good method to make dull postings more interesting.

Cons: When using these types of services on a regular basis, social media outlets are more than likely to get "a look." In terms of style, if you don't have enough variety in your design scenarios, your content stream will become mediocre.

Apps for making copies

PepperType, a machine learning internet application, is the most horrifying example. Why is it so eerie?

Because it is incredibly good at what it does. Do you require subject lines?

Simply type a few words related to the final aim, and you're done. There are numerous varieties.

Revise what would otherwise be plagiarized information – and there you have it. Refresh an old copy. Boom.

Pros: Does a fantastic job if you have a tiny crew and require a never-ending stream of content.

Cons: It takes the talents of building baseline thinking, just like everything else is meant to be mechanized. To put it another way, garbage in, garbage out. The better writer you are now, the better the results will be with the optionally built options.

Applications for curators and aggregators

Smart developers established settings where brands and essential material could go and have automated searches attract relevant interests to them as RSS feeds acquired prominence and then began to stagnate. These aggregated feeds are then published automatically to your social media platforms, giving the impression that you did the work and related it with your business and its interests.

Scoop.it and Paper.li — These are only a few of the aggregators available. Again, there is nothing wrong with employing them as long as they are not used as the primary foundation of your material.

These types of applications should be considered "filler," or Jello that fills in the gaps in your actual dialogue.

Advantages: These apps will search, develop, and distribute content from your brands on your behalf.

Cons: Anything done independently is done in a "out of sight, out of mind" manner, which often leads to the risk of withdrawing content that is in opposition with your brand.

Automated content creation

Content automation comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. A social media dashboard, such as HootSuite, HubSpot, or Sprout Social, is likely used by the vast majority of social media workers.

They may also employ enterprise-level technologies like Sprinklr in some circumstances. All of them are fantastic tools that serve as the foundation for social media and content marketing campaigns.

However, the goal of this post is to help you comprehend how these channels have become commoditized. In most cases, social media dashboards still necessitate a thorough understanding of what's going on with the material you're delivering.

IFTTT stands for "If This Then That," and it is one of the most powerful self-contained programs available on the Internet. This tool allows you to develop "recipes" that activate activities in response to a primary action on its own.

(Action "A") – Let's call this a Tweet – can result in (Action "B") the identical post being automatically published on Facebook. On the surface, this appears to be a very effective tool for assisting deployment efforts. Keep in mind that scissors are a fine tool unless you're sprinting and trip over them.

As a result, Uncle Ben says, "With great power comes great responsibility" (Spiderman)

Pros: Recipes allow you to produce, deploy, and schedule content independently, which saves time and improves efficiency.

Con: If you don't have a good grasp and respect for this tool, you can end up with redundancy in your distribution and look to be using one post to cover all channels. This strategy can harm a relationship with your community and have a negative impact on your business in the area of social media content marketing.

Commoditization is unavoidable in any industry. It can be a really good thing in many circumstances.

When it comes to content, keep in mind that the most effective move a marketer can make is to start with a solid set of goals and objectives, followed by a compelling story told in a unique setting.

*If your internal marketing departments already employ content creators, these services should be used as a "add-on" rather than a replacement. I'm not suggesting that you start lowering headcount as long as you have a productive workforce.

These tools can make your team more effective and allow them to focus on creating even more outstanding content if they are used correctly.

Thanks to Justice Mitchell at The Guardian whose reporting provided the original basis for this story.