Here’s the Difference Between Content Marketing and Social Media

What is the difference between content marketing and social media? And, with the burgeoning interest in the former, will the latter wane as a tactic or as a marketing term?
These were the questions posed to me by my very wise friend Jeff Cohen of the SocialMediaB2B blog. Jeff asked several other content/social thinkers and consultant-types to weigh in as well.
Here’s what I said:
Content marketing is a device used by companies to educate, inform or entertain customers or prospects by creating attention or causing behavior that results in leads, sales or advocacy. Social media is used by customers and prospects to communicate among themselves, and occasionally with companies. This communication can result in leads, sales or advocacy, but is often less structured and conversational, and can be reactive too, as social media is increasingly used as a customer support channel.

The goals of content marketing are consumption, then behavior. The goals of social media are participation, then behavior.

The confusing thing today is that as social media expands, brands need to create content to populate these channels. Further, many content repositories have rich social media overlays (the new G+ fueled comments on YouTube, for example) In no way will content marketing overtake social media in any corner of the universe with the possible exception of professional marketers.

Social media is the new telephone. Content marketing is the new brochure.

Social media envelops us like air. Content marketing is a place we (mostly marketers) can go visit, like a sparkling lake stocked with trout.