Content vs. Conversation: Is There A Clear Winner?

There is an ongoing debate, in this social media driven world ours, about the importance of content vs. conversation. People feel strongly about the topic and emotions run high when they defend their own personal stances. The debate is regarding the importance of content and conversation and which one is “king.” Ironically, both arguments admit the critical importance of the opposing view. 

Those who feel that content is king, argue that without good content, there is nothing to talk about. Those who feel that conversation is most important, acknowledge that it takes good content to spark conversation. So which one is king? Can there even be a "king" between these two disciplines? 

Content is King; it will bring conversation.

This side of the argument feels that content is what matters most; the rest will follow as long as the content is good enough. 

Michael Greenberg explains: “First, social marketing efforts need to be driven by content, not vice versa. Without content, there is not a whole lot to talk about. Developing content is not for the faint of heart. You have to constantly develop new ideas and think of new ways to keep your readers or viewers engaged. But think about the benefits. 

Most e-commerce marketers already know how to distribute information. Whether it is through Twitter, Facebook, e-mail, YouTube, press releases, your PR firm, or one of a dozen other channels, there are plenty of ways to get the message out. By making this minor change, thinking of social as purely another mechanism for distribution and taking one step back and viewing yourself as a content publisher, you can really take the best advantage of social marketing.”

Conversation is King; content is just something to talk about.

People on this side of the debate feel that the importance of conversation triumphs over that of content.

Catherine Novak explains: “Content without conversation is just broadcasting, or just advertising.  It goes to the listener/reader/viewer/visitor… and stops there.  If the sender is lucky, it may lodge as a piece of information in the receiver’s consciousness, and they may act on it someday.  If the sender is luckier, or perhaps more engaging, it may be something that the receiver wants to talk about. And then the message gets a whole new burst of energy. The energy behind the message is what gives it meaning, and a life of its own. That happens because we humans like to communicate with each other.”

My Opinion

Both content and conversation are equally important. Content is the first building block of successful social media; however the conversation is what brings social media to life. When producing a movie, the first building block is a screenplay. That screenplay needs to be powerful; it should evoke an emotional response from the actors who will bring it to life as well as from the audience, once it has been transformed into an active art by the actors. Conversation plays a similar role to that of the actors in this example. The actors bring the screenplay to life in the same way conversation brings content to life. If you spend all of your effort trying to create conversation around inadequate content, then the end result will be the same as a movie with great actors but a terrible screenplay. Either situation leads to a work of art that the audience is unable to relate to and simply doesn’t care much about.

Examples of Content Driving Conversation

Look no further than the internet for a funny picture of Grumpy Cat for lots of “likes” and conversation on the picture. On a more serious note, take videos and images from the recent devastating tornadoes in Oklahoma all over the web that has generated not just conversation, but monetary donations, physical help and even spurred more extreme weather chasers to get out there and risk their lives to capture more content in hopes of generating their own conversations. 

Wrapping it up

So with all of this being said; is there a clear winner in the content vs. conversation debate? The short answer is; no. They are two very important sides of the same coin and without each other’s counterpart, they both fail to thrive. Good content drives good conversation. Without content is there anything to converse about? And content without conversation; does anyone really care? It takes two to tango.