Converse Music, Social Media Spending Doubles, Hijacking Content

The Strategist picks the day’s most relevant and interesting stories about the world of content from around the web. Here’s what you should be reading today:

Converse is Creating Music-Focused Content

Content Marketing Institute’s Andrew Davis writes about Converse and how they are using music to drive sales of shoes.

Converse opened up a music studio in Brooklyn called Rubber Tracks and gives musicians the option of having their music promoted on the brand’s social media channels.

The company also produced Geek Out, a web series that “leverages Converse’s recording studio, and the staff that runs it, to showcase a new tip, trick, or tutorial designed to make your music production quality better. They’ve covered everything from recording great drum audio with only two mics to creating the perfect audio mix.”

Social Media Spending to Rise 

According to AdWeek and a report by BIA/Kelsey, social media advertising spending will rise to $9.2 billion per year by 2016.

That’s double what’s being spent this year. Native ads, which companies spent $1.53 billion on this year, will increase to $3.85 billion in 2016. The article states that “possible beneficiaries” from the increase in spending may include Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Tumblr, Foursquare, and Reddit.

Hijacking Content vs. Curating It

Business2Community’s Linda Dessau writes about the difference between hijacking content and curating content.

For example, posting an enticing headline to content that someone else wrote on a Twitter account is a bait-and-switch and will leave a brand with a bad reputation.

Curating means posting and commenting on content and giving the brand’s “two cents.” When curating, it’s necessary to source information/quotes and to read the entire piece of content before putting it out there on the brand’s network.

“Even if you’ve read the person’s work before, or it was recommended by someone you trust, make sure it’s something you truly want to endorse,” she says.

Simon & Schuster Venture Into Self-Publishing

Simon & Schuster has made an arrangement with a self-publishing company, Archway Publishing.

“Under the deal, writers can have their books published under the Archway name, and take advantage of such services as inclusion in an online catalog used by retailers, wholesalers and librarians; and video production to create trailers that can be distributed via Simon & Schuster’s syndication relationships with online video networks,” the WSJ’s Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg writes.

Social Media and Shopping

Digital platforms like Pinterest’s business tools, Amazon Pages, and LinkedIn’s company pages sure are coming in handy this holiday season, reports ClickZ’s Janice Diner.

Amazon Pages lets brands make customized landing pages for showcasing products as well as use Amazon Posts, “a social media dashboard that lets the business publish content to both Amazon Pages and to Facebook simultaneously.”

LinkedIn’s platform lets businesses show off their products and services in a separate tab, and Pinterest’s revamp includes “a few new buttons and widgets for business websites to get more engagement from pinners and drive traffic back to the website.”

Warren Buffett Believes in Newspapers

This year, Warren Buffett bought over 60 newspapers from General Media and is closing down one by the end of 2012, reports the New York Times.

Despite the closing of The News and Messenger in Manassas, Va., he still stands by print papers. He said, “I think newspapers in print form, in most of the cities and towns where they are present, will be here in 10 and 20 years.”

Tumblr Dedicating Page to Cole Haan

Tumblr dedicated a page to Cole Haan this week in the Spotlight section for Accessories.

The page “features photographs of fashionable urbanites on New York City subways,” Mashable reports. Tumblr is huge for fashion; 20 of its top 100 blogs focus on it.