# Category Compare: Content Marketing vs. Social Media Marketing | Capterra > We define and compare content marketing software vs. social media marketing software to help you determine which tool is the right one for your business. Source: https://www.capterra.com/resources/content-marketing-vs-social-media-marketing --- Social Media MarketingMarketing # Category Compare: Content Marketing vs. Social Media Marketing By Barkha Bali Barkha Bali Senior Writer Experience I’ve been writing for Capterra since August 2021, providing expert insights to help small and midsize businesses (SMBs) find the rig... [See bio & all articles](https://www.capterra.com/resources/author/bbali/) Published June 1, 2022 4 min read Table of Contents - [What is content marketing software?](#what-is-content-marketing-software) - [What is social media marketing software?](#what-is-social-media-marketing-software) - [What do they have in common?](#what-do-they-have-in-common) - [Content marketing software features](#content-marketing-software-features) - [Social media marketing software features](#social-media-marketing-software-features) - [Which tool is right for you?](#which-tool-is-right-for-you) - [5 top-rated content and social media marketing software](#5-top-rated-content-and-social-media-marketing-software) ## In this report, we define and compare content marketing software and social media marketing software to help you decide which one aligns with your business goals. Both [content marketing software](https://www.capterra.com/content-marketing-software/) and [social media marketing software](https://www.capterra.com/social-media-marketing-software/) are key elements of the digital marketing category. The two tools do have a lot of features in common, but their objectives and functions differ from each other. Content marketing software acts as a centralized platform for developing marketing strategies and creating, distributing, and managing content across channels such as social media, email lists, and blog posts. On the other hand, social media marketing software promotes a brand’s products and services directly through social media platforms in order to increase brand awareness and amplify lead generation. This report will identify the similarities and differences between the two software categories and help you select the right one for your business requirements. ## What is content marketing software? [Content marketing software](https://www.capterra.com/content-marketing-software/) automates the process of planning, creating, managing, distributing, publishing, and tracking content assets and marketing campaigns. It helps users collaborate on different content types (such as videos, e-books, blogs, infographics, and social media posts), share them across channels to reach new audiences, increase brand awareness, and improve lead generation. Content marketing software helps marketers focus on the quality of the published content and monitor its performance across the sales cycle. The software can combine digital marketing essential tools—such as content management systems (CMS), social media channels, social media management solutions, marketing automation tools, and content repositories—into a single platform to streamline content marketing. ## What is social media marketing software? [Social media marketing software](https://www.capterra.com/social-media-marketing-software/) helps marketers create and schedule social media posts, allowing them to share content across social media channels, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube. As a social media manager, you can use this tool to monitor your marketing efforts, measure the return on investment (ROI), and run social network campaigns. Social media marketing tools offer integrated email linked to multiple social accounts, thus creating a single platform for several simultaneous campaigns. A social media marketing system also strengthens your brand identity and improves customer engagement. ## What do they have in common? Content marketing and social media marketing work in conjunction to increase customer retention, brand awareness, and customer satisfaction. In terms of features, both content marketing and social media marketing software offer content management, post and publish scheduling, and reporting tools. Both software types are used by marketing teams to strategize, create, distribute, and manage content creation and performance. Social media marketing is a crucial part of content marketing. The purpose of content marketing is to gain subscribers to original content in order to increase leads. Social media is an excellent way of publishing and promoting your content. It is also a great way of communicating your brand message to the target audience and directing them to your website content. ## Content marketing software features ## Social media marketing software features ## Which tool is right for you? If you are looking for a centralized database for the entire marketing team to plan and execute the content marketing strategy, you can opt for content marketing software. It includes multi-channel campaign management, customizable templates, campaign analytics, and audience targeting. Since content marketing is all about running multiple content marketing campaigns across channels such as social media and websites, most content marketing tools integrate with social media apps to distribute and publish content online. However, if your business primarily focuses on social media marketing, you can opt for a dedicated social media advertising system. The software also offers automated publishing on social media platforms, post scheduling, content and contact management, and customer targeting. Once you’ve decided which software to use, head to our [content marketing software](https://www.capterra.com/content-marketing-software/) and [social media marketing software](https://www.capterra.com/social-media-marketing-software/) category pages where you can find a sortable list of products, software reviews from verified users, and comprehensive buyers guides. If you wish to narrow down your search to only the most popular and highest-rated solutions, visit Capterra’s Shortlist reports for the top [content marketing software](https://www.capterra.com/content-marketing-software/#shortlist) and [social media marketing software](https://www.capterra.com/social-media-marketing-software/#shortlist) tools—our reports are based on an analysis of thousands of user reviews. ## 5 top-rated content and social media marketing software These five products, listed in alphabetical order, are among the top rated in both software categories. #### Trial/Free Version - Free Trial - Free Version #### Device Compatibilty \* Analysis Accurate as of date of publication #### Trial/Free Version - Free Trial - Free Version #### Device Compatibilty \* Analysis Accurate as of date of publication #### Trial/Free Version - Free Trial - Free Version #### Device Compatibilty \* Analysis Accurate as of date of publication #### Trial/Free Version \* Analysis Accurate as of date of publication Error Could not fetch Product Information \* Analysis Accurate as of date of publication _Note: Reviews and ratings data in the product cards is as of May 10, 2022. New reviews may have been added since the publication of this article, so the reviews data in this piece may not reflect current conditions._ _The products in the category comparison images are examples to show a feature in context and are not intended as endorsements or recommendations by Capterra. They have been obtained from sources believed to be reliable at the time of publication._ * * * 1. Be listed under Capterra’s 2022 Shortlist reports for [content marketing](https://www.capterra.com/content-marketing-software/#shortlist) and [social media marketing software](https://www.capterra.com/social-media-marketing-software/#shortlist) software. Learn more about the Capterra Shortlist methodology [here](https://www.capterra.com/resources/research-methodologies/). 2. Meet our software market definition for content and social media marketing software: ## Capterra's 2026 Software Buying Trends Report ### Download our 2026 Software Buying Trends Report to see how successful software adopters avoid disappointment and how your business can, too. * * * Methodology To be included in the top-rated list, the products must: - **Content marketing:** _“Content marketing software automates the process of planning, creating, distributing, and publishing content via different channels, such as websites, podcasts, press releases, and social media. The content could be in the form of videos, e-books, blogs, infographics, social media posts, and more. Its goal is to promote and create awareness of a brand among the target audience.”_ - **Social media marketing:** _“Social media marketing software automates the creation, tracking, and management of online campaigns through social sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and more. This software helps with publishing coupons and promotions, as well as collecting customer response metrics.”_ * * * Looking for Marketing Automation software?Check out Capterra's list of the [best Marketing Automation software](https://www.capterra.com/marketing-automation-software/) solutions. ### Was this article helpful? * * * ## About the Author [### Barkha Bali](https://www.capterra.com/resources/author/bbali/) Barkha Bali is a writer at Capterra. She provides insights to help small and midsize businesses identify the right software for their needs by analyzing more than 550,000 Capterra user reviews and nearly 48,000 interactions between Capterra software advisors and buyers. ### RELATED READING - [Marketing ROI: Prioritizing Your Next Sales and Marketing CRM Investment](https://www.capterra.com/resources/marketing-roi-strategies/) - [How Integrating Email Automation With CRM Systems Boosts Customer Engagement](https://www.capterra.com/resources/integrating-email-automation-with-crm-systems/) - [How to Develop an Omnichannel Marketing Strategy for Customer Engagement](https://www.capterra.com/resources/crm-omnichannel-marketing-strategy/) - [CRM cloud vs. on-premise: Which is better for your business?](https://www.capterra.com/resources/crm-cloud-vs-on-premise/) - [CRM Data Management Explained: From Clean Data to Customer Insights](https://www.capterra.com/resources/crm-data-management/) - [Capterra Sales and Marketing Trends 2026: CRM and AI Adoption Requires Strategic Implementation and Integration](https://www.capterra.com/resources/sales-and-marketing-software-trends/) - [Email Marketing Trends: What SMBs Need To Know To Boost Campaign Performance](https://www.capterra.com/resources/email-marketing-trends/) - [Exploring Different Types of Video Content and Their Benefits](https://www.capterra.com/resources/types-of-video-content/) - [What Are the 8 Types of Digital Marketing?](https://www.capterra.com/resources/types-of-digital-marketing/)