It's tempting to take marketing cues from the most successful businesses, but most brands need to build something Fortune 500 companies already have: Name recognition among target customers.

Blogging is an essential content marketing strategy for brands to generate more awareness in today’s digital age – but what if your company already resonates with consumers and potential clients? Most Fortune 500 businesses have started to let their blogging efforts slip, as recent research by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Center for Marketing Research discovered. Only 31 percent of these top-tier brands maintain regular public-facing blogs. This is a huge mistake because it comes at a time when search engine optimization is putting more emphasis on high-quality content creation.

The study found that while blogging frequency had been increasing for corporate giants, it actually dropped by 3 percent since 2013. When the researchers digged deeper, it was revealed that industry-leading companies seem to be dedicating more time and resource to social media. The businesses studied were much more likely to use Twitter (83 percent), Facebook (80 percent), YouTube (67 percent) and even Pinterest (36 percent) than operate public-facing blogs.

Size matters in content marketing strategies

So does this mean companies can just drop their blogs and focus on Twitter if they become as large as businesses like Wal-Mart or Apple? The answer to that question lies in the fact that most Fortune 500 companies are already household names. In addition to the two already mentioned, the list includes brands like Exxon-Mobil, General Electric and CVS. With huge national brand presences, these companies may not be as focused on generating awareness as smaller companies. But they do need to stay in touch with customers to maintain the images they’ve built up. Hence the widespread adoption of social media.

So what can slightly smaller businesses do to make sure they’re even remotely as familiar as companies like Chevron or General Motors? Focus on their niche customer groups first, and then grow when they have a loyal customer base. It’s a mistake to target too many clients, too soon in an effort to grow.

Bottom line: don’t pursue a Fortune 500 content marketing strategy unless you’re in that group. Concentrate on branding and awareness, first and foremost, and use social media to supplement content marketing. Unless your business is a household name, there are always opportunities to reach more of your target audience with relevant information and interesting content.

Alex Butzbach is a Marketing Writer at Brafton. He studied Communications at Boston College, and after a brief stint teaching English in Japan, he entered the world of content marketing. When he isn't writing and researching, he can be found on a bike somewhere in Metro Boston.