marketing is marketing!
Marketing professionals are in a unique position. In the midst of a massive shift towards social media campaigns and new technologies, experienced marketers are faced with the prospect of needing to wise up to the digital reality or ship out. But is this choice actually necessary? And is the new medium truly creating a different skill set for today’s marketers? Arguably not. Marketing is marketing, whether it comes in print, digital, or social form, the game is the same.
Marketing is Marketing
There’s been some talk among baby-boomer marketing professionals about the growing obsolescence of traditionally trained marketers. Boomers, who have been in the game for decades, fear that due to the generational gap between themselves and their customer, they are less likely to deliver quality advertising to their customers. Sure, the means of delivering the message may have changed, but when it comes down to it, marketing is still marketing. Advertising professionals are still tasked with clearly communicating the fundamental elements of their client’s brand to the best possible potential customer base. Can new technologies like social media help this cause? Perhaps. There are a number of wunderkid stories about the power of social media to energize customers to take action, however there are plenty of tales of the apathy inherent in digital interactions. New technologies can be powerful marketing tools when employed as part of a well-constructed, carefully analyzed marketing plan. Without a deep understanding of marketing practices and brand objectives to back them however, you’re simply not guaranteed any success for yourself or your client.
ROI Doesn’t Lie
It’s natural, and even good practice, to question your marketing methods and strategies as you move forward in your career. While considering the ever growing number of platforms at your disposal to spread your message, remember to employ trusted, tested metrics to ensure that your marketing strategies are actually effective. Before leaping into a massive social media campaign for fear of appearing “behind the times,” be sure to carefully consider the potential return on investment (ROI). Several splashy social media campaigns look great on the surface, but upon digging a bit deeper, the metrics simply don’t hold up. As with any marketing campaign, you’ll want to maximize on your ROI to ensure that your client’s dollars are going the distance to generate new customers and retain brand loyalists.
Diversify
It’s an exciting time to be a marketing professional. There are more and more chances in the workplace for cross-generational collaboration. These opportunities are ripe with the potential for battling egos and showmanship but may also lead to inspiring campaigns that shine greater than the sum of its parts. Generation Y has plenty to learn from the Boomers about the traditional marketing methods that have served the industry well for years, and Boomers would do well to get hip to the latest trends in the industry. Diverse, multi-platform strategies can maximize ROI if they are well-planned and enacted.
As with any campaign, the goal is the same: Understand your target audience, communicate your client’s brand, and maximize your ROI. Marketing is marketing. It’s just that simple.
(image:flickr)
the benefits of brand building via social media.
Because the use of social networking is on the rise, business owners are tapping into the benefits that this avenue of marketing has to offer. 50 percent of small business owners report that they gained their customers via social networks, the most popular ones being LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. Business owners are also using YouTube to reach both customers and prospects through means of video marketing and finding creative ways to get viewers interested in having discussions about the products and services that the business owners are offering. Larger sized companies also use social media to attract customers and build their brand. If you are unsure of the impact that social media marketing can have on you and your business, it is fitting to explore the three primary benefits of this type of marketing.
Recommendations that friends make promote brand loyalty and influences decisions to purchase your products and services. The more people who spread the word about your business, the more people will know about what you are offering, thus allowing big brand building to take place. So, it is important that you not only encourage activity from those on your friend’s list, you must also encourage your friends to get involved as well.
Sharing quality content, as well as other forms of social media, across a variety of social networks will provide you with an outstanding ROI because you can reach a multitude of potential customers far and wide. While there are several benefits to formulating target ad campaigns that will enable you to best reach your audience, you also want to take advantage of the free options that are available for spreading the word. Maximizing free options will allow you to keep costs down and have an even greater ROI, something that just about any business owner will find appealing.
Tools, such as like buttons, share buttons, fan pages and videos will allow you to not only facilitate branding awareness at no cost, these tools provide a means for enhancing public relations between you, your clients and prospective clients. Place like and share buttons on every page of your website as well as on your blog. Update your fan page with a variety of interesting content, such as videos, images, and articles. Taking these measures will undoubtedly contribute to building your brand and establishing a strong web presence.
Because social media is now a large part of many people’s lives, it is essential that you include social networks as part of your marketing strategy. Numerous individuals are using social networks to communicate with one another, and the amount of people using this form of communication will increase in the future. Since the number of people using social networks is expected to increase, you need to find creative ways to reach clients and prospective clients, as well as advertising and establishing your brand. When you take full advantage of what social media marketing has to offer, you will not only have the opportunity to enjoy the benefits that social media marketing has to offer, you will also have a genuine understanding of how social media marketing can have a positive impact on your business.
there is value when you keep the fun in it.
Not too long ago social media was a much simpler process for people. The social brand was first launched in 2003 with very little competition for social media usage. Today dozens of social networks are available for the individual to choose from, each with unique characteristics designed to coerce the user to utilize that service instead of another one. Since many people use more than one social network it can be cumbersome to effectively maintain all of them, particularly if the user has a business profile rather than a personal page. How can one best maintain multiple social mediums and not get burned out in the process?
A tad tricky from a business perspective since as a brand owner you want to publicize your site and advertise your content as much as possible. A branded social media profile that is too heavy on corporate posts could easily start being ignored by its Followers and Fans if the owner of that profile is not careful. Constant advertising gets old and could be seen by people online as a lack of personal care on the part of the brand.
Make an effort to create posts that keep the interest level of your audience high and limit your direct calls to action. An example for a business page for an apparel store could post the upcoming season’s fashion trends by sharing images of the new styles not yet available and engage their audience for feedback. Customers have an opportunity to preview the styles first may be more likely to make the purchase, especially if any call to action is minimal. Building the desire and giving the customer the feeling of worth by placing value on their opinion builds the trust. Another idea for content may be posting humorous stories or cartoons related to the service you offer, a fun way to keep your audience focused on your objective without being obtrusive in the process.
Remember that social media for you and your audience should be fun. Find the right balance between advertising and creating fun content in order to keep you and your audience happy, interested and engaged.
