Some people consider traditional marketing and internet marketing as too challenging. Wait till they try Social Media Marketing, which is like herding cats.
Facebook is now gaining more traffic compared to Google, while TripAdvisor reviews are influencing the decisions of millions of travelers each month. At last, Social Media marketing is having the upperhand as a way to reach and engage with customers.
In order to help you get a deeper understanding about this latest media phenomenon, it is best to break it down into something that is easier to digest.
Social – finding enjoyment in the company of others in a friendly and expressive way, which often comes with exchanging views on the same wave length
Media – a means to communicate (such as television, radio, newspapers, magazines) that has the ability to reach people and influence them
Marketing – what a company does to gain more customers and establish a relationship with them
Social Media Marketing aims to have companionship with customers that share common views and interests by means of social sites, in order to build a long-lasting relationship, which in turn gains more revenues.
Regular marketing can be thought of as a one-way street, where you can posts ads on a newspaper or television to let you deliver a message to targeted audience, but with limited ability to engage with your customers. You have control over majority of the mechanisms such as message, creative implementation and frequency, among others.
Keep in mind that Internet marketing enables you to efficiently deliver a message, which is tailored to your targeted audience and allows you as well to engage with your customers. You have control of the same abovementioned mechanisms.
On the other hand, social media is a 2-way platform that enables you to engage with your customers in different ways like a one-on-one basis or one-to-many. Still, it is comparable to herding cats since you have no control, and once you try to control it, you can possibly get scratched and bitten.
Social Media comes in a vast assortment of tools, resources and websites that range from the very popular and visible ones like Facebook and Twitter to the niche communities like Digg or StumbleUpon, of which each has their own touch and requires a distinctive flair. To achieve success, it would help to use a Social Media strategy, as well as a partner who can help in guiding and applying this element of your wide-ranging marketing plan.
What will work and how can you remain up-to-date?
To tell you honestly, it is actually hard. This is the reason why Social Media companies were created. These companies are experts and experienced in this field and have the resources to remain up to date with Social Media sites, tactics, strategies and trends. Moreover, they consolidate and incorporate them into Social Media programs modified to fit any business, no matter if we’re talking about small niche market segments or wide-ranging products and services.