subject: 9 Reasons Why a Business Should Not Keep Its Entire Social Marketing Efforts Online [print this page] I like to say that I am a social media enthusiast (just ask anyone in the office). However, I am well aware of what social media can and can't do for a company's online marketing strategy. I have always advocated that the best new marketing strategy for a business is to 'pick n mix' - that is to choose a combination of online and traditional marketing techniques to maximise return on investment (ROI).
Social media marketing is a blessing in disguise for conventional marketing as it's another tool in the marketing box that can compliment traditional methods rather than replace them. With new social media opportunities opening up, it is vital that business understands how they can employ the two 'styles' in any given campaign.
Here are the top 9 reasons why a business should not keep its entire social marketing efforts online and focus on utilising a hybrid marketing strategy:
Not everybody is online
Though it's fair to say that we live in the age of Web 2.0 and the Internet revolution has truly arrived, it's equally true that not everybody accesses the internet. In fact, less than 30%* of world's overall population has access to the Internet. Therefore, conventional social marketing techniques are required to reach out to customers who do not access the Internet.
Can miss the broader audience
Online marketing can seldom match print, TV and other traditional marketing strategies when it comes to reaching out to people from various walks of life. When a consumer goes online, the are making targeted searches and already know what they are looking for, so you are missing out on the lucrative impulse buyers market. Traditional marketing techniques are capable of spreading brand awareness on a larger scale.
Brand awareness will suffer
In order to get maximum brand awareness a business needs to adopt an approach that combines the best of both worlds - traditional marketing and online marketing (using social media). If either of the two is missing, your business is likely to miss out on the recognition that it deserves.
Can lack structure and consistency
Traditional marketing techniques are more structured and consistent as compared to social marketing. While social media introduces innovation, it tends not to be standardised and falls short in consistency as compared to traditional marketing techniques. Social media is still in its infancy trying to establish its viability and is still developing and evolving; where you have an audience today may not exist tomorrow whereas traditional media is apart of our lives and will always have a consistent audience base.
Can be vulnerable to attack
While the Internet is by and large secure, there's some degree of risk involved when it comes to the security of social networks. In the past, hackers have shown that social networks are vulnerable to malware and security attacks thereby promoting the philosophy that it's way too risky to rely on social media alone to launch a marketing campaign, a new product or idea.
Social Media isn't meant for selling
While it's true that Facebook and Twitter have turned out to be fantastic tools for marketing it was not invented for this purpose, and when it comes too aggressive selling, social media networks sound too pushy. It's easy to forget the social aspect of "social" media.
Openness
Social networks are like open books. While they offer an unparalleled reach, their openness can be discomforting at times for any business. Word of mouth - be it good or bad spreads like wild fire in the world of social media marketing.
Social Media is a means, not an end
When it comes to businesses; the final objective is to make profits - be it using traditional media and / or social media. There are millions of success stories where businesses have effectively used social media along with traditional media to achieve the final object - higher revenues and more profits.
Getting the basics right
New Media Marketing isn't a magic wand. It is crucial to get the fundamentals of marketing right before you join the social media bandwagon.
There's no better way to getting the basics right than to go back to traditional marketing techniques. I recommend that you search for an agency that has their grass roots in Traditional Advertising and Marketing and has embraced New Media. That way all your eggs will be well protected and if one cracks then not all of them will go rotten.
If You`d like to learn more about marketing tactics please feel free to visitwww.creativebrew.com.au
