For any business looking to increase their customer base, marketing is crucial. Without marketing you end up relying on a limited supply of new business through referrals or networks. Marketing is what generates business leads and brings a continuous stream of new people to your doorstep.
Traditional marketing encompasses radio, print and television—mediums that have been reliable for many decades and that still present good marketing opportunities for many of today’s businesses. These traditional mediums are what’s known as push marketing methods—you’re “pushing” your marketing message into the market, and it is delivered without audience participation.
New media marketing, on the other hand, includes online marketing such as websites, online advertising, online directories and search engine marketing. These methods are identified as “pull marketing”; in other words, your audience is searching for your product, service or information online using search engines.
Social media is the latest in new media marketing and involves users connecting and swapping messages through content like video, blogs, status updates, images, notes and more. Some of the social media giants you might be aware of are Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn and Flickr. But all the hype aside, social media is here to stay and will continue to impact the way businesses engage and interact and communicate with its customers, much like the impact e-mail had in the early 1990s.
Social media provides a unique marketing opportunity for businesses, although it’s not about the hard sell, rather it’s about building relationships and becoming integrated with communities of people who are interested in what you have to offer. It’s also about sharing useful and relevant information with others and building loyalty and trust among potential customers as well as “amplifying your brand”.
What’s In It for Me
Any form of marketing that works well takes thought and planning. Social media marketing is no different. However, the benefits of using social media can be far greater than most new media marketing and traditional marketing methods. Why?
- Market Research—Social media provides an up-close opportunity for you to engage directly with your market, to get feedback, to establish an understanding of your market’s demographics, and to learn about the best way to reach your target audience.
- Connection—Connect with your market in a way that you never have before. Build relationships through connection.
- Community— Keep people interested in your business. Get involved in the community around your industry; be the experts, the first to break some big industry news, provide useful information and helpful tips.
- Reach – organic growth of “fans” or “followers” over a period of time means that your message will reach these people instantaneously and the flow is similar to viral marketing or “word of mouth”.
- Real time – people interested in your business will receive and provide feedback in real time, enabling you to execute “time sensitive” campaigns.
Social media marketing for businesses is effective largely because of the ability to tap into existing markets with an already established interest in your service offering(s). Building on traditional marketing methods, new marketing methods such as social media take meaningful connections with target audiences to the next level, building strong relationships and communities that significant benefit the business and the consumer.
Learn More
To learn even more about social media and discover the unrealised opportunities for your business, give us a call. We’re here to help.
Related Links
|
Posted in Blog | February 12th, 2010. Author: Rebecca
