With every passing second, we get more connected. The use of social networks is at an all time high among consumers and businesses alike. Facebook boasts 900 million users; YouTube gets 4 billion views per day, and Twitter reports that 1 billion tweets are sent per week. The numbers are staggering, the growth shows no sign of slowing, and the writing is on the wall; if you want to reach consumers, social media is the place to do it. Or is it?
The Dilemma Businesses Face Some would argue that with defined audience segmentation and on target offers, traditional marketing is still very effective when acquiring some customer segments. Is it possible that power of traditional channels is as strong as that of social channels?
Traditional media proponents argue that traditional media has stability and credibility. After all, businesses have been marketing in newspapers for well over 100 years; Facebook isn’t even 10 years old. So what is the answer? Where do savvy businesses invest their marketing dollar?
The Argument For Social Media Social media not only offers businesses the ability to engage potential clients, but also revolutionizes the customer service provided to existing clients. By monitoring mentions, tweets, wall posts, and other social communications, businesses are able to identify and deliver immediate solutions to negative customer comments and/or experiences.
The Term Paper on The Relationship Between Business Ethics and Customer Relations
The relationship between business ethics and customer relations lies in the manner in which the management of various businesses apply the principles of ethics in their interaction with customers. As such, business ethics and customer relations may apply to the way in which a business conveys its products and services to customers and the manner in which it handles customer complaints. It also ...
But does this alone warrant a shift from traditional media to social media? Let’s talk about the ability to increase revenue using social engagement, by engaging potential clients and building brand awareness through social channels. Social media provides businesses an opportunity to engage their potential customers at the precise moment that person is in need of the businesses offering.
For example, a social savvy retail shoe outlet may be monitoring Twitter for users tweeting that they are running in an upcoming half marathon, or maybe someone mentions they will be taking their first beach trip of the season this weekend.
At that point the shoe retailer can engage the user socially about their upcoming event or trip and incorporate an offer for the latest, greatest running shoes or a fashionable new pair of sandals. Social media is changing the relationship businesses have with consumers and the way consumers view businesses. Building brand awareness is easier than ever before when using social media.
Through social contests and participation brands are able to drive more traffic to other corporate channels and deliver messages to audiences that traditional marketing doesn’t reach. Brands are able to position themselves as industry experts through participation in forums and by releasing premium content on a company blog.
Social media allows businesses to reach consumers in a social environment that provides more one on one interaction and relationship building. Businesses have to be careful to understand that social media is just that, social.
Consumers do not want to be flooded with offers and calls to action in an environment that they go to in order to socialize. Businesses are expected to respect those unwritten rules and provide unexpected value through engaging relevant content. Despite all the positives of social media, for some, the doubt remains. Is it targeted enough? How effectively can potential clients be reached? Is there a clear return on investment? Does social media have the reach of traditional media?
The Review on The Effects of Social Media on a Business
Social media has greatly changed the way people communicate and interact with one another. There are a variety of social media sites which are used worldwide, such as Youtube, Facebook and Twitter. This type of communications method is now being used by business in marketing their products. The fact that many people use social media to discuss their thoughts and views online, has caused business ...
The Argument For Traditional Media Traditional media has the advantage over social media when it comes to being established. Traditional media channels have brought offers into homes for decades. Businesses were built on the back of traditional media; that can be a difficult fact to turn away from.
There are still obvious advantages to traditional media. While rapidly growing, the use of social media has not yet become mainstream enough to match the reach of television, print, or radio. Businesses that rely strictly on social media are excluding key consumer segments that have not yet made the “digital transition”.
Another key advantage to traditional media is being able to geographically target consumers. Businesses know that when they run a newspaper campaign or a television campaign, they are reaching consumers in specific demographic market area that publication or station serves. When reaching out to consumers through social media channels, there is no guarantee those being reached are living and buying within a certain geographic area.
Specific industries, such as those that serve the elderly, may find traditional marketing a key to their efforts as the older segment is less likely to be found in social media channels. Another area of traditional media that has come into question in recent years is that of the yellow pages. Where are consumers more likely go when they are in the need of a specific product or service, the phone book or an online search engine?
In recent years an increasing number of people choose to go to an online search engine or to their social media connections when looking for specific businesses. Is this the most reliable means to find such businesses?
The internet is unregulated, therefore fraudulent reviews and misinformation is commonplace. So the question remains, do businesses choose to allocate their marketing dollars to the “old reliable” traditional media? Or do they choose to invest in “hip and cutting edge” social media as their marketing strategy?
The Essay on Integrating Social Media Into Traditional Marketing
... incorporate social media into traditional methods of marketing as well such as social media logos. Because the social media is being utilized more and more by consumers and businesses it ... your product on their preferred social media outlet (Jansen, 2011). If consumers see a traditional form of marketing that contains a social blog key they will ...
In conclusion, the answer is clear, savvy businesses choose both. At this point in time when you consider traditional media marketing and social media marketing there are benefits to using a healthy mix of both. Utilizing traditional marketing allows you to benefit by reaching segments social media does not.
Aligning your message with traditional media channels lends credibility and dependability to your brand. This is a benefit only proven mediums such as newspaper, television, and radio can provide. Keeping your business’s finger on the pulse of consumers is critical to your marketing efforts and that is exactly what social media allows you to do.
Social media marketing allows you to dig deeper into consumer buying behaviors, establish one on one social relationship with consumers, and provide a higher level of customer service. In my opinion the most important aspect of marketing is not the question of traditional vs. social, but the content of your marketing strategy.
Having a calculated and consistent content strategy is crucial for businesses today. Consumers are being targeted in so many more ways than ever before; they are inundated with marketing messages in everything they do, many times without even realizing it.
Because of this, to ensure a successful marketing strategy and to stand out among competitors, businesses must use a strategic mix of traditional media and social media marketing and provide consumers with a clear, relevant, consistent flow of content.
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The Essay on Online marketing vs Traditional marketing
Traditional marketing have many advertisement methods that have been used in the past. By saying this, we can assume business cards, print ads in magazines or newspapers, posters, radio, television commercials, brochures and billboards. Traditional marketing uses anything as long as is not digital to “brand” your product or company logo into the minds of people. People sometimes can find you or ...
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Why Social Is So Disruptive to Traditional Marketing. Social Media Today. Retrieved from http://socialmediatoday.com/node/429749
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How Many People Use The Top Social Media? Digital Marketing Ramblings. Retrieved from http://expandedramblings.com/index.php/resource-how-many-people-use-the-top-social-media/
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Principles of Marketing. Flatworld Knowledge. Retrieved from www.flatworldknowledge.com
