What is the marketing mix? Do any of us really know? It used to be if you had a good product and a little bit of extra cash you could be rich. Wow, how those days have changed. After the first big advertising wave companies needed more money and a better product in order to be rich. Well today you need less money, a way better product, and a vehicle to get people talking.
It all comes down to social networking. What happens when you get a bunch of people in a room, conversation? There is always that one person in a room, usually me, who starts talking to someone I don't know about something I do know about. Other people chime in and like a magical sense you have social networking which feeds your social media marketing.
I like many other social media marketers are guilty of sometimes thinking traditional advertising is dead and gone. This is not true, Ads do work just not as well as they used to. They still attract attention and generate sales; however, they are not nearly as cost effective as they used to be. Targeted advertising can be cost effective but the problem is advertising is just that - advertising and it blankets all of those consumers who are trying to block it out.
So why social media marketing? It is where your customers are. They are already talking about your product or service the key question; is that good or bad for your company? In the past branding companies chose who to market to today consumers chose what marketing they want to see and hear. When someone types in a search term relevant to your company what will they see? Will it be your website, a review site? Or your social media presence?
As the economy continues to change, marketing continues to evolve. People have created new technologies to communicate . Companies can no longer afford large traditional marketing campaigns, there has to be some value added services that can provide measurable results and I am not talking about coupons codes or increased foot traffic. Social media marketing, can provide you with detailed information about what your customers are looking for, when they want it and how to get it.
Companies can see real time statistics and measure their popularity on social networking sites. You can get in-depth knowledge of the search terms people are using to find your business and the terms affiliated with those search terms. You can see what day of the week your site is visited most. Social media marketing is the first form of marketing that holds your branding organization accountable for all of that expensive marketing advice.
Have you ever logged on to a social networking site and watched the requests? For example take a computer repair shop, the owner may peruse the social media conversations and find Joe chatting with sally about his computer issue, this is a great time for the shop owner to chime in and let Joe know he's here to help. "Not to sell." But to be a guide to help Joe with his problem. Remember business is all about relationship building what better way to do that then through social networking. Social networking tools allow you to supercharge your conversations because you can connect with anyone anywhere from your PC your Phone even your IPod.
