Social Media is Part of the Marketing Mix

While social media is certainly a new marketing strategy, it is not unproven. Millions of consumers and professionals regularly frequent social media sites to make buying decisions – whether they are buying products or services, investigating companies, retaining vendor partners or hiring new employees. This sheer volume of eyeballs with commercial intent cannot be ignored. Social media networks offer an entirely new way to reach and influence buyers.

If you’re still thinking MY clients and prospects don’t use social media sites to make buying decisions, think again. Even if you are targeting the “C-suite” (CEOs, CFOs, CIOs or CMOs), these executives commonly assign manager-level personnel to conduct research on products, services and vendors. These critical influencers absolutely use social media networks to do research, dialogue with vendors and make recommendations to their leadership decision-makers.

Over the last several years, buyers have shifted from being passive recipients of pushed information (e-mail, direct mail and advertising) to active, informed participants in the vendor research and selection process. This means traditional marketing efforts alone will no longer work. Your prospects aren’t going to go to your corporate Web site and believe every word they read. They are going to do an online search to see what others think about your products, services and company. The best places to garner this type of candid, unfiltered feedback are social media sites.

Without a doubt, social media is becoming an important part of the marketing mix. It offers many benefits, namely the ability to conduct a meaningful dialogue with prospects and customers – an opportunity to influence the buying decision in real time. It also enables your prospects to quickly and independently conduct due diligence and validate that your company, products or services are, in fact, a good fit for them.

With the benefits, though, come risks. Putting yourself or your company “out there” on social media networks introduces a level of vulnerability. While you will garner honest feedback from your customers, you have to be willing to accept constructive criticism – and most importantly, publicly demonstrate your organization’s desire to take accountability and wiliness to correct mistakes.

Social media is not going to replace your overall marketing strategy; it is another layer of the communication and influence process. It can facilitate more honest dialogues and stronger loyalty among customers and prospects. Social media can also help you reach a new pool of qualified buyers and shorten the sales cycle.

As you start down the road of social media, here are some factors to take into consideration:

1. Take a strategic approach to social media and put a plan in place as you would any other marketing initiative. Map out your strategy, beginning with research. Who is your audience? What segment is entrenched in social media? Where are they on Facebook? Who are they following on Twitter? What are they interested in? How can you influence them?
2. Assign a social media spokesperson for your company that makes sense. One of the top benefits of social media is the ability to personalize your company; it connects a real name, face and person to your organization. Based on the goals associated with your social media efforts, select a company spokesperson that will resonate with your target audience – the sales leader, the client service leader, the technical leader or the business leader?
3. Stick to your core brand message points. Even though social media networks can feel very casual, this is no time to abandon your brand identity. Key messaging is integral to success. You can be conversational and “real” and still stick to your company’s key messaging. Social media is a great way to “live your brand” – demonstrate that your mission statement is more than rhetoric; it represents your company’s values.
4. Use social media to broaden the reach of already existing marketing initiatives. For instance, if you have an ad campaign airing on television, post it to Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and include a link to a YouTube clip of the commercial. Tweet a link to your latest white paper or case study. Create a Facebook event page to invite people to your next open house or seminar. Post updates from press releases and company announcements.

Bottom line, social media doesn’t replace your current marketing strategies. It is just another tool in the toolbox. Embrace this latest communications vehicle and use it to your advantage. In actuality, your customers and buyers won’t give you much choice. We promise you, it’s not going anywhere.

About the Author:
Amy Zucker, a public relations and marketing veteran with 15 years of industry expertise, is president and founder of Synergy Marketing Group. The firm is a Woman-owned Business Enterprise (WBE) with offices in Indianapolis and Dallas. In addition to public relations, the agency also specializes in brand development, strategic marketing, advertising, Web site development, social media and event planning. In her role as president, Amy sets the agency’s quality standards, defines Synergy’s client service model and develops the firm’s operational processes. She also actively participates in all clients’ strategic planning processes and provides them with ongoing counsel and crisis management. Throughout her career she has helped her clients increase brand awareness, establish credibility, generate demand, launch new companies, and measure return on investment. Her areas of expertise include: strategic planning; crisis management; corporate communications; brand creation; crafting and effectively delivering strategic key messages; and garnering prominent press coverage in local, regional, national and trade media outlets. Amy can be reached at 317.205.9690 ext. 223 or [email protected] To learn more about Synergy Marketing Group, please visit www.synergy-mg.com.