Blending Traditional & Social Together Through Planning

This week my class focused on planning.  I was directed to a couple informative articles regarding the marketing of your business.  Some of the simplest things that may be overlooked but will make quite a difference are all done in the beginning stages of creating your marketing plan.  One of the most important things any business can have is a mission statement.  It may seem silly and invaluable, but it will be referred back to time and time again by all who are involved.  A single statement can be quite powerful as it defines what you are all about and what makes you unique.   Listing clear objectives and creating a solid strategy are also no-brainers that should not be skimmed over. One of the articles broke down the 4 P's of marketing: product, price, place and promotion.  Again, simple concepts that should not be ignored. All too often it seems as though a company will jump into the marketing race without really spending the time to build a solid foundation.  Just as it is with life, it's the little things that make all the difference.

Another topic that I studied was successfully integrating traditional and social media together to create a powerful campaign.  The slide show "You Don't Need a Social Media Strategy," showcased a wonderfully creative and unique campaign that combined flawlessly both traditional and social media.  People fell in love with Salty, a salt shaker no longer needed by his family, and participated and followed him through social media outlets after they had viewed the traditional ads. Salty amassed quite a following, profits rose and competition was beat. Ebay still has Salty and Pep shakers for sale for over $150.00.  

From this slide show I also learned that it is best for social media to be part of the marketing plan from the very start.  Do not make the mistake and view social media as an add on.  In order for the campaign to reach its full potential, both need to be present and planned for from the start. Use traditional marketing to start the campaign and/or get a stale campaign going again and use social marketing to remind people and amplify market impact when the campaign is no longer running.  

I found a similar slide show "InteGREAT! Social Media and New Technology and the Traditional Marketing Plan" where a traditional and social campaign is used for the Palm Beach Opera.  It effectively compares traditional media with new media.  From the traditional media, "the more reach you buy, the more engagement you create" is contrasted with the new media, "the more engagement you create, the more reach you earn."  This slide show shows how the new social media tactics can easily be integrated and adapted into the traditional marketing plan.  This differs from Salty's campaign above where both were planned from the start; however, I feel it successfully shows how to integrate new social strategies into an existing plan.

The final thing that was studied this week was crowdsourcing.  Not too familiar with the term?  According to Jeff Howe, one of the first authors to use the term, crowdsourcing is the act of outsourcing tasks, traditionally performed by an employee or contractor, to an undefined, large group of people or community (a "crowd"), through an open call.  I was asked to review and comment on my semester project of creating a marketing plan for my school's business division.  Our list of requirements is very specific and it is very clear what is required.  I feel that predicted tangible and intangible results should be listed.  This seems like it would have an extra appeal to those receiving the plan.  While I understand and appreciate the assignment being geared towards my school, I would have welcomed the opportunity to choose from several businesses to create this plan for.  All in all the assignment and requirements are clear and solid.  

Marshall McLuhan

"We shape our tools and thereafter our tools shape us"

-Marshall McLuhan

Marshall McLuhan was known for understanding how technology effects society.  He is known for coining the expressions "the medium is the message" and "the global village."  He pioneered new ways of thinking about how we communicate.  His work was controversial and constantly challenged for scientific proof.  The result was McCluhan's Laws of Media.  

McCluhan concluded that four things happen to all media and human artifacts:  Enhance, Reverse, Retrieve, Obsolesce. He insisted that all four happen simultaneously, never in chronological order.  Because of this, he settled on the tetrad to display the interlocking nature of these effects  (source). 

This tetrad can apply to any form of media and/or means of communication   It is easily adapted to social media by answering the following questions:

What does it extend?  The ability to connect and communicate.  We now see instant gratification when we communicate.  It extends our voices. Voice alone is no longer the norm.  We can now record and recall instantly what has been voiced.

   

What does it make obsolete?  Books and publications.  Privacy.  Isolation.  Certain publication and marketing/public relation jobs may become obsolete.  Bookstores will begin to disappear and newspapers will shut down.

What new opportunities does it create?  Everyone can be involved in the media.  It is no longer a monopoly.  No longer is anyone dependent on one source or one channel for news.  We now have access to learn whatever we want, whenever we want.  

What does it reverse to when it overextends?  This is the hardest of the four for me to come up with an answer to.  It may reverse back to a monopoly with the corporations that currently control the television, controlling the internet.  Freedoms that everybody has now may be gone.  

I stumbled upon some interested blog entries about Marshall McLuhan and social media.  They can be viewed by clicking here, here or here. 

Five Do's and Don'ts

The Internet is flooded with websites and blogs suggesting things to do or not to do with your social media campaign.  I have visited quite a few sites and the following are some tips that I feel are most relevant and useful.   Two of my favorite articles that I found can be viewed here or here.


Do make sure that your company has it's own website.  It would be extremely foolish to rely solely on someone else's website.  Look at how fast Myspace came and went.  It is most likely that these sites that we rely on heavily now will change and some may even disappear. Make sure that you have a mailing list that your customers can sign up for directly on your website.  This will eliminate you relying solely on the lists of sites like Facebook and Twitter.  If you make sure that your own website is consistently up to date and linked to, this will greatly benefit you in the end.


Do not ignore your customers!  Social media marketing is about the people you are connecting with.  If someone leaves you a comment it is important that you respond to it quickly.  Even if it is a negative comment it still needs a response.  Every source of feedback should be viewed as an opportunity to respond and improve so that you keep everyone happy and coming back for more.


Do create a blog.  It is hard to get your message across with just a few characters.  Some customers may not need the extra details, but some may like reading more and feel more in the loop.  Provide links to your blog whenever you can so that the customer can have the option of reading more, or just absorbing your quick message.


Do not over do it with status updates and Tweets.  Your customers want highlights, not a play by play of every single thing that is happening with your business.  Customers will become annoyed if you are constantly updating your status every few minutes.  Many will likely stop following you if you overwhelm them with too much.  It is all about finding a good balance.  Just think of what you yourself would consider too much if you were the customer.


Do follow and like others.  Supporting other businesses is super important.  The basic principals of social media revolve around connecting and networking with others.  It is vital to participate in these aspects of the media world.  Even if you don't like something, for the sake of you own business, "like" it.  Not only will it be showing support, it will also get your company's name out there to a lot more people.


Finally, here are a couple of videos that I found that I think you may find useful: