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.