Integrating a social media plan into your branding strategy has moved from being an option to becoming a necessity for survival in today’s fast moving marketplace.\u00a0 Not too long ago, the thought of adding a viral component to a marketing campaign was a nice add on but hardly a requirement for success.\u00a0 Today, the companies that are going to survive and thrive are the companies that understand the importance of social media and experiment with it to find the best ways to leverage its reach and power in order to drive returns.<\/p>\n
With that shift in strategic direction in mind, consider the ways that social media differs from traditional media described below.<\/p>\n
Source<\/strong><\/p>\n Social media is produced through self-publishing and user-generated content vs. the professional media outlets such as television, radio, newspapers and magazines used in traditional media.<\/p>\n Marketing<\/strong><\/p>\n Social media leverages pull marketing while traditional media relies on push marketing strategies.<\/p>\n Cost<\/strong><\/p>\n Social media requires a far smaller monetary investment than traditional media usually does.<\/p>\n Market\/Audience<\/strong><\/p>\n Social media typically reaches and influences a highly targeted or niche market vs. traditional media which often reaches a broader audience.<\/p>\n Messages<\/strong><\/p>\n Social media messages come directly from individual consumers while traditional media messages most often come from the company behind them.<\/p>\n Interactivity<\/strong><\/p>\n Social media is highly interactive generating ongoing conversations between multiple individuals\u00a0while traditional media provides one-sided messages in a passive format.<\/p>\n Based on the differences listed above, it should come as no surprise that well-executed social media marketing campaigns can be highly influential.\u00a0 On the other hand, a negative buzz that spreads throughout the social web can be very harmful to a brand.\u00a0 The lesson to learn is that social media is here to stay.\u00a0 While the recipe for success in leveraging the social web to build brands has yet to be determined and quantified, the point is it can’t be ignored.\u00a0 It’s essential to incorporate social media into your marketing plan and branding strategy.<\/p>\n What social media marketing techniques have worked well for your brand or company?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Integrating a social media plan into your branding strategy has moved from being an option to becoming a necessity for survival in today’s fast moving marketplace.\u00a0 Not too long ago, the thought of adding a viral component to a marketing campaign was a nice add on but hardly a requirement for success.\u00a0 Today, the companies […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[95],"tags":[100,521,110,519,518,520,135,417,244],"class_list":{"0":"post-1172","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-brand","7":"tag-brand-strategy","8":"tag-buzz-marketing","9":"tag-corporate-branding","10":"tag-marketing-plan","11":"tag-new-media","12":"tag-online-branding","13":"tag-social-media-marketing","14":"tag-social-web","15":"tag-viral-marketing","16":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\n