Traditional advertising and social media marketing, the leaders and buzz generators in advertising and marketing arenas. Traditional advertising is reaching the masses in and outside of their home through targeted messages where you tell them how you will solve their problem and how your product or service will increase their quality of life. This is very effective when reaching your target and they are convinced that they need what you are selling. Social media is creating a presence online, finding your target, and letting them know you are there. Sort of a little nod of the head from the other side of the room so they know you are there. Those that see you, trust you or do know you, become a follower or a fan and have welcomed you into their community. They have opened the door to interact and build a relationship with them.
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Traditional advertising and social media marketing have been treated as two separate communities: on and off line. And, they are, but these inbound and outbound distant cousins need to come closer together for an effective overall advertising and marketing strategy. Social media is still too new for many companies and as they are attempting to wrap their arms around it, the thought of integrating their social media efforts with their traditional advertising is too much of a risk. Failing to take this risk will negatively impact their overall marketing efforts in the long run. The two way communication that is afforded in social media provides great insight into how consumers feel and react to your brand. Ultimately you want to drive sales, and traditional media is a fast driver of sales. Social media is slower. It is more of an indirect form of sales. By hearing what your consumers want and expect from your brand, you listen more than you talk in social media. Traditional advertising is an all out effort to say buy me, because you need me.
How should you bridge the gap between traditional advertising and social media marketing?
- Branded Message: Stay consistent across all forms of your advertising; whether traditional or online. Live up to the promise that you make in your ads and in you conversations on line. Monitor what people are saying, answer their questions, and solve their problems.
- Business Cards: Add profiles to the platforms that you are most active on. Invite your offline community online. Let them know where you are so they can find you online.
- Print Ads: Once again add your social media profiles to your print ads to drive readers to your profiles. Let them see how they will benefit from interacting with you online.
- Broadcast: Tag your spots (easier done with TV than radio) with your profiles to further emphasize your online presence.
Traditional advertising and social media marketing will continue to play a vital role in 2010. Although utilizing different methods of implementation, they also need to work closely together. Bring those offline to your online world to learn more about them and further engage them. Consumers expect more from the brands that they are loyal to. The online interaction keeps them engaged, and you top of mind. Consumers need to have a feeling that they know you/your brand. If it is not you they are talking to, it will be your competitor.
Suzanne Vara is Managing Director of Kherize5 Advertising & Marketing, a Las Vegas based advertising & marketing agency specializing in social media marketing, website development and search engine optimization for small to mid-sized businesses.
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by Deborah Brody
Ralph Waldo Emerson is often quoted as saying: “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.” Note that Emerson refers to foolish consistency. Smart consistency, on the other hand, should be adored by smart marketers and businesspeople everywhere. Smart consistency strengthens your brand and improves your marketing efforts.
With so many marketing platforms available, it’s easy for marketers to lose track of the message and image in their communications efforts. But consistency really is the key to effective marketing, making it a priority to be able control the message.
The most famous brands (think Coca-Cola) always are consistent. Their logo always looks the same, the tag line is the same and the general look and feel always follows the brand’s rules. Great brands enforce consistency.
Less established brands, especially struggling businesses, tend to do the exact opposite. They change up the logo, don’t respect or even have set colors or tag lines or fonts. One ad tells you one thing about the company and makes that a “brand attribute” while another touts something completely different.
Some businesses are experimenting with their marketing or simply don’t have the budget to hire a professional to caretake their branding efforts. A busy business-owner is probably too caught up in his/her other responsibilities to pay close attention to the marketing communications.
Marketing communications aim to shape perception. As a marketer, you want the public to come to accept and believe the image that you want to project. And what does an inconsistent message/look communicate? If it succeeds in communicating at all, inconsistent marketing shows a lack of direction, and in some cases, carelessness. Inconsistency can also communicate confusion and that muddles your branding.
How do you create and enforce consistency?
1) Make consistency a priority!
2) Name a point person to be the final authority on all communications. That person would ensure style and message are in sync with all other marketing efforts.
3) Create an organizational marketing style guide, and refer to it every single time you are putting out a message.
4) Train your people on your message. This is doubly important if several people handle your message, and especially on social media platforms like Twitter.
Yes, consistency will take enforcement and effort, but the result will be a stronger brand.
Deborah Brody established Deborah Brody Marketing Communications (www.deborahbrody.com) in 2002 to provide writing, blogging and strategic communications consulting services to small and medium sized businesses and nonprofits. After moving to Washington, DC from Miami nearly five years ago, she still misses Cuban coffee and random conversations in Spanish. Follow Deborah on twitter @DBMC
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